Unlock Service only unlock GSM? How about CDMA?

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Level 1

9 points

Unlock Service only unlock GSM? How about CDMA?

Today, when I insert a UIM Card from China Telecom(a CDMA carrier) to the Sprint iPhone 5c (A1456, SIM-LOCKED), it shows the strong signal and the 3G logo, and I could see the new carrier's name correctly in the phone's setting.

Is this a universal phenomenon for a SIM-LOCKED phone when you insert a new carrier's SIM card it could recognize it correctly(Of course then the phone turn to the activate page)?

And I want to ask that since the phone could receive 3G data(CDMA 1X or Evdo) to activate the phone (through activation failed certainly), why does the unlock service only unlock the GSM part, how is the CDMA part?

Of course I know that GSM and CDMA are two different network type, and many people in this forum say that unlocking CDMA is complex and no carrier would do this. I am very confusing about this. For a Verizon iPhone and the strategy is 2023, it seems to be a global phone and it could use CDMA,WCDMA,CDMA2000 and FDD-LTE. But when you inquire the SN, it shoule be a LOCKED one. Whether it is locked or unlocked, I think the real part which decide the network it supports should be the activation strategy. So if the unlock activate strategy is 2023 like Verizon, it seems better.

I want to unlock the CDMA part so that I could use the new carrier's CDMA network even LTE. But it seems the phone would be a GSM phone, of course I won't unlock it. But we could see unlock service in eBay or Taobao that some businesses say they could unlock GSM+WCDMA ($150), GSM+WCDMA+CDMA2000($200), is it true?

And under the new unlock bill, is there any possibility to unlock the cdma part? or bypass the locked carrier to unlock phone(Since it's a legal action)？

iPhone 5c, iOS 7.1.1

Posted on Jul 31, 2014 4:40 AM

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Answer 1

KiltedTim

Level 10

225,810 points

Jul 31, 2014 8:25 AM in response to Imhzw

Imhzw wrote:

So if I insert a Verizon SIM card, it could also be recognized correctly? Of course activation failed?

No. You can not use a Verizon SIM in a Sprint phone. It will not activate. You can ONLY use a Sprint phone on the Sprint CDMA network.

IF it has been legitimately unlocked by Sprint, you can use it on any NON US GSM network with which the iPhone is compatible. You can not use it on ANY other CDMA carrier.

The Gevey SIM is illegal in every country on the planet.

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Answer 2

KiltedTim

Level 10

225,810 points

Jul 31, 2014 6:44 AM in response to Imhzw

You can not use a CDMA iPhone on ANY CDMA carrier other than the one it was sold for. If you have a Sprint phone, you can not use it on any CDMA carrier other than Sprint. There is no way around this.

You bought the wrong phone.

CDMA "locking" does not work the same way as GSM locking does. CDMA phones are not truly "locked". It's a matter of carrier policy as to whether or not they will allow a phone not sold for use on their network on their network.

The particular problem you have run into is that the carrier you want to use uses a "CDMA SIM". The iPhone is NOT compatible with those at all.

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Answer 3

Imhzw Author

Level 1

9 points

Jul 31, 2014 8:22 AM in response to KiltedTim

So if I insert a Verizon SIM card, it could also be recognized correctly? Of course activation failed?

So are recognizing the SIM card and using its network two different concepts at all?

In the past I used to use the phone "HTC EVO 4G LTE", a cdma phone from Sprint. And I use it in a Chinese's cdma carrier. I have the all information in the UIM Card including IMSI, AA, AKEY and so on. After writing the information by QPST and QXDM to the EVO, it functions well. But this time the method seems a total failure.

Can gevey sim be discussed there? It's true that there is a team in China invent a gevey sim which could make a Sprint LOCKED phone use other's cdma network and it's perfect. (I'm a new comer, if gevey sim cannot be discussed here, please inform me, thanks)

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Answer 4

Mar 13, 2015 7:28 AM in response to KiltedTim

You're 100% wrong. A Verizon SIM will work PERFECTLY in an unlocked Sprint iPhone. I had my iPhone 5 unlocked by Sprint and my mother moved her Verizon SIM to the device and has no issues with it. Verizon's CDMA system is SIM-BASED, and iPhones DO support the CDMA SIM card standard.

If a CDMA capable iPhone such as A1456, A1453, etc has been unlocked it will work perfectly fine with another CDMA network SIM card. Please stop spreading false information, there is no illegal action required to get a Sprint iPhone up and running on Verizon.

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Answer 5

Mar 13, 2015 7:34 AM in response to Imhzw

If you have an active Sprint account for 90 days OR the device has been fully paid off you can request a unlock for domestic and international use and Sprint will unlock it no questions asked. It will then work with China Telecom's CDMA service once you insert your SIM and restore the phone through iTunes. There is no GSM-only partial unlock, if a iPhone supports CDMA and GSM then both radios will be unlocked.

See http://www.sprint.com/legal/unlocking_policy.html

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Answer 6

KiltedTim

Level 10

225,810 points

Mar 13, 2015 8:24 AM in response to Harrison_Taylor

You are the one who needs to get your facts straight. CDMA networks in the US are NOT SIM based. The SIM is used for the LTE network, not the CDMA network. Unlocking Sprint phones for domestic use is a recent happening, and was not applicable at all at the time this thread was last active.

Pay attention.

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Answer 7

Mar 13, 2015 8:58 AM in response to KiltedTim

Do you have Verizon?

You're still wrong, Verizon SIM cards INCLUDE PROVISIONING for CDMA AND LTE. If you remove your SIM card, you have no service, you can also swap SIMs in between phones and your number will be transferred over.

Same goes for Sprint and U.S. Cellular, maybe you've never been with a CDMA network otherwise you'd have known since 2012 Verizon has gone to SIM-based CDMA authentication.

I am paying attention, to the facts. You're making a false, blanket statement with no evidence to back it up.

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Answer 8

Mar 13, 2015 10:42 AM in response to KiltedTim

I will, but I'd appreciate if if you stopped spreading false information.

Reality is that Verizon uses a SIM based CDMA network that allows BYOD of compatible unlocked devices with SIM slots such as iPhones from CDMA networks like Sprint and U.S. Cellular. Verizon DOES not maintain a whitelist of devices that are allowed on their network, any CDMA device with a SIM will work. Including iPhone(except the Verizon/Sprint 4 which did not have a SIM slot).

I'll ask again, please stop spreading false information. How could I be wrong if I put my mother's Verizon SIM in a non-jailbroken iPhone 5 from Sprint without calling Verizon or performing any other actions and it worked? Please explain this to me, if you're so insistent upon CDMA iPhones with SIM slots not being cross-compatible, then you should be more than happy to explain why.

Here's a video of a Sprint iPhone 5 that has not been modified or jailbroken in any way whatsoever other than Sprint unlocking it working on Verizon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYu2upOUQFI&list=UUy3lPvkC2dMMBtctvfkz1Mg

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