[Pederson]

Okay so I noticed ebay has a load of cheap(er) Bold 9000s. With Bell(/TELUS) new HSPA anyone can now pick up an unlocked one. This being new to me (and not exactly being a rich student) I want to get this right, so here's a list of questions for the experts out there (hopefully someone can at least provide me with some links of guidance)!

Here's basically the steps I'm hoping to be possible:
1) Buy unlocked AT&T (or Rogers) BlackBerry Bold 9000 from eBay.
2) Transfer current BlackBerry plan to SIM card.
3) Use Crackmem to fresh install latest OS
3a) Which OS do I install? Now that the 9000 is avaiable for Bell, should I install Bell's latest Bold 9000 OS? Or would it just be easier to install the default OS from its original carrier (AT&T/Rogers)?
3b) After this clean install, will my BlackBerry remain unlocked?
4) Pop in SIM card
5) Enjoy new Blackberry

I fully intend to clean install an OS when I purchase the unlocked blackberry (not only for functioning purposes, but also security reasons).

Thanks!!

[CellUnlock.net]

Okay so I noticed ebay has a load of cheap(er) Bold 9000s. With Bell(/TELUS) new HSPA anyone can now pick up an unlocked one. This being new to me (and not exactly being a rich student) I want to get this right, so here's a list of questions for the experts out there (hopefully someone can at least provide me with some links of guidance)!

Here's basically the steps I'm hoping to be possible:
1) Buy unlocked AT&T (or Rogers) BlackBerry Bold 9000 from eBay.
2) Transfer current BlackBerry plan to SIM card.
3) Use Crackmem to fresh install latest OS
3a) Which OS do I install? Now that the 9000 is avaiable for Bell, should I install Bell's latest Bold 9000 OS? Or would it just be easier to install the default OS from its original carrier (AT&T/Rogers)?
3b) After this clean install, will my BlackBerry remain unlocked?
4) Pop in SIM card
5) Enjoy new Blackberry

I fully intend to clean install an OS when I purchase the unlocked blackberry (not only for functioning purposes, but also security reasons).

Thanks!!

Yes you can actually buy an AT&T or even Rogers Blackberry Bold 9000 and use it on Bell's new HSPA network with their SIM card. You can basically use any OS but I would recommend getting the Bell one loaded up.

Blackberry Unlocking is permanent so your phone will remain unlocked even you load a new OS or wipe the handheld.

You might to load the Service Books manually once you pop your SIM, but will only know once you are up and running.

Let us know if you need any help.

[bubble.tea]

Glad you figured this out.

Indeed Bells network is compatible...and while we're at it...so is Telus!!!

Huaaaaaaaaaaa

[Pederson]

Hooray! Very excited as I can only expect the Bold 9000's price on ebay to drop even more as the holidays come to an end! Thanks very much guys and I'll save this post and respond if I need any more help.

Just to be sure however, what specs do I have to look for on a phone to ensure it works on Bells/Telus new network? 950mhz or whatever it is? UTMS? GSM?

[CellUnlock.net]

Hooray! Very excited as I can only expect the Bold 9000's price on ebay to drop even more as the holidays come to an end! Thanks very much guys and I'll save this post and respond if I need any more help.

Just to be sure however, what specs do I have to look for on a phone to ensure it works on Bells/Telus new network? 950mhz or whatever it is? UTMS? GSM?

Any 9000 sold in North America will work for sure

[CarrierUnlock]

AT&T or Rogers branded will work on Telus/Bell network.

[Pederson]

Oh I understand any 9000 will work. But I'm just wondering Bell/TELUS new network band for phones in general I'm looking to purchase. What do they need to support?

[CarrierUnlock]

Just look up the specs for a rogers or att bold and you will get your answer they both should have the bands listed.

[CellUnlock.net]

Oh I understand any 9000 will work. But I'm just wondering Bell/TELUS new network band for phones in general I'm looking to purchase. What do they need to support?

It needs to support the following 3G 850/1900 which is Bell/Telus HSPA frequencies.

[Pederson]

It needs to support the following 3G 850/1900 which is Bell/Telus HSPA frequencies.

Yeah thats what I needed to know. Also, is there a difference between GSM and UTMS? Which is Bell/TELUS?

[CellUnlock.net]

Yeah thats what I needed to know. Also, is there a difference between GSM and UTMS? Which is Bell/TELUS?

UMTS means 3G, GSM is the Technology, but you want to make sure the phone is 2100 UMTS (3G) capable.

[bubble.tea]

Any 9000 sold in North America will work for sure

Essentially yes, this is true.

Yeah thats what I needed to know. Also, is there a difference between GSM and UTMS? Which is Bell/TELUS?

This is a more juicy and convoluted question. Read wikipedia's entry on /gsm. It's explained somewhat in there. TOO MUCH to explain by one person, unless they want to write everything in that article.

[Pederson]

So Bell officially released os 5.0 for the Bold 9000 today: Official BlackBerry Bold 9000 OS 5.0.0.411 Released By Bell Mobility | CrackBerry.com

Does this mean when I get my unlocked Bold 9000 I can install that onto it? (Pretty much making it a Bell Bold 9000)?

[CellUnlock.net]

You will be able to load that OS on any 9000 but you will need to delete the Vendor.xml file in order for it to load.

[TheRemoteUnlockercom]

Just so you know, changing the OS won't get rid of the Rogers/att logo that you'll have as a splash screen on startup. Thats a process that has a lot more steps and from my experience isn't worth the effort just to change the startup screen

[Pederson]

Just so you know, changing the OS won't get rid of the Rogers/att logo that you'll have as a splash screen on startup. Thats a process that has a lot more steps and from my experience isn't worth the effort just to change the startup screen

Yeah that's fine. I just want core os5+ functionality. Logo doesn't mean anything, ha.

[Pederson]

Also wondering, will an unlocked Blackberry 8900 work for Bell/TELUS?

[CellUnlock.net]

Also wondering, will an unlocked Blackberry 8900 work for Bell/TELUS?

No it won't because the 8900 is not 3G capable and Bell/Telus only have 3G network.