Kristina

Hi-

I have a Motorola V60 tri band phone which no longer has service here in the US. I used to have service with T mobile and was able to use it in Europe before. However, the phone is no longer in service here and my current phone is not tri band.

So, I'm going to Spain next month and wondering if I can resurrect this phone for a week by buying a SIM card on arrival (or even before departure).

Any suggestions? I really do not want to buy another phone just for the time we are there (10 days only) but I thought this would be good to use if possible.

Thanks for any advice!

Robert2533

It doesn't sound like your phone is 'unlocked' and since you are not a T-Mobile customer (shame, shame) it will not work. Your options are to have the phone "unlocked", or purchase an unlocked GSM phone on eBay.

There is also the possibility of contacting T-Mobile and asking them for the unlock code. Who knows, they may send it to you.

Kristina

Thanks Robert. Do you know how to tell if the phone is "unlocked"?

BTW, I had to leave t-mobile, they wouldn't give me a deal on new phones. It was just like those commercials-because I wasn't a "new" customer, they didn't care. Of course, after I canceled my service they gave me all sorts of offers, too little, too late.

Bokhara

Hi Kristina,
To test whether a cellphone is locked, get a SIM card from someone who uses a different network & try it in your handset. If it works, yours isn't locked.

Can't help with the Spain Qn, sorry.

Kristina

Update: I'm still having a hard time figuring out how to get this phone unlocked.
Called T Mobile and they told me they couldn't do it since it's been more than 90 days since the phone was in service with them. They told me to call Motorola.
I called Motorola and they were even less helpful, saying that I had to have service to unlock the phone and that I needed to contact my "provider"
Arrrgh!
Also, I can't test out the old phone with my new phone's SIM card (as suggested above) because I can't find the SIM card in the new phone (not under the battery).
Any ideas?

xyz123

Who is your new carrier? Is it a GSM carrier? If it's verizon, it is not gsm and there will be no sim card....

Kristina

xyz123-Ah ha! Well that explains it. My new carrier is Sprint and my new phone is not GSM, so that makes sense.

I know there are services online where I can send them my phone and they supposedly will unlock it for $25-$30, but then that really defeats my purpose, since I only need the phone for 10 days and don't really plan on using it all that much. It becomes much less cost-effective that way.

Anyone know how I can find a place locally (in Los Angeles) where I can have it unlocked?

logos999

Since, xyz123 seems to need some sleep at night, too ;-), let me try to give an answer. If the phone isn't GSM, it can't be used in Europe at all. So it wouldn't make sense unlocking it.

Triband sometimes refers to "2 bands CDMA(TDMA) plus analogue" i.e. a V60s. These phones can not be used in Europe.

If you want to use your phone in Europe, it needs to be either dual band 900/1800 GSM or the new WCDMA (1900/2100uplink/ downlink), unlocked with SIM or USIM card. I don't think WCDMA phones are or have ever been used in the US.

Kristina

Logos-

The V60 definintely will work in Europe because I loaned it to my Mom a couple of years ago when it was still in service with T mobile. She was able to use it there after keying in a couple of commands to change the frequency.

Robespierre

I just Googled unlock v60 and got 421,000 hits. Maybe there's something there you can use.

Intrepid1

Kristina,

Are you planning to use this phone to MAKE calls or mainly receive them? Emergencies only or other topics?

Are there any alternatives for keeping in touch acceptable to you?

I ask this only because the thing seems to be winding tighter and tighter around the axel.

I share, whoelheartedly, your possible desire to be "connected" at all times but often, i wonder if it really makes THAT much difference to have a phone vs. other means.

Just a thought.

Intrepid1

Sorry..meant to say axle..who the H is "axel"?????

Kristina

Yeah, I googled ot too. From what I can tell, I can send it to someone who will unlock it, or I can buy a really expensive device with which I can do it myself. Unlike, other phones there don't seem to be any "free" codes out there.
So now, I'm just wondering if anyone has had any luck going to a store or someplace and getting a phone unlocked. Or, as the guy at Motorola implied, I could just go buy a card and when I did, that provider would "unlock" the phone. Of course, he didn't really speak English, so I was never certain he completely understood what I wanted.

Kristina

Intrepid-
LOL.
I agree with you. I just thought it would be nice if I could easily buy a SIM card for the phone to have while I am there. That way, my husband could call me if needed (free for me-incoming) and we (my Mother and I) would have a "local" phone to use as needed.
No, it's not absolutely necessary, but since I have a phone which "should" work I find it soooo frustrating that I cannot use it even though I own it!

logos999

Why don't you just buy an unlocked phone at ebay.de in Germany and have it sent to your hotel. Used unlocked and locked phones don't cost mre than a few €. Last week I bought an Alcatel for 2,50€ including shipping. There are over 2000 items listed in this category (Handys ohne Vertrag) at this moment. It doesn't make any sense to worry about a problem which can be solved by paying $10, does it???? Best time is Sunday morning

logos999

btw those old Alcatel phones use rechargable AA-batteries.

Kristina

Just an update...
Took the phone to Radio Shack and there was someone there who had a phone with a SIM card. It worked in mine, so it appears to already be unlocked. I'll check back after I go to Spain and let you all know.

Any recs for specific Spanish cell providers from whom to buy a card?

Clifton

Kristina,

That may not mean it's unlocked. It might, but my wife and I swap SIM cards all the time when we need to and I don't think ours are unlocked either They're Samsung models from T-Mobile. I *think* the lock ties you to a network, not to a specific SIM chip. xyz will know a lot more than I would, so my best suggest is to check back and see if that's right or not when he gets back.

Oh, and I have found a couple of forums that were sharing a lot of unlock codes. Appears you can often times key in a sequence of codes with the SIM chip out and unlock it. Didn't see the v60, but saw my and saw a number of other models of Motorola. Appears that some have access to the codes and may be able to supply a key sequence if you can give them the model and network. Appears that not all phones have the remote unlock capability, but could be worth a try?

Unlock forum:
http://phonexpo.net/forumdisplay.php?f=33

Different forum, thread w/ a long long list of unlock codes:
http://forums.mobileburn.com/showthread.php?t=7393

Clifton

First paragraph was a bit vague, but meant to add that if the Radio Shack guy had a t-mobile sim, it probably wouldn't prove that your phone was unlocked. If it was from another provider, then it probably is, to my way of thinking.

Kristina

Clifton, thanks for the info. Unfortunately, I don't know if the guy at radio shack had a t-mobile phone or not. And I can't find any site online, including those you gave, with V-60 unlock codes. I don't think that particular model can be unlocked with a code.
I may just have to risk it, bring the phone and see if a new card will work.