Unlocked cell phone (1 Viewer)

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Bought a Motorola V551 unlocked cell phone online.
Have AT&T contract and inserted my SIM card into unlocked cell phone but
the phone says no service......it worked for a few minutes while driving through
a area but has not worked anywhere else.

Of course, all tech support is shut down for the weekend so any help anyone can provide is greatly appreciated.
 
How old is your SIM card? You might have a 16 bit card with a 32 bit phone.
 
I suppose the SIM card is pretty old but not sure really.

It has an option to search for available networks but doesn't find any.

If I bring the unlocked phone to the local AT&T store will they help me or
will the refuse since I didn't buy the phone from them?

Thanks for the replies
 
I suppose the SIM card is pretty old but not sure really.

It has an option to search for available networks but doesn't find any.

If I bring the unlocked phone to the local AT&T store will they help me or
will the refuse since I didn't buy the phone from them?

Thanks for the replies

If you take out your sim card and look at either side, if it is one of the new sim cards it should say 3G on it. If it says 32k or smaller, then you definitely have an older card and may need to replace it. as for going into the store, its hard to say. There are tech support representatives available today that might be able to assist you if you call during the day.
 
I was able to get it working with the help of the AT&T online chat support.
Thanks for all the replies and I highly recommend the chat support if anyone
has any problems........very helpful.
 
(Note: I didn't notice that you'd gotten the issue resolved when I first posted this, but I'll leave my reply up, as it could apply in some other situations.)

There's also the possibility that the phone was made for a European or Brazilian or Asian network where they use different frequencies. Networks in those areas use 900 mhz and 1800 mhz, while here in the US we use 850 mhz and 1900 mhz. Sometimes a phone is made to only work on two of those frequencies, while other times they're made to work on three of the frequencies. Others work on all four. So if you have a phone that only works on three of the frequencies, that could explain the problem. Say the seller sent you a phone that was originally sold in China or Vietnam. It works on 900, 1800, and 1900 mhz. But in your area, most AT&T towers use 850 mhz, and there is not much 1900 mhz in hour area. So your phone would not pick up on most of the towers.

That's one possibility - happens to me when I go to Brazil, cuz I have an older unlocked American cell phone that will pick up on 850, 1800, and 1900 mhz, but not on 900 mhz, so it only picks up on maybe half of the Brazilian towers, even with a Brazilian SIM card in it. So there are lots of areas in Brazil where it won't work, where my Brazilian friends' phones do work.
 
Yeah, I thought I had it fixed after a few hours chatting with the AT&T support but after leaving work my service soon went away and back to no service on the display. It's very strange when walking my dog around the subdivision I got service in a couple of spots while walking but never for more than a few seconds. Got back chatting with the support folks and tried a few more things they suggested but finally the tech guy determined that I had a faulty device.......so, that sucks. So, hopefully they will allow me to send the phone back to them and get a replacement or my money back.

PS: I got the phone through N1 Wireless if anyone has any experience with them I could use the feedback.
 
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I buy my phones through a company called wireless experts on ebay and have had nothing but great service with them.
 
That's one possibility - happens to me when I go to Brazil, cuz I have an older unlocked American cell phone that will pick up on 850, 1800, and 1900 mhz, but not on 900 mhz, so it only picks up on maybe half of the Brazilian towers, even with a Brazilian SIM card in it. So there are lots of areas in Brazil where it won't work, where my Brazilian friends' phones do work.

That's good to know. Last time we went to the US, my wife was looking at the cellphones, thinking of getting one. We ended up not getting a new one, and that seems like a good thing after reading your post. (We ended up getting a new phone with a renewal of our contract with Oi.)

Ps. I HATE Telemar
 
I bought a phone through Sharper Image - the brand name is Alcatel, who recently merged with Lucent Technologies. I think mine works on all 4 frequencies. It may be worth looking into.
 

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