So, I got the t mobile samsumg sgh t599 from a friend. It was an old phone of his. I started playing around with it. Got it rooted and unlocked easily. I was just bored. But now, I actually want to start using a phone service and although I unlocked a t mobile phone, I was thinking about using t mobile service still. I've never used t mobile's pre paid service. Do all of their pre paid phones require sim cards? And if not, now that I've got this phone unlocked can I somehow use t mobile's prepaid service without a sim card? And if not, is it possible to use this phone on a different service provider that doesn't require a sim card as if I was using an unlocked phone that didn't accept sim cards?
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sgh t599 rooted and unlocked
- Thread starter ThomasP34
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- samsung exhibit 4g
BRAINZ2013
Extreme Android User
OK I am having trouble understanding when you say UNLOCK. If this was a carrier unlock you will need a working SIMS card to operate your device . now you can use any custom ROM just edit build.prop to get service. Now a carrier unlock maybe a code you need to pay for
So you're saying regardless of whether or not a carrier will accept phones with no sim card or not, since this phone has a sim port built in I am required to use a sim card. I have a galaxy s 2 that I am about to root and uninstall that doesn't accept sim cards. I will be able.to pretty much just freely choose whatever carrier I want with that right? Sorry I am new to carrier unlock.
BRAINZ2013
Extreme Android User
Yes you will be able to use any carrier . but if u get a popup saying wrong sim or insert sims card it isn't Carrier unlock .
To answer your original questions:
Everything on T-Mobile requires a SIM card, including the prepaid service. There's no way for a device to register on T-Mobile's network without a SIM.
Why the SIM-hate, btw?
T-Mobile and AT&T are GSM carriers. GSM technology requires a SIM card to access the network, so without a SIM card you won't be able to do anything on a GSM network.
Verizon and Sprint are CDMA carriers. CDMA carriers operate based on the phone's unique identifier (instead of a SIM card that could be swapped between phones). They don't require a SIM, but do require that each device is specifically cleared to work on their network. Verizon, in particular, can be quite particular about which devices they will allow.
Technical Note: CDMA carriers will still require a SIM for LTE connectivity, as LTE is a GSM-based tech.
CDMA and GSM are competing, non-compatible network technologies. You can't take a device meant for one network type and put it on the other network type (with the exception of certain phones that are designed to do just that - for instance, the Nexus 5 is a primarily GSM phone but can also be used on Sprint).
So if you have a device that "doesn't accept SIM cards" that most likely means it is a CDMA device, so it can only be used on Verizon or Sprint (or an MVNO that uses their networks.
Does that help any?
Everything on T-Mobile requires a SIM card, including the prepaid service. There's no way for a device to register on T-Mobile's network without a SIM.
Why the SIM-hate, btw?
T-Mobile and AT&T are GSM carriers. GSM technology requires a SIM card to access the network, so without a SIM card you won't be able to do anything on a GSM network.
Verizon and Sprint are CDMA carriers. CDMA carriers operate based on the phone's unique identifier (instead of a SIM card that could be swapped between phones). They don't require a SIM, but do require that each device is specifically cleared to work on their network. Verizon, in particular, can be quite particular about which devices they will allow.
Technical Note: CDMA carriers will still require a SIM for LTE connectivity, as LTE is a GSM-based tech.
CDMA and GSM are competing, non-compatible network technologies. You can't take a device meant for one network type and put it on the other network type (with the exception of certain phones that are designed to do just that - for instance, the Nexus 5 is a primarily GSM phone but can also be used on Sprint).
So if you have a device that "doesn't accept SIM cards" that most likely means it is a CDMA device, so it can only be used on Verizon or Sprint (or an MVNO that uses their networks.
Does that help any?