[Ravr]

I've been reading a lot of threads where users keep mentioning/hoping the 9520 will come to either T-mobile or AT&T. I thought I would take it upon myself to clear things up. Verizon Wireless has an exclusive contract with RIM for the BlackBerry Storm. Meaning that no other carrier in US will ever carry the storm.

On a side note... T-Mobile is slowly and silently switching over to WCDMA.

[Bajanbastard]

The 9520 can be and is in fact is considered a different device than the 9530 so yeah Verizon has the 9530 on lock but can't say anything about the 9520 sorry.

[Ravr]

The 9520 can be and is in fact is considered a different device than the 9530 so yeah Verizon has the 9530 on lock but can't say anything about the 9520 sorry.

Verizon Wireless's contract gives them exclusive rights to the phone. That would be like apple renaming the iPhone something like the iCall and selling it to T-Mobile. These contracts are looked over heavily by both companies, Verizon would not have gone through the trouble of an exclusive contract if they didn't have their *** covered.

[RavenMaverick]

I've been reading a lot of threads where users keep mentioning/hoping the 9520 will come to either T-mobile or AT&T. I thought I would take it upon myself to clear things up. Verizon Wireless has an exclusive contract with RIM for the BlackBerry Storm. Meaning that no other carrier in US will ever carry the storm.

On a side note... T-Mobile is slowly and silently switching over to WCDMA.

Forgive my ignorance but what is WCDMA? I am still trying to learn all the tech talk I can.


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[cgdoc519]

Would like to know too.

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[Ravr]

Forgive my ignorance but what is WCDMA? I am still trying to learn all the tech talk I can.


Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

A newer version of CDMA technology. The W stands for Wideband. (Details are still sparse at this point because it is very new.) Speculation is that WCDMA was created for companies looking for newer/secure and possibly faster technology without having to pay royalties to qualcomm. (They own the rights to CDMA) At this point though most believe it will be comparable to standard CDMA. The technologies are not compatible with each other, meaning a WCDMA phone will not work on a CDMA only network.

[WhiteGold]

Well it doesn't matter if they never officially make a storm for tmoble or ATT because people unlock their phones for that anyway. I wish they could unlock an iphone for verizon so I could have that ad my toy phone and my beloved storm as my REAL/ workhorse phone .

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[RavenMaverick]

A newer version of CDMA technology. The W stands for Wideband. (Details are still sparse at this point because it is very new.) Speculation is that WCDMA was created for companies looking for newer/secure and possibly faster technology without having to pay royalties to qualcomm. (They own the rights to CDMA) At this point though most believe it will be comparable to standard CDMA. The technologies are not compatible with each other, meaning a WCDMA phone will not work on a CDMA only network.

Thank you ravr for explaining this to me! I was hoping it had something to do with making cell signals stronger. I have lots of issues with signal strength indoors and don't know how to easily rectify it without paying an ETF. Thanks again.

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[HD123]

On a side note... T-Mobile is slowly and silently switching over to WCDMA.

And whats your point? I hope your not insinuating that tmobile is switching to ''verizons'' style network. Because you would be wrong.

WCDMA is is the next evolution of GSM/UMTS/3GPP, 3G. At&t and 95% of networks around the world as well........ GSM.....
As opposed to CDMA2000/3GPP2 (verizon)

By no means does it mean that tmobile or at&t are switching to EVDO/CDMA2000 (verizon and sprint technology)

here comes the big one;
In fact its the opposite, if you actually read up on the industry and in older threads on here you will see that Verizon is the one ''switching/ or upgrading as they see it'' to LTE, which is also the next step in GSM/WCDMA/UMTS/3GPP technology.

[HD123]

A newer version of CDMA technology. The W stands for Wideband. (Details are still sparse at this point because it is very new.) Speculation is that WCDMA was created for companies looking for newer/secure and possibly faster technology without having to pay royalties to qualcomm. (They own the rights to CDMA) At this point though most believe it will be comparable to standard CDMA. The technologies are not compatible with each other, meaning a WCDMA phone will not work on a CDMA only network.

WCDMA is not new, its more than 4 years old. ALL GSM networks around the world including at&t have been using it for a while. Where are you getting your info from????

[ihierbal]

I spoke to a friend of mine who works for Verizon. He sounded kinda upset when he told me that somebody else was getting the Storm. If I'm not mistaken a believe he said ATT.

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[Arninetyes]

Yeah, the iPhone can't be "unlocked" to Verizon because it is locked by incompatible technologies. Since Apple offered the iPhone to Verizon first and was turned down, I can't see Apple spending much effort on a CDMA version.

But--who knows? I only know that I will never even consider an iPhone because it is exclusive to ATT, and ATT has dreadful coverage in the areas I work. Besides, I have the best parts of an iPhone in an iTouch.

[Gawain]

Forgive my ignorance but what is WCDMA? I am still trying to learn all the tech talk I can.


Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

WCDMA = Wide band / UMTS

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[pool_shark#CB]

Have you read the exclusive contract between Verizon and RIM?

Maybe the contact states that Verizon has the exclusive on the Storm for a predetermined period of time and once that time elapses RIM can pitch the Storm to other companies.

[usualsuspect]

To say that Verizon has a lifetime exclusive on the Storm is foolish. All of the exclusive contracts are written to ensure certain performance metrics are met - i.e. number of units sold. If you look at most 'exclusive' contracts between carriers and phone manufacturers you will see they end up being exclusive for a certain time frame and also with sales quotas. Therefore if Verizon doesn't sell enough phones RIM will be free to sell w other carriers.

Why would RIM agree to only sell the Storm on Verizon if sales were dismal? And according to everything I have read the sales figures thus far have been disappointing. While Verizon has claimed this is the most successful phone yet the numbers are still disappointing. If the numbers had been stellar Both RIM and Verizon would have openly been talking about the sales during their recent earnings calls. In addition if the sales were so great Verizon would break out how many Storm users are existing consumers vs new converts & also would not be afraid to discuss the number of returns...

[jordanbyrnesbbstorm]

Yah what he said

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[Arreat]

I've been reading a lot of threads where users keep mentioning/hoping the 9520 will come to either T-mobile or AT&T. I thought I would take it upon myself to clear things up. Verizon Wireless has an exclusive contract with RIM for the BlackBerry Storm. Meaning that no other carrier in US will ever carry the storm.

On a side note... T-Mobile is slowly and silently switching over to WCDMA.

You make me laugh a little bit. All of their "3G" Network is already WCDMA Which is just a form of UMTS and a GSM Network and has nothing to do with CDMA2000 or 1xEV-DO networks such as Verizon and Sprint. And they aren't making any changes(such as upgrades to HSDPA), the next thing on their table is LTE(OFDMA/SC-FDMA) which they have already successfully tested.

[ice43man]

News flash for all those "know it alls" who think the Storm will forever and always be Verizon exclusive. I work in the cell phone industry and that's as false as Michael Jackson's nose. For the record, Verizon has.....get ready for this...BIG DRUM ROLL....!!!!!!!SIX MONTHS ONLY!!!!!!!! of exclusivity. So right around June, every carrier from Sprint to ATT to T-Mobile can carry the Storm. Who will get it, and when they will get it is obviously in the air. And yes, the possibility that no one else will get it is there, but it will simply be because RIM decides not to sell it to anyone else, and not because Verizon has some lifetime stranglehold on the product.

[patches152]

News flash for all those "know it alls" who think the Storm will forever and always be Verizon exclusive. I work in the cell phone industry and that's as false as Michael Jackson's nose. For the record, Verizon has.....get ready for this...BIG DRUM ROLL....!!!!!!!SIX MONTHS ONLY!!!!!!!! of exclusivity. So right around June, every carrier from Sprint to ATT to T-Mobile can carry the Storm. Who will get it, and when they will get it is obviously in the air. And yes, the possibility that no one else will get it is there, but it will simply be because RIM decides not to sell it to anyone else, and not because Verizon has some lifetime stranglehold on the product.

care to show where you got this info from? any kind of documentation is appreciated...
aka "pix or it didn't happen"
thanks in advance!

[Sensesfail99]

I can **** farther then you can! Your guys pissing matches are so lame. Find a real issue to debate.

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[TheMerovingian]

Even if that stupid op was true, its a good thing we can unlock the phones right? I love T-Mobile and the Storm, and I have both!

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[ice43man]

care to show where you got this info from? any kind of documentation is appreciated...
aka "pix or it didn't happen"
thanks in advance!

It's called industry inside info. There's not going to be a public documentation of this because it would totally take a dump on Verizon's and any other carrier with exclusivity rights to a device's marketing campaign. When a carrier gets exclusivity rights to a phone, one of the effects they hope to create is people jumping from a dif. carrier to them for that specific phone. If it was made public that said contract was only exclusive for x amount of time, then those users would just wait it out and get it when they know they can get it for their carrier. Common rule of thumb is exclusivity contracts are 6 months. There are obvious exceptions from time to time like the iPhone, but they are rare, and the Storm is not one of them. The storm falls under the same kind of exclusivity contract that the RAZR did when it first came out. In a few months, any carrier that wants to sell them will be able to, and Verizon fan boy's who've been high fiving each other (literally) over the fact that they have the only touch screen blackberry and no one else can get it will have to shed a tear.

[TWISM]

I was talking to my friend who is an ATT store manager who was giving me a hard time about my Storm and he said that I should look him up when they get the one that works. He told me that ATT is getting the Storm this year.

I don't have any proof but that is what he told me.

[applesugar]

Amen. If you are patient all the phones explode onto the market after the "exclusive rights" time period is over. I am patient and will wait for all the bugs and kinks to be worked out and all those lovely apps are available to get my Storm.

[xxandres1126xx]

verizon should just end up switching to gsm so we can get the 9520