Unlocked, untraceable cell phone.....?

[MxDad427 0]

Hello, I am new to LO and am looking for a cell phone for bandit signs that is untraceable. So, here is my question....do I need an "unlocked" phone? which means what? I can use any service I choose? Also where can I buy prepaid cards that will work with this particular phone? I have tried asking several places in the mall and cell phones stores as well...with no luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Steve

[MichaelC 160]

Hi, Steve. Sorry to say I am not sure what you mean about an "unlocked" phone. I have to think that any business that sells the phones can explain all about them. It's surprising to hear otherwise.

[MxDad427 0]

Well, everyone I have talked to says they have phones without contracts but you have to go through their carrier, which I am not sure if this then becomes traceable. However I wanted to buy a phone off of ebay I have noticed that there are phones that are advertised as "unlocked" does this mean I can choose the carrier of my choice? Does this mean I can use any carrier? If I buy different prepaid cards does this mean I use multiple carriers based on the card? The problem that I am running into is that the kids behind the counter look at me like "deer in the headlights" or the owner of the cell phone store only gets paid on selling service contracts so that is his "canned" response. Am I missing something here or am I just really slow? Thanks, Steve

[MichaelC 160]

Steve, I would try asking the seller on Ebay what "unlocked" means, for starters. And it's surprising that the folks selling the items don't know diddly about them. Certainly a reason to shop elsewhere.

Have you tried going online, (do a Google search), for prepaid cellular? I'm sure you can find some answers from a reputable online retailer.

[Brian - L.V. 0]

An unlocked cell phone simply means that it's not branded specifically for one carrier. If you look at your phone, most likely it'll have a Cingular (or whatever carrier you use) logo on it. They can't be used with any other carriers, like you can with an unlocked phone.

 

For instance my phone is unlocked, so I can take out my Cingular SIM card and replace it with my friends' that's with Verizon and the phone would work. That's not the case if the phone is locked to a specific carrier. It doesn't make the phone untraceable, though. To do that, you'd need to get a pre-paid cell phone with no contract. Hope that helps!

[MxDad427 0]

An unlocked cell phone simply means that it's not branded specifically for one carrier. If you look at your phone, most likely it'll have a Cingular (or whatever carrier you use) logo on it. They can't be used with any other carriers, like you can with an unlocked phone.

 

For instance my phone is unlocked, so I can take out my Cingular SIM card and replace it with my friends' that's with Verizon and the phone would work. That's not the case if the phone is locked to a specific carrier. It doesn't make the phone untraceable, though. To do that, you'd need to get a pre-paid cell phone with no contract. Hope that helps!

Thanks Brian, yes...that helps! Steve

[belliott71 0]

An unlocked cell phone simply means that it's not branded specifically for one carrier. If you look at your phone, most likely it'll have a Cingular (or whatever carrier you use) logo on it. They can't be used with any other carriers, like you can with an unlocked phone.

 

For instance my phone is unlocked, so I can take out my Cingular SIM card and replace it with my friends' that's with Verizon and the phone would work. That's not the case if the phone is locked to a specific carrier. It doesn't make the phone untraceable, though. To do that, you'd need to get a pre-paid cell phone with no contract. Hope that helps!

 

Brian,

I just wanted to add that verizon does not have a sim card, so the cingular card will not work on a verizon phone. T-mobile and cingular are the two major companies that have sim cards in the US. When you see a phone that is advertised as "unlocked" it will be used mainly for these two companies. There are other companies in other countries that use Sim cards also.

 

Brad

[Brian - L.V. 0]

An unlocked cell phone simply means that it's not branded specifically for one carrier. If you look at your phone, most likely it'll have a Cingular (or whatever carrier you use) logo on it. They can't be used with any other carriers, like you can with an unlocked phone.

 

For instance my phone is unlocked, so I can take out my Cingular SIM card and replace it with my friends' that's with Verizon and the phone would work. That's not the case if the phone is locked to a specific carrier. It doesn't make the phone untraceable, though. To do that, you'd need to get a pre-paid cell phone with no contract. Hope that helps!

 

Brian,

I just wanted to add that verizon does not have a sim card, so the cingular card will not work on a verizon phone. T-mobile and cingular are the two major companies that have sim cards in the US. When you see a phone that is advertised as "unlocked" it will be used mainly for these two companies. There are other companies in other countries that use Sim cards also.

 

Brad

No worries, simply an example. Been with Cingular for so long that I don't even really know what other carriers do, specifically. Hope my explanation was fairly clear in general terms of the phone being unable to be used with other carriers. Unless that's not the case (since like I mentioned before my current phone is unlocked)........

[Jeremy 0]

Just for the record, sprint/nextel have sim cards...not sure if they are interchangeable with any other carrier though.