Iphone on Verizon wireless?

[fritzfield]

I have a friend who is going to buy an iphone on the 'net. She is contracturally obligated to Verizon Wireless for another 18 months at least. She insists that she can get it to work on Verizon's network. I told her that Apple and ATT had set-up a sort of monopoly on this device. I have told her, that at best it won't work on Verizon and at worst she'll end-up with a paperweight. She won't listen to my advice. I worry about her buying this is as it is a real chunk of change to lose. I've searched this forum and all I got was confused about creating a "brick", etc.

Anyone using the Iphone on Verizon Wireless?

 

[RandomFool]

Sounds like your friend is getting a paperweight because I'm pretty sure it isn't possible since ATT and Verizon networks use different technologies. I think you can hack the iPhone to work on Tmobile but I'm not sure about that.

 

[secretanchitman]

its impossible to use the iphone on verizon...the iphone is gsm, which only att and tmobile use. verizon and sprint both use cdma.

 

[pm]

Verizon is on a type of technology called CDMA which is used by Sprint, Nextel, Alltel, and Cricket among others. CDMA is completely incompatible with the other major digital wireless technology used in the US (and most of the rest of the world) called GSM. In the US, GSM is used by AT&T and T-Mobile and a few smaller carriers.

You can't use a GSM phone - like an iPhone - on a CDMA carrier. They use fundamentally different signalling technologies and are completely incompatible in terms of frequencies, protocols, and signalling methods. This is not hackable, and it can't be gotten around. Trying to get a GSM phone to work on a CDMA network is a lot like trying to play an HD-DVD disk on a Blu-ray player. It's pretty much impossible.

You friend can hack an iPhone and use it as an expensive iPod Touch, but it's not going to work on Verizon.

Bricking refers to earlier problems with hacking an iPhone to work on T-Mobile (or Rogers in Canada) and having firmware updating issues that resulted in a dead phone. All bricked iPhones can be "de-bricked" by upgrading them to firmware release 1.1.3.

As Random mentioned, you can hack iPhones to work on T-Mobile in the US. This is really easy nowadays. In fact, there's a YouTube video showing a guy walking in with an iPhone, unboxing it, downloading the software off the internet and unlocking it and getting it working on T-Mobile al in less than 3 minutes. And he doesn't even look particularly rushed while he does it. But T-Mobile is on GSM... so this is really just opening up the software on the phone to allow it to read the SIM card from T-Mobile and access T-Mobile's network.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

GSM and CDMA don't mix. Just sit back and watch your friend waste her money. Then once she realizes it can't be done buy it from her for cheap.

 

[fritzfield]

Vielen Dank!!! I hope that I can stop her before she F@#*s up!!!

 

[pm]

Bitte schon.

If she buys it, there's a hot market for unlocked iPhones on Ebay - particularly if one is willing to ship overseas. She can unlock it and sell it and should be able to get all her money back.

 

[Funyuns101]

tell her to get an iPod touch and a normal phone

 

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: secretanchitman
its impossible to use the iphone on verizon...the iphone is gsm, which only att and tmobile use. verizon and sprint both use cdma.

Yep.

Keep an eye out for the Samsung Instinct. Sprint will get it first but imagine Vzn will get it eventually as it is CDMA.

And to repeat, iPhone cant be hacked at all for CDMA.

 

[YoungGun21]

The LG Dare should be out on Verizon sometime this July.