Is replacing the card/chip in a cell phone easy?

[NewJeffCT]

my cellphone is on its last legs. However, I don't want to buy a 2 year cellphone contract in order to get a new phone. It looks like you can get a decent price on eBay for an unlocked phone. Is it a big deal to take the chip/card in my old phone and move it to the new one?

Thanks

[achtung_circus]

1. How old is your phone.

Older phones didn't have removable cards.

[NewJeffCT]

2. it's about 2 1/2 years old

so, not ancient. I've just dropped it a lot...

[NewJeffCT]

3. morning kick

since DU was so slow on my end last night.

[Deja Q]

4. If it's t-mobile, yeah. If it's anybody else, I've no clue.

:(

t-mobile uses a 'SIM' card for user identification. (this also renders phone security pointless; a thief would move the SIM to a fresh phone and call all the doo-dah-day with your credentials... :( )

[NewJeffCT]

5. I think most phones have SIM cars, no?

when I was looking on eBay, they often had: "this phone is good for Cingular, t-mobile, etc"

[La Lioness Priyanka]

6. you mean the SIM?

if so its very easy to do

[NewJeffCT]

7. I should have been clearer in my question

I have a 2 1/2 year old cell phone from Cingular

If I buy a new cell phone (or a refurbished newer one) that is unlocked and is compatible with Cingular, is it a big deal to switch phones & keep the same phone number?

[NewJeffCT]

8. afternoon kick

hoping for a bit more.

[ghostsofgiants]

15. Pretty sure that should work.

I worked customer service for Cingular last summer and though they weren't non-Cingular phones that were unlocked, people were able to switch the SIM from one phone to another without any problem, I think. My memory on such things is a little fuzzy though.

[IA_Seth]

9. Nokia to Nokia, easy as pie.

I've done it twice...I am not real careful with my phones.

[NewJeffCT]

11. thanks

i have a samsung for cingular

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

10. It's pretty easy.

You're looking for a GSM phone (and most eBay auctions will tell you which networks the offered phone is compatible with)

If all of your contacts are stored on the SIM card, then you can probably just swap out the SIM card and be done.
If the phone comes "unlocked" then it should work with your SIM card, and you should be able to
keep the same phone number.

Note: Certain network-specific features might not work on your new "unlocked" phone because they might not be compatible with the network
(Usually, this is web browsing and other downloadable features, which can be configured on the phone, but I don't exactly know how to do that.

[ET Awful]

12. Bingo. The configuration of those features is fairly easy if you just poke around.

Go to howardforums.com (I think that's the right address) and you'll find all the configuration info you could possibly need.

As to swapping the SIM, as long as the phone is unlocked and has the proper frequencies availabe (you need to review carefully what you're buying), you won't have any problems (make sure you verify that the phone does say Cingular compatible since they operate on a different frequency range than other providers). The SIM card itself is universal and will fit any GSM phone.

[Marie26]

13. Yep

Just did it today. Just pop out the battery & slide out the SIM card. Then put the SIM card in the same place on the new phone. It takes 20 seconds.

[lutefisk]

14. Safest way is to buy new phone (Ebay) intended for Cingular

Or at least be sure to get a phone that operates on the 850, 900, and 1900 Mhz GSM network and that it is either "unlocked" or a phone intended for Cingular. Many GSM network phones operate on the 900 Mhz frequency instead of 850 Mhz, so make sure you get the 850 version, which is what Cingular uses in some places. The description should say which frequencies.

Just open up your phone and be sure it has a sim card (under the battery?) and go to Ebay and buy a new phone that comes in a box that says Cingular. Changing cards is easy, and if you stop in at a Cingular store, they will almost certainly give you the newest version sim card for free. Much better than a new contract.

edit: I just remembered- I bought phones on Ebay, brought them in to the Cingular store, and they put the sim cards in the phones for me. No charge!

[NewJeffCT]

16. Sim card

isn't that what has the phone number and anything else you may have stored on there?