[dabomb4097]

I currently have a Verizon Tour, and unlocked the GSM side of the phone. I am keeping my Verizon service, but there is a particular place (a family lake house) that does not have any CDMA coverage (VZW or roaming on another provider) but has good GSM coverage.

If I plug in and activate an AT&T or other GSM Prepaid SIM card and add a general data package to it for the days I spend there, will it still connect to and push email from my VZW BIS account?

And before anyone tells me "Just go search the forums" I did, and I found no threads relating to this particular question, only to using the GSM side of the Tour full-time with no active CDMA plan. I still have an active Verizon Blackberry plan and the phone has all the VZW Service Books.

[wouldya]

you have to load the AT&T service books. That's what I was told when I asked about my Storm and using it on another carrier. I think you need a BIS account with AT&T also.

[WarrenWells]

you have to load the AT&T service books. That's what I was told when I asked about my Storm and using it on another carrier. I think you need a BIS account with AT&T also.

This is my understanding as well. You'll need the service books for AT&T. But even then, you'd probably be paying an arm and a leg on a prepaid card for your email/data.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[N3rd4Christ]

you have to load the AT&T service books. That's what I was told when I asked about my Storm and using it on another carrier. I think you need a BIS account with AT&T also.

Correct, You do need a BIS account if you wanna send/receive email

[dabomb4097]

Hmm, okay. I already have a BIS account with Verizon so I guess I assumed it'd just link back to that regardless of what cellular network it was on. Again, most of the posts I'm seeing are people who want to use their Tours on a GSM provider and not have an active CDMA plan. I'm still keeping it active on my Verizon account, and will be using Verizon 99.9% of the year, but there are just those few weekends I go up to this vacation cabin place that has GSM service but no CDMA service and figured the $19.99 for 100MB of data would get me email and IM through my occasional weekend there.

[ds28]

Hmm, okay. I already have a BIS account with Verizon so I guess I assumed it'd just link back to that regardless of what cellular network it was on. Again, most of the posts I'm seeing are people who want to use their Tours on a GSM provider and not have an active CDMA plan. I'm still keeping it active on my Verizon account, and will be using Verizon 99.9% of the year, but there are just those few weekends I go up to this vacation cabin place that has GSM service but no CDMA service and figured the $19.99 for 100MB of data would get me email and IM through my occasional weekend there.

The PIN can only be active on one BIS account at a time, so you'd need it released from VZW before it can be added to ATT (and then vice versa when you switch back)

Also, I don't think ATT offers BlackBerry service as a bolt-on for prepaid lines, but I could be wrong.

[gaganchow]

The previous post is correct that your Blackberry PIN can only be active with one carrier at a time HOWEVER...

if you choose the data/mobile tethering option with AT&T, you can hook it up to a computer and check your email via the web.

Good luck!

[albertomc]

Im dealing with that same question right now dabomb4097. Lets try to rephrase to see if we can get the correct answer.

Considering I want to use BBM, and get EMAIL via the GMAIL APP off my 9700 WITH an active BIS plan on a different carrier. Will it work if I use a REGULAR data plan say on ATT without de-registering or thinking about a new BIS configuration?

It sounds like the phone should/would have no problem with the way it reaches its configured BIS *unless the SIM card makes it go crazy or something* so with the GMAIL account, we could be more than half way to where we need to be.

BBM = solved
GMAIL and Google APPS = Solved

Does this work?

[Xopher]

This will probably not work. It is using the service books to gain access, and that may tie into the IP address assigned to your BlackBerry. Your BlackBerry will try to connect to the VZW BIS server with an AT&T IP address, and that might be where the security restriction applies.

I would think that anything using BIS/Push would not work. BBM would probably not work, as well as any BIS-configured e-mail accounts.

Anything using direct TCP connections might work (like Opera Mini, BeeJive...).

[albertomc]

too bad... i thought that would be an interesting way to get rid of the outrageous roaming charges.

My main question basically came from how WiFi works on BBM and all push mail services. When you use WiFi networks, your IP is clearly going to be different than your Cellular service provider, yet it works perfectly. Does it have something to do with the sim card/service books that are tied to the BIS account?

Thanks for the help

[MadGasser]

The way I understand it, CDMA blackberries cannot be unlocked and used in North America. The phones simply have GSM built in for traveling abroad. Sorry, man, but you're just gonna have to use a laptop. Don't feel bad I also live in an area where GSM is the main provider.

[xluck]

I thought I read that the US GSM carriers (like TMo and AT&T) use a different frequency than the European and Asian carriers, at least the ones like Vodafone that VZ world phones work with.

Anyway, the point being that it was my understanding that an unlocked VZ Tour with an American SIM would only be capable of 2G speeds (EDGE on AT&T, right?)

850 MHz and 1900 MHz (American channels)
900 MHz and 1800 MHz (European)

The BB Tour only runs on the 900/1800 i think