CrunchGear

That is crap the rep was most likely too lazy to deal with you, or an ass.

Sprint is the same: if the phone/device doesn’t have a Sprint ESN, you cannot activate it on the Sprint network. Not a Sprint ESN? No go. Not even if the device (Virgin, etc) already rides on Sprint.

The big CDMA carriers absolutely refuse to activate outside ESNs on their networks. Some of the smaller CDMA guys MIGHT work with you and maybe some of the MVNOs.

Previous experience with Verizon leads me to believe that if you talk to a different rep, you’ll get a different story.

Previous experience: I was a Virgin Mobile customer for a while before eventually switching to Verizon. I was using the Kyocera SE47 slider phone on Virgin, which also just so happened to be available on Verizon. I made a couple calls to Verizon support, double-checking that I could use Virgin’s SE47 on Verizon. Both times, I was told it would be no problem.

I unlocked my phone and even had a Verizon store employee update the software on it, which mostly worked. If I tried to update the roaming info (*228), the phone crashed, but other than that, it worked fine.

Of course, the first time I called for customer service, the rep pulled up my account, expressed confusion at the fact that I’d bought a 2-year contract without a phone, and then told me that I’d have to shell out for a new phone.

I just read somewhere in the last month that your cell company had to unlock your phone on request.

Google is not my bitch today, but I know the articles are there.

I had a different experience. I took my Amp’d Hollywood phone to Verizon and the sales guy thought it was totally cool that he could switch my phone to the Verizon network. He said the Amp’d software was actually better than the Verizon software and said he was going to start telling his friends to buy the Amp’d phones instead of the Verizon ones.

I ALSO HAVE AN AMPD Q AND I AM TRYING TO GET IT TO WORK ON VERIZON. VERIZON DID GET MY NUMBER FROM AMPD FOR ME BUT THEY HAVE NOT SWITCHED OVER THE PHONE AS OF YET.

hey just go to verizon site and click prepaid plan and then click activate and then just ender ure ESN and it will work i have the Amp’d razr and thats what i did cuz Amp’d went of Verizons network verizon just sya that cuz they limet what the phones can do ampd did not like verizon you have to buy all the cables and card just to listen to music Amp’d gave you all thatbut just do what i said and u will have ur phone u wont hyave any of the software like get it now and other but you can still call and text

I have an Amp’d Q from Canada, UGH worst idea I ever had buying this thing. It is a sick phone and the network was kinda fun at the time but now that it’s dead I am just riding telus out until they shut me off. I really want to get on Bell with this thing but it seems telus has to give me an unlock code they’re refusing to give.

I have heard that some phones aren’t even locked that are CDMA and that there is a possibility that if I can get Bell to accept my ESN it might be able to be transferred. Can anyone comment on that? Are they 100% locked? Also does anyone know of a site that might state these rules that they have to unlock your phone?