AT&T iPhone 5 to Verizon network?

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Can an iPhone 5 AT&T be rigged to work on the Verizon network?

 

[cpacini]

No, not sure if the AT&T model has cdma radios or not, but it didn't matter as Verizon will not activate any phone not sold for their network

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

No, not sure if the AT&T model has cdma radios or not, but it didn't matter as Verizon will not activate any phone not sold for their network

Ok. Thank you

 

[bearxor]

The hardware is not any different between the two models, but the baseband is flashed differently depending on the model.

In this case, the AT&T iPhone 5 does not support 700b LTE frequency and the CDMA radio will not even be turned on.

 

[paperwastage]

5/5s, no

IPhone 6 though, some users report T-Mobile versions working on version, so maybe the att version works too(Verizon Sim placed into T-Mobile iPhone 6, system auto downloads correct baseband, then works on Verizon LTE, volte, CDMA. Some stuff might not work, like calling Verizon's 611 customer service line)

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

5/5s, no

IPhone 6 though, some users report T-Mobile versions working on version, so maybe the att version works too(Verizon Sim placed into T-Mobile iPhone 6, system auto downloads correct baseband, then works on Verizon LTE, volte, CDMA. Some stuff might not work, like calling Verizon's 611 customer service line)

Don't you have to call Verizon still to activate the phone? Are you saying sticking the SIM card in is sufficient?

 

[rsutoratosu]

dont know, ill have to try it when i get an att iphone 6 in the office.. i put a tmo sim card into vz iphone 6 which we all know is unlocked.. it works fine.. no issues

 

[s44]

dont know, ill have to try it when i get an att iphone 6 in the office.. i put a tmo sim card into vz iphone 6 which we all know is unlocked.. it works fine.. no issues

VZ -> another network is fine

It's just another network -> Verizon that is impossible

(Unless it's literally the same SKU, as the i6/i6+ apparently are.)

 

[paperwastage]

Don't you have to call Verizon still to activate the phone? Are you saying sticking the SIM card in is sufficient?

For Verizon, now you just have to stick the Sim in, the phone will configure(or provision, the corrext term) LTE/CDMA automatically from the sim. No need to call Verizon to reassign the ESN (procedure for pre-LTE cdma phones that don't use Sims)

People who did it say that you must use a preactivated Sim(Verizon won't activate a new sim on the device), some other stuff won't work.

Read the link below, you can find other threads on the same topic elsewhere too

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6552532

 

[bearxor]

The thing about Verizon's is that the CDMA radio is provisioned over the LTE network through an active SIM card.

If you stick a nano SIM in to a iPhone 6 and it picks up Verizon LTE service, if the CDMA radio is enabled it should program Verizon's system with the correct MEID and CDMA voice should start working.

So it wouldn't be very surprising since the 6 has the same model numbers on every carrier (except Sprint). Almost makes me want to pay to have my 6+ unlocked and try it.

Edit: Great link, paperwastage, thanks!

 

[paperwastage]

^Just a note to people who are interested in this:

The phone must be unlocked. I believe att/T-Mobile bought under contract from the carrier stores are nto unlocked


Also, as bearxox said, sprint I phones will not work. Sprint refuses to Allow domestic unlock (note to sprint: Verizon is cleaning up their game, you should too)

 

[bearxor]

(note to sprint: Verizon is cleaning up their game, you should too)

The only thing I would disagree with you on, and this is now completely off topic, is that Verizon is not "cleaning up their game" at least by their own choice.

I know I've said it before on this forum but I've expected Verizon phones to be universal by the end of 2015, basically as soon as VZW rolls out VoLTE nationwide. And it's basically just because they're having to spread their network out over so many different, yet common, frequencies. And then once VoLTE becomes the standard, the CDMA radio goes away so that's not even a concern anymore.

But it's simply because Verizon is on 700, 850, 1900, 1700/2100 and those frequencies are shared with AT&T and TMobile that the stars are basically aligning for consolidation. Sprint, OTOH, is stuck with some oddball frequencies no one else is using. 800, 2500, 2600.

So while I'm happy that the consolidation is happening, I really don't want to give Verizon too much credit for it. It's a wonderful by-product of basically running out of spectrum as opposed to a specific effort on Verizon's part. If you were to tell me in a year that Verizon has bought all the 600mhz spectrum available and plans to shift all of its LTE usage to that spectrum thus rendering their phones inoperable with other carriers and, at the same time, sidestep the FCC requirement that all of their phones ship unlocked (because they wouldn't be using 700c) I wouldn't even blink an eye in surprise.

EDIT: to add that I know Verizon, nor AT&T, can buy ALL the 600mhz spectrum at auction but, if Verizon could SOMEHOW find a way to do it, they would.

 

[paperwastage]

^ that's true... But at least some of their (eventual) policies are pro consumer, even if they are forced to by choice, regulation or happenstance (or backtracking. Like the unlimited throttling)

Sprint doesn't have a lot of that happening

 

[bearxor]

Can't disagree there. Especially with that turn around in throttling policy. I think they got more scared that the FCC was actually looking at it opposed to anything else but, still, I think the Verizon of 5 years ago would have rather fought the FCC in court rather than backed down from the stance publicly.

Heck, for all we know, maybe Vodafone was the problem the whole time.