Re : possibility of Leap (Cricket) handset ending up in Latin America (and, being useful in Latin America).
[Attention Moderated thread people -- this was also posted over on the SI Leap Wireless message board. It was in response to these comments :
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"Someone could make a nice profit buying Cricket Phones new in the Box when they are $29 with instant
rebate, and shipping them off to Latin America where Cell phones are not subsidized to the extent they are here in the
US!
If a company offered you a New Nokia Phone and a month of service for $29 with no contract. However, you
decided to not activate the phone, and instead you turn around and ship the New phone in the Box,, that you
purchased in a completely legal transistion to Latin America where the Phone would be sold at a Profit."
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Please direct replies to this post over at the Leap message board :
Message 17802539
Thanks.
Jon.]
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Okay ... I am finally going to ask something that has "bugged" me (on and off) over the years ...
(And, which I still have never asked on any of these SI message boards, possibly because I am reluctant to reveal my
lack of electrical engineering and / or software knowledge ...)
First -- I was under the impression that each and every wireless carrier is assigned a specific frequency band by the
FCC (or whatever governmental agency oversees such matters in a foreign country).
For example, Verizon Wireless might have 844 MHz - 859 MHz in the Chicago IL area (for their CDMA 800 MHz
service), while someone else that serves Chicago IL (Alltel Wireless or ... I don't know who)
would be granted permission to use some other slice around 800 MHz ...
but clearly NOT 844 MHz - 859 MHz.
Is this correct ?
Next ...
Verizon's wireless operations and Alltel's wireless operations presumably have different accounting software and just
different software in a lot of areas ...
(I am under the impression that each and every time you pick up your handset to make a call, there is a brief period
during which the carrier's system checks out your phone's ID (and thus, you) to see if you have been paying your bills,
before letting the call get completed.
Right ?
So, this is an area of software where I assume it is very unlikely that all wireless carriers have absolutely identical and
inter-changeable software.
Right ?)
So ... therefore it seems obvious that a Qualcomm "Thin Phone" with Verizon stamped on the front of it should only
be useful on Verizon's wireless system.
Is this correct ?
Unless, someone wanted to perform alterations to the ASIC chip inside the handset and / or the operating software
inside the handset.
Is this correct ?
Given that handsets and ASIC chips are not like some very expensive "state of the art" Intel processor, I cannot
believe that it is worth someone's time and energy to have to go fiddle around with a "foreign" ASIC chip, in order to
"mold" it to being useful some place other than its original target wireless carrier or geographic location.
All of you people who actually know about this stuff ... please comment !
Jon.
P.S. I am also going to post this over on the SI Qualcomm "Moderated" thread, in an attempt to catch the eye of some
(other) "smart" people ... |
