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User profile for user: Epic Farms
Epic Farms Author
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Please help? iphone5 Verizon Wireless and Verizon Straight Talk question

I would very much like an iphone5, however I am becoming increasingly frustrated by the conflicting information I am running into. I understand some of the tech lingo, but I can't seem to find the answers I'm looking for (here's hoping somebody here knows answers and makes sense - and in English, oh my at the outsourcing - at the same time ;o)


We are currently on the Verizon Wireless network with two dumb phones and one smart phone, but to add the iphone would push our bill close to $200/month (and who can afford that?) We've been looking into Straight Talk's unlimited plan for smart phones which is almost half of what our current plan would be. The contract on my "stupid" phone expired a year or two ago, but I never upgraded as I was holding out for an iphone.


Here's my dilemma: Where do I get a phone that isn't married to a carrier? Is it even possible?


From what I've been able to ascertain, the iphone5 model that you can buy from Straight Talk is a Verizon phone (CMDAv) and it runs on Verizon towers through the Straight Talk unlimited plan, but it won't work on Verizon Wireless. So if I hate Straight Talk does that mean I blew $649 for a phone I can't use anywhere else? Yikes! If I buy the iphone5 as an upgrad from Verizon for $199, it will not work on another carrier including Straight Talk as it is a CMDA (hold the v).


I did see some guy with a post about a pair of scissors and a home grown Nano card (from a Simm), but that idea makes me a little twitchy. I would appreciate any help you can give me, and I'll offer an apology for the length of this post *wince*. It's awfully long.


Thank you so much!

iPhone 5, Carriers

Posted on Mar 5, 2013 6:49 AM

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User profile for user: Michael Black
Michael Black
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Posted on Mar 5, 2013 6:59 AM

If you want to use one of the two USA CDMA iPhone service providers, Sprint or Verizon (or any MVNO that uses their network) you have to buy a CDMA phone for that network. No way around that.


The only unlocked iPhone available is the GSM only model A1428 (same model as sold for use on the AT&T network). There is no such device as an unlocked CDMA iPhone and never has been (CDMA technology just does not work that way).


So, if you want to stick with Verizon, or a virtual carrier that uses Veriizon's network, you are going to have to buy an iPhone from that specific carrier. A CDMA phone needs to be provisioned for a specific network, while an unlocked GSM phone can be provisioned for any GSM network from the settings stored on a SIM card.

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User profile for user: Michael Black
Michael Black
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Mar 5, 2013 6:59 AM in response to Epic Farms

If you want to use one of the two USA CDMA iPhone service providers, Sprint or Verizon (or any MVNO that uses their network) you have to buy a CDMA phone for that network. No way around that.


The only unlocked iPhone available is the GSM only model A1428 (same model as sold for use on the AT&T network). There is no such device as an unlocked CDMA iPhone and never has been (CDMA technology just does not work that way).


So, if you want to stick with Verizon, or a virtual carrier that uses Veriizon's network, you are going to have to buy an iPhone from that specific carrier. A CDMA phone needs to be provisioned for a specific network, while an unlocked GSM phone can be provisioned for any GSM network from the settings stored on a SIM card.

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User profile for user: Epic Farms
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Mar 5, 2013 8:26 AM in response to Michael Black

My biggest reason behind the CMDA phones is that we are in a fairly rural area, and Verizon has the best coverage as far as cell service and towers go (so I wasn't too keen on going with the GSM model).


I guess what really bothers me is the idea of being forced to make a big one way (and very expensive) decision with absolutely no recourse whatsoever if I don't like the one I pick.


Thanks so much for your help!

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User profile for user: Michael Black
Michael Black
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Mar 5, 2013 8:31 AM in response to Epic Farms

Every single carrier in the USA is required to give you an initial trial period. With Verizon that is admittedly only 14 days, but check the phone out thoroughly during that time, and you can always back out.


Apple actually gives you 30days to return an iPhone for full refund, no questions asked. But the 14 day service trial from Verizon is independant of that.

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User profile for user: Epic Farms
Epic Farms Author
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Mar 5, 2013 11:47 AM in response to Michael Black

@Michael:


The other thought would be to test drive Straight Talk on another, less expensive smartphone and see how it goes (DH's idea). My current cell is on life support, as it is so ancient the buttons are failing. It's probably going to kick the bucket before I can figure all this stupid stuff out *laugh* but I'm stubbornly hoping to get an iphone and I don't want to settle again and have to wait another two years.


Just read the press release about the legality of locking/unlocking phones to change carriers and it seems to me like we wound up right back where we started with Ma Bell (since the carriers seem to have everything tied up so tightly they've each created their own little monopolies). Whatta pain.


Thanks so much for your help!

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User profile for user: deggie
deggie
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Mar 5, 2013 12:02 PM in response to Epic Farms

The press release is not quite accurate. If you purchase say an AT&T iPhone on a subsidized basis, i.e. $199, then you must complete your contract and you cannot legally use 3rd party software to unlock it. If you complete or buy out your contract you can officially unlock your iPhone through AT&T which is what you would want to do in the first place. This is only a change because at one time AT&T would not unlock iPhones even after you completed your contract.


Verizon, at least on the CDMA side, is a different matter. The phone is not locked they just won't allow a CDMA phone from another vendor on their network. But the GSM side of a Verizon iPhone 5 is unlocked.

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User profile for user: Epic Farms
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Mar 5, 2013 1:12 PM in response to deggie

Seems like I remember seeing something about AT&T's towers there, but can't remember if it's with or without contract. Had that thought yesterday about just getting the phone from Verizon and buying out the contract (still cheaper than $649). That's when I learned that it wouldn't work on Straight Talk's Verizon plan.


This is a ridiculous pain in the tail; the woman I talked to (finally) at Straight Talk last night had a heavy accent and light clue. We went round and round on several things. When I a gave up on my previous topic and asked about the soft cap on the unlimited data plan, she said there was no cap it was 30 m b's (saying the individual letters instead of "megabytes"). Kinda figured at that point that any more questions would be fruitless, you know?

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User profile for user: Epic Farms
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Mar 5, 2013 3:00 PM in response to wjosten

Yeah I got that part and I'm good with 2 gig of data in a month. What makes me twitchty is the potential for corporate greed in conjunction with the phone's single carrier limitation. I guess I'm going to look into the GSM side of the Verizon iphone5 that deggie mentioned and see if that would work on another carrier (just in case).


I like having a plan B, I guess. Call me paranoid, but I can't help wondering stuff like what if I go with Straight Talk and they suddenly decide to jack up their prices or cut the data package down to nothing after I'm all addicted to my cool new iToy?


Gotta look at all the angles (even if it gives me a major migraine in the process *laugh*). My apologies if I'm giving the rest of you one as well...

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User profile for user: wjosten
wjosten
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Mar 5, 2013 3:07 PM in response to Epic Farms

My youngest son is a carrier jumper...he'll jump to the next "great" thing in a heart beat. He went from T-Mobile to Straight Talk...all I heard was this is the greatest thing since sliced bread...three months later, he's back with T-Mobile. If all you do is talk & text, I suspect they are OK. Use any data, and you need to look elsewhere. Remember, they don't own any networks, they rent. If everyone started using data on their network...well you get the picture.

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User profile for user: Epic Farms
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Mar 5, 2013 3:25 PM in response to wjosten

That's exactly what I'm afraid of; wanting to leave because I'm dissatisfied with the service. We have a couple of friends with smartphones on Straight Talk and they love it; nobody with an iphone though (I think they have Androids).


DH's contract isn't up until December, so I was going to venture out and test the smartphone waters (so to speak). We've been with Verizon for awhile now (since we left our "beep-beeps" at Nextel somewhere in the '90's, I believe). We only left Nextel because they were taken over by Sprint who came in and changed everything; we didn't care for the new plans they offered. I don't like changing carriers; it's a hassle (and this potential change is WAY more annoying than that one was).


You know, if I could just win the lottery it wouldn't be such a big deal.*laugh*

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Please help? iphone5 Verizon Wireless and Verizon Straight Talk question

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