What is a SIM Card?
Article Details
- Written By: R. Kayne
- Edited By: Niki Foster
- Last Modified Date: 11 January 2012
-
Copyright Protected:
2003-2012 Conjecture Corporation
A SIM card or Subscriber Identity Module is a portable memory chip used in some models of cellular telephones. The SIM card makes it easy to switch to a new phone by simply sliding the SIM out of the old phone and into the new one. The SIM holds personal identity information, cell phone number, phone book, text messages and other data. It can be thought of as a mini hard disk that automatically activates the phone into which it is inserted.
A SIM card can come in very handy. For example, let's say your phone runs out of battery power at a friend's house. Assuming you both have SIM-based phones, you can remove the SIM card from your phone and slide it into your friend's phone to make your call. Your carrier processes the call as if it were made from your phone, so it won't count against your friend's minutes.
If you upgrade your phone there's no hassle involved. The SIM card is all you need. Just slide it into the new phone and you're good to go. You can even keep multiple phones for different purposes. An inexpensive phone in the glove compartment, for example, for emergency use, one phone for work and another for home. Just slide your SIM card into whatever phone you wish to use.
High-end cell phones can be very attractive and somewhat pricey. If you invest in an expensive phone you might want to keep it awhile. Using a SIM card, it is even possible to switch carriers and continue to use the same phone. The new carrier will simply issue you their own SIM card. The phone must be unlocked, however, and operate on the new carrier's frequency or band.
A SIM card provides an even bigger advantage for international travelers -- simply take your phone with you and buy a local SIM card with minutes. For example, a traveler from the U.S. staying in the U.K. can purchase a SIM card across the pond. Now the phone can be used to call throughout England without paying international roaming charges from the carrier back home.
SIM cards are used with carriers that operate on the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) network. The competing network is Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), a technology created by U.S. company Qualcomm. As of fall 2005, CDMA cell phones and CDMA carriers do not support SIM cards in most parts of the world, though this is changing. A CDMA SIM card called the R-UIM (Re-Useable Identification Module) was made available in China in 2002, and will eventually be available worldwide. Expectations for the future include a cell phone market that supports both SIM (GSM) and R-UIM (CDMA) cards by default.
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Discuss this Article
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jennywxy
Post 188 |
I have a samsung b2100 and I would like to know why my deleted texts are not being saved to the sim card. Is it not the default setting in this phone? I can't find any way to check this out in the settings, but then I am a complete technophobe. My sim card is a Vodafone card. I am trying to get some texts I deleted in error and thought that a sim recovery kit would work for me but it didn't. It only found 15 messages and none of them were deleted ones. Does anyone know? Thanks so much. |
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anon192948
Post 187 |
I have a Blackberry 8330 that has no SIM card slot -- only a MicroSD card slot. Is it possible to convert or add a sim card slot? please help. |
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anon192902
Post 186 |
My SIM card has been broken in half and so now i can't use my phone. If i order a new phone on the same mobile provider, is there any way of keeping my existing mobile number? I have looked up PAC codes but am not sure if this is necessary to obtain if i'm not switching mobile providers. Cant seem to find the answer on the web! |
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anon150815
Post 185 |
GPS Tracking Systems are now being designed with SIM cards to transmit data in real-time. |
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anon145027
Post 184 |
I tried to change the sim care in one net10 phone to another net10 phone and it said sim rejected, so changing the sim from one phone to another don't work. |
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anon136755
Post 183 |
I'd like to know if all hi-end phones(including Blackberry) have a dual sim or would i need to look for that make? |
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anon135847
Post 182 |
Very good article. I think I will sign up after this. But this should clear the confusion of a lot of people. You deserve a pat on the back. P.S. Should I get the LG Xenon, Pantech Laser, LG Vu, or the Samsung Eternity. I have enough to buy any of those but can't decide. |
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anon135618
Post 181 |
i have a new iphone 4 but i do not want to purchase the new data plan if i have an old att plan but not with a smart phone. can i just switch the sim card? |
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anon131649
Post 180 |
where can i get a double memory card. |
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anon130382
Post 179 |
I will be traveling to Germany and have a samsung/ verizon cell phone. I would like to be able to make calls to US and within Germany while I'm there and from here. What do you recommend? |
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anon128668
Post 177 |
well i punched my phone and broke the screen and i want to switch to a different phone and i have a two year contract. will it work? |
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anon120669
Post 176 |
This straight talk cell phone service is trying to tell me their sim card won't work on any other sim card gsm phone. |
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xuanhydgeo
Post 175 |
I have a Cellular phone (NOKIA-Model 3230) using a SIM card. now I moved to other country (in a short time) for job, with mobile system operated by 3G CDMA. Could I connect to the network of entire country (I took roaming service in my home country)? And by what way? |
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anon114371
Post 172 |
Want to purchase a motorola i9. thank God i did not. Was told my sim card will not work in this phone and I would have to get a new sim card to run it. Is this true? |
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anon113570
Post 171 |
is it possible that an SIM card is consuming the power? I have had a GSM SIM card and for a few days i am feeling that my mobile phone battery required charging more frequently, earlier i was charging the mobile battery once in two days, now i have to re-charge twice in a day. i have replaced the original new battery in my hand set but the result was the same. i thought my mobile hand set has some problems. i have procured a new hand set but still the result is the same. can someone explain what is happening and how i can solve this problem? --SCandal, India
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anon112116
Post 170 |
what we have to do to buy a sim card? |
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anon111149
Post 168 |
why we can't use a sim card as a memory card. if we increase the sim card memory to 10MB there will be fast access of internet, so why can't we increase the memory capacity up to 10MB? |
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anon106854
Post 167 |
Can I use a watch phone on my t-mobile account? |
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anon105819
Post 166 |
i got a china iphone (kingston) and will it work in the USA with a verizon sim? please i need help. thanks in advance. |
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anon102457
Post 165 |
Verizon and Sprint do not use sim cards. If you can't find a spot to put the card in the phone, usually behind the battery, it means it doesn't take one. |
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mzvdenise
Post 164 |
i have a tmobile htc hd2 but i am using my at&t sim card. i have already unlocked it but how do i make the internet work! Please help! |
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anon97535
Post 161 |
What is the total memory of a SIM card? How much memory does it have in Mb? Does anybody know? |
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liveinfl
Post 160 |
Can a SIM card be duplicated? --Zbat |
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anon94842
Post 159 |
can i use a verizon sim card in an att go phone? phone says it is restricted. |
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Karley Boisvert
Post 158 |
I accidentally, permanently locked myself out of my LG Breeze. if I get a new SIM card will my phone still work? |
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scorioleo
Post 157 |
I have a Nokia 2860 from Corr Wireless Network that has a working sim card. I am wanting to buy the Samsung T401G from the net10 that has a sim card. I would like to know if my sim card from the nokia will work in the samsung? Thanks in advance. |
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anon91606
Post 155 |
I got a new phone recently and the screen broke. Since i didn't have insurance i have to wait until i can upgrade, but i can't stand being with no phone, so if i purchase a prepaid phone will the sim card work on it? what else do i have to do? |
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anon91347
Post 154 |
I brought a 1.3 Inch touchscreen watch mobile phone from ebay and it said that i can't use a 3g or cmda card. Why is that? |
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anon91229
Post 152 |
i have a china phone model DONOD MTK6225. i tried accessing the internet but it says "gprs not subscribed". please help me. I'm using a globe phone number here in the philippines. any nokia or Sony ericsson phone that is similar to my phone features and settings? |
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anon89280
Post 151 |
My Samsung GT-S5560 is saving sms in sim memory not in phone memory. Please help. |
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anon87519
Post 149 |
i had a sim card from my old phone, and i now use that in my new blackberry. the new blackberry came with a new sim card. if i put that sim card in another phone, does that mean i have two functioning phones with two sim cards? |
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anon87074
Post 148 |
Would text messages go back or return to sender if my cell phone is off? Thank you. |
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anon86996
Post 147 |
A friend gave me a motorola v 555 with no sim card. How can I activate it? |
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anon86735
Post 146 |
I have a Nokia and an LG. The SIM card does not fit into the nokia or vice versa and reading articles like the one above is a real disappointment because if one sim card won't fit into another, why then don't they say just that? a lot of crap for nothing. |
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anon84078
Post 145 |
My Blackberry Pearl has water damage and the screen will not work. I do not want to purchase a data plan, but liked my old phone. Can I buy another Blackberry Pearl (8100, or other) online and add my old SIM card or do I have to alert ATT? In other words, will they need to activate the new phone, thus locking me into a new contract and data plan or can I simply purchase another phone until I am ready to commit to the higher priced plan? |
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anon83387
Post 144 |
Some mobile phones save deleted text messages to their removable sim cards by default. When that sim card is full, it will start overwriting the older deleted text messages with more recently deleted text messages. Others save it to an internal memory before it is completely deleted. Do all sim cards save deleted text messages by default or are they gone forever? |
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anon83120
Post 143 |
Can i put a go phone chip in my samsung slider? |
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anon81953
Post 142 |
I have a phone with a dual Sim Card capability. My question is, can it use two different networks at the same time with say two different tariffs from two suppliers? It also has a spaceholder for up to 8 megabytes of memory. Is this also a factor for operation? |
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anon80406
Post 141 |
where is the sim card n the samsung rant by sprint? i see the microsd card. is that the same as a sim card? |
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jaded81
Post 140 |
I have the motorola i465 and I can't receive calls, could it be a problem with my sim card? I live on the border with mexico, and I've already called several times to the customer care center, but I am still experiencing this troubles Do you think is it a problem with my sim card? I have three years with the same card and I've had to change the phone three times, but with the same sim card. So what do you think is going on? |
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anon77007
Post 139 |
I have an LG Shine CU720 and need to know if the SIM card will work in a Blackberry 7290. Both are AT&T phones. Do I have to purchase a separate data plan for the Blackberry? |
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anon76094
Post 138 |
i want to transfer my phone number to a CDMA phone like the htc droid eris. can i do that? and how? |
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taduff
Post 137 |
We want to use a mobile phone just for the calendar and reminders, not for calls. Can we buy a SIM card and use it with phone service? If so, where can we get one? |
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anon74615
Post 135 |
if i bought a new phone on orange, but wanted to stay with 02 or some other carrier,could i take the sim card from my old phone and put it in my new one?
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anon74057
Post 134 |
can i put an at&t sim card in a tmobile phone? |
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anon70288
Post 133 |
Verizon most certainly does use sim cards. The Blackberry Storm has a sim card. Verizon has other phones that also use them. However I do not know if they are the same size. |
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anon68823
Post 131 |
I have an lg ks360 and have topped up but the people have said that they will send it to me in 73 hours. I have now waited for two weeks and i haven't had my ten pounds. Please help me!!!! |
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anon68610
Post 130 |
I have a Tmobile account with a sim card,and now i have a phone from verizon. Can i use my Tmobile sim card in the verizon phone, and still retrieve the internet along with the rest of all my info? |
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anon68279
Post 129 |
I have an env touch and while i was trying to transfer my pictures from my phone to my memory card they somehow got deleted. is there any way i can get the pics back? |
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anon67061
Post 128 |
I got a used singular phone from my friend. I want to insert my at&t SIM card to this phone. what should I do? Do I need to call cingular/at&t? |
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anon65600
Post 127 |
I am Gaurang. I want to know why in the shape of the simcard there is a cut. It is not perfectly rectangular.
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anon64521
Post 126 |
A tri band phone is not worth having in the U.S. To cover all areas in the U.S., you need a quad band phone. |
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anon61849
Post 124 |
i have lost my phone which includes the sim and i have changed numbers so many times i would like to know if i could get the same number on my new sim which they are both on telstra prepaid. |
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anon61362
Post 123 |
My phone got wet and I have been using my boyfriend's track phone and I just put my sim card in from my togo phone and it's locked out. what can I do? |
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anon60753
Post 122 |
my nokia phone said that the sim card was rejected. what do i do about that? |
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anon59972
Post 121 |
I am going to london next week (i live in australia) and just bought a UK sim card. Best thing is that this sim was already pre-registered and pre-activated.
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anon59180
Post 120 |
i bought a samsung go phone and my sim cards locked to the samsung. i tried to put my sim card in my other phones but it won't work. can anyone help me?
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anon58734
Post 119 |
Thanks for the quick and easy overview. I was searching for "swap sim cards swap phone numbers?" and found the answer easier than normal with your article. |
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anon58564
Post 118 |
i have a broken contract phone with at&t. can i just pick up a gophone and use my same sim?
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anon57851
Post 116 |
is it possible to stick a SIM card from TMobile in a Verizon phone? |
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anon56825
Post 114 |
Sim cards are a joke. |
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anon56747
Post 113 |
I want a new phone, but i want to keep my same carrier. I want a new sim card also (one that doesn't have a 3g sim. I want to buy an unlocked phone online and it needs a gsm carrier without "3g" sim card. Can i ask the carrier for a new non 3g sim card? |
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anon56568
Post 112 |
If you use your sim card in a friend's phone, what number will show up to the person you're calling? And is there a way of changing the number on your sim card when using a different phone? |
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warriorkg
Post 111 |
hello, this is my second post in the same page, not sure what happened to the first post. just wanted to thank every one for providing this good information on sim and mobiles. i would request someone to post some details on mobile imei numbers. i was using a china made mobile and recently my mobile got banned because the government here says my mobile does not have imei number. As a lay man who is into the business of packers and movers in bangalore, i don't have much knowledge on these topics. --KGP |
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anon55699
Post 108 |
We have an ATT phone that has died. We don't want to continue the two year contract with ATT and don't want to renew our ATT contract just yet. Can we put the ATT sim into a cheap ATT goPhone until we continue our ATT contract? Thanks. |
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anon55680
Post 107 |
which carriers in the US use SIM cards? |
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anon55618
Post 106 |
i have an att go phone and my sim card won't work in certain phones. how do i make it work? is there a way? |
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anon55029
Post 105 |
I have an AT&T LG Xenon. Could i use the same sim card that i already have in an unlocked phone from, for example: Tmobile?? |
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anon54702
Post 104 |
SIM - Subscriber Identity Module. CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access. |
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anon53683
Post 103 |
My phone was stolen and not even a week later my mom went in to get a new sim free of charge. the woman said it had to be processed and formatted for insurance. so my question is, how long will this take? it's already been a week so i want to know the waiting period without going in every two days and asking. |
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anon51135
Post 102 |
i'm on a two-year contract with AT&T that doesn't expire for another 16 months. i recently won a free $300 Verizon phone, so i'm wondering if Verizon phones have SIM card slots. |
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anon49459
Post 101 |
how can i clean a vodaphone simcard for samsung mobile? |
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anon49086
Post 99 |
What does SIM card stand for? Please explain. |
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anon48765
Post 98 |
my sim card blocked itself and i don't want a new number. =( |
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anon48406
Post 96 |
I just dropped my phone in water and my sim card doesn't work. can I buy a new sim card with the same number? I've had it forever and dont want the hassle of giving my new number to everyone. |
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anon46583
Post 95 |
I use a RoamForce SIM card for international calls and blackberry data. |
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anon45996
Post 94 |
is there a sim card on my L7c motorola phone? |
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anon45525
Post 93 |
can i text using a sim card on my phone? |
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anon45021
Post 92 |
Hello. Where is the simcard on a virgin mobile AudioVox model phone? I opened up the back of the phone where the battery is located but I don't see anything like what is being described. |
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anon44434
Post 91 |
what is meant By LAPU balance or USSD balance regarding talk time in the telecom industry? |
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wkoeller
Post 89 |
I have a "MagicJack" which works fantastic. GoogleVoice now offers a free service to forward any of your phone numbers to your MagicJack number. Could I buy SIM card for the sole purpose of switching my existing number to the SIM card? If so, I could use the Google service to forward my existing number to the newly assigned MagicJack number - wow, what a deal. |
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anon43239
Post 87 |
I now use a Motorola W376g cell phone, which has a camera and a sim card. I had a nice photo taken, but I was so thrilled to have such a nice photo on my cell phone that I did not press the key under the word "Store". That photo is very important to me, and I feel like an idiot for making such a stupid mistake. Is the photo gone for good, or is it on the sim card? If it is on the sim card, how do I access it? (Yes, I have looked in the multimedia-pictures section of my camera, and the photo is *not* there.)
(I also seem to have lost another photo. In that case, I did press the key under the word "store", but I did not click on store only on the next screen. Is that photo gone forever as well?) Thank you. I feel like an idiot! |
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anon42660
Post 86 |
can i use an att sim card with verizon wireless phone (the Alias 2) please answer! |
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anon41689
Post 85 |
sim card cloning is possible? if yes please suggest software or site ID. |
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verlapacheco
Post 84 |
How do I get my photos out of my old Verizon wireless LG phone? I'd like to either transfer the photos to my computer hard drive if possible.
I closed my Verizon account and now have an ATT account with a Samsung phone. The old phone did not have a SIM card, so this method is not an option.
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barrios13
Post 82 |
how do i save my stuff in to my simcard? |
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anon40736
Post 81 |
i got an ATT phone. i put my sim card in to the motorola racer phone and it says locked. how did i unlock the motorola to use my sim card in there? is that possible? |
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anon40459
Post 80 |
If you want to use your sim in a phone of another carrier, the phone of the other carrier needs to be unlocked to work. |
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anon40335
Post 79 |
I have the same question as no 63. I try it. it will not take it. what am i doing so wrong? |
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anon39352
Post 78 |
I have a SAMSUNG phone with Verizon service. If I understand correctly, I cannot use (put) a SIM card in this phone. I want to keep this phone. I will be in Europe (Belgium, Italy and France) for about 3 weeks and need a cell phone. What would you recommend that I do re phone, sim card(s?), charger etc. that would be the most economical way.(ie. buy an inexpensive phone for trip that takes a SIM card? rent a phone?)I will not be using the phone to call the United States. I am really ignorant on this subject so I appreciate any info. Thank you. |
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anon38432
Post 77 |
sim cards are a pain in the butt! All the things that they are good for i can do without. No sim card would be fine with me. |
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chris32450
Post 76 |
My daughter, in error, deleted some very important text messages. She has a motorola Razr cell. Is there any way that the deleted texts can be retrieved? |
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anon35471
Post 74 |
I have a SIM card already, but I owe them lots of money. So I want to get a new sim card and do a pay as you go. Would that be possible? Also what kind of information do they ask when you want to activate a new sim card. |
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lilhoneybr
Post 72 |
i currently have a sprint/nextel phone that has a sim card. i want to get a new phone, but many that i look at don't have a sim card. can/how do i transfer my sim card to a phone that doesn't use one? |
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anon34549
Post 71 |
Ok, so my big enormous moose of a bloodhound ate my hubby's new phone. Literally put a tooth mark right through the battery. So since his contract is not up until November, to get a new phone I went and bought a go phone from walmart. Since it is the same network and takes a sim card as well. When I went to checkout the clerk said that there is a "possibility" that since we have a paid plan and this is a pre-paid phone that inserting my hubby's sim card it could "blowup". Of course this scares the dickens out of me. Does anyone know if this is true. I have used both types of phones before and interchanged my sims as well. But is there something new on the phones that could cause me a problem? Thanks. |
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anon34301
Post 70 |
is there anyway to lock a sim card so it can't be used in another phone? also can my phone be locked so that no other sim card will work in it? |
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kabrock
Post 69 |
I am in the process of buying an A008 T-Mobile PDA phone that has a dual sim card slot. I want to use the 2nd slot for pre-paid internet service. Is this possible and can you recommend a good inexpensive provider. Thank You! |
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vjnapier
Post 68 |
I have service through Cincinnati Bell. I want to buy a phone that is offered through AT&T. Can I just put my SIM card in and use this other phone? |
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anon31318
Post 67 |
i got a new iphone and want to give my old 2g to my mom. she has a pre-paid phone and when i insert that sim into the iphone and try to set up the number onto the phone through itunes it will not work. i think it's because iphones have to have the internet and since her sim is pre-paid it is not allowed. is there any way around this? any app or anything i can do? Thanks |
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anon30908
Post 66 |
verizon and sprint are CDMA. they don't use Sim Cards, unless it's a phone that's compatible with oversees travel. they have ones that give you service access abroad. otherwise, they use ESN numbers to assign your account to your phone, so it's not as easy as AT&T and such where you just swap your card to swap your phone. |
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anon29931
Post 65 |
Can a sim card work on my sidekick? lx
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anon27846
Post 64 |
can i use the sim card from a nokia 6085 to nextel I530? |
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nrbrown
Post 63 |
Can I take the SIM card from my AT&T phone and put it in a T-Mobile phone that also uses a SIM card? Will it work? I don't plan on switching carriers but I will be without a phone for 2 weeks and needed to know if I can do this as a backup until I get my phone back. |
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anonymoose
Post 62 |
Can I have a sim card for two phones? By this I mean like having two phones for the same line in the house? I'd like to have it so my spouse and I could answer the same phone number if need be. Would our cell phone company charge us for two phones or do they usually charge for per phone number? |
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skiqueen618
Post 61 |
Theoretically, if i have a SIM card, would i then be able to put that into an iphone, even though i do not have AT&T? Also, does Verizon have any phone that use SIM cards or is it possible to have Verizon put your number/plan onto a SIM card? |
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anon24781
Post 60 |
My old Tracfone doesn't have a sim card & works fine in my area. I wanted to update to a newer Tracfone but can't find one without the sim card. Can you remove the sim card & still operate the phone? The phones with sim cards will not work in my area. |
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michael27
Post 59 |
NO anon711 you need to use your old sim card it will work just fine if you have the old sim card to put in it and IF it is broken the sim card it will not work my mom and my sister both have nokia cellphones and my sister just got a very new one and when she put that simchip in it worked like new... |
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anon24009
Post 58 |
I desire to access old sim cards as well as unused sim cards both for regular services and secure phones. When accessing these cards, are there security measures that should be taken? It is ok to just cut them up? If sim cards are not destroyed can another user merely insert them and be able to acquire services?
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anon22796
Post 57 |
I have a contract with searsconnect. Last year my phone burnt out while charging. Thank goodness the SIM Card was okay so I started to use it in another LG Camera phone. It was working great, until I changed my phone to Motorolla from Rogers. Now for some reason I can't seem to call my home phone #. Works great calling everywhere else, but I just can't call home. Called my carrier to fix the problem and they said they can't I'd have to go to rogers, what I wanna know is, could this be the phone that I'm using or the sim card, 'cause when I put my sim card back into the old LG, still couldn't call home. Please help! |
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turbosim
Post 56 |
Do you know a Wonderful “do-it-yourself, Plug & Play” sim card for unlocking iPhone 3G to work for any network, any carrier, any SIM card? And also for unlocking Nokia, Motorola, SamSung,Blackberry…etc (lots of brands of mobile) which is locked?
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turbosim
Post 55 |
Do you know "dual sim card"? which can help your present mobile becomes “dual sim” mobile in 1 minute. Special for the mobile is “Brand mobile phones” which have not dual sim function.
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footballcraz
Post 52 |
My phone broke, so could I go to a store and pick up a GO Phone, and slide the SIM card from my broken one into the new one. I would still be on my contract from my broken phone, right? |
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anon21666
Post 51 |
Virgin Mobile has a website -- find their phone number there and they'll give you instructions to activate your phone. |
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anon21051
Post 49 |
my uncle gave me a cell phone he had but never used, and i don't know the number. its a virgin mobile phone, and i tried to click the $ sign but it wont go through. and i cant get to the phone number..how can i find out what the number is so i can put minutes on the phone? please help me..!!!! |
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dishmandu
Post 48 |
How do I download data (files, photos, etc) from my Blackberry Curve sim card to my laptop?? |
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tray4real
Post 47 |
can i use my cingular sim card in a t-mobile phone? |
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marye
Post 46 |
i have a blackberry that is supposed to be unlocked. i don't have a carrier. can i put a tracfone sim card in it? would that make it work for now? |
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anon16287
Post 45 |
hello i just wanted to know what exactly a gsm card is, where i can purchase one, how much do they cost, and can i use it in a newer model iphone? i would very much appreciate any answers you may provide :) |
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anon15624
Post 44 |
Why does my Blackberry 8330 (Curve) sometimes says SIM card rejected, which is displayed at the top of my screen? This is becoming a hassle, and I have been satisfied with my phone until now. |
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anon15477
Post 43 |
Do you have to have a carrier to use an unlocked phone? Can you use a regular phone card that you pick up at the store to call? Does it come with a number in which people call you by? |
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nessfarms
Post 42 |
I have a LG VX5300 cell phone. Is there any way to download/retrieve the memory, even deleted text messages from my phone to my home computer? |
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anon14529
Post 41 |
hi i have a nokia 6010 that someone gave me. Everything works on it I dont have any service on it. the phone was used in a different area. i know nothing about this phone like if it's prepaid or monthly plan. i would like to get it working so i can use it to make calls. thank you |
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bratinella
Post 40 |
hi...i bought cellphone in hong kong the seller told me that its going to worked here in us...but when i got it....its not working...i have t-mobile and no network at all....cant received email or send msgs and cant call or received messages...so dont know what to do! its a nokia n95! |
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anon12722
Post 39 |
I have a prepaid Virgin Mobile phone and am interested in getting a Blackberry or other PDA. I was looking at phones on EBay because I have no interest in signing a 2-year contract. I don't think my phone has a SIM card. How do I get a SIM card without having to buy a new phone with one? Thanks! |
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engineer
Post 38 |
I have Sprint service, & I want to get a Motorola v365 ( unlocked ). Will it work with Sprint??
I know about the sim cards, but not that much, Sprint uses CDMA,, right! help me out! thanks |
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anon12635
Post 37 |
? Verizon uses SIM cards, I thought. If your dog ruined your phone you can still remove the SIM and use it in any new phone. If you really don't have a SIM and it really is Verizon, go to any Verizon outlet with a new [Verizon] phone, or call them, and they will ask for a SN off the new phone and transfer service to it. After a short lag the new phone will be usable but the old one won't. (So if for example, someone wanted to use two phones with a single phone number, it won't work, cause they won't activate the new phone without deactivating the old one.) |
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anon12328
Post 36 |
My dogs got ahold of my phone and i want a new one...
I have verizon and since there is no sim card is there a way i can get a new phone without having to update the contract. |
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anon12321
Post 35 |
I successfully transferred my Sim card from an old Motorola phone, purchased from Rogers into a Blackberry Pearl. My friend has a Audiovox cell phone, purchased from Bell Mobility and he wants me to do the same thing. However I cannot find a sim card in his phone. Is there one? |
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lordpack
Post 34 |
I stop using my SIM card for along time, when i used it again, the screen display insert SIM. Would the service provider lock the SIM if you would not use it for a long time? Would the service provider would unlock it if i want to? |
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anon11749
Post 33 |
I purchased a Sony Ericsson Z710i off eBay, the phone worked great when I put in my SIM, after manually entering the MMS and Internet setting. The vibrate on the phone didn't work, so I returned it. They sent me another one, and it looked slightly newer, although, the same model. The problem with this phone, is it would not read my SIM card. AT&T SIMs worked, T-Mobile SIMs worked, but CellularOne, which is now owned by AT&T SIMs would not work at all. WHY? My old deactivated SIM, which has a different circuit print on the SIM itself even registered and allowed the phone to open simply saying "inactive SIM" Emergency Calls Only. Is there a difference with new and old SIMS? T-Mobile, CellularOne/AT&T all use the GSM network, including EDGE technology. Why would one model Z710i work for my SIM, and not the exact model but on a different phone, meanwhile, working for the other SIMs? Help? Any suggestions?
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anon11114
Post 32 |
I have a 7 digit customer number (6971542)on my current SIM. My service provider will now migrate from 7 digit to 8 digit meaning my new number will be 76971542. I am wondering if my new number will work with my current SIM. |
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markaplus
Post 31 |
I have a samsung phone and would like to extract deleted text messages, is it possible because of the sim card? |
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anon10407
Post 30 |
The article says that you can swap SIM cards between phones but for that to work the phone you're swapping to has to be unlocked and have the same frequency/band. So what if your friend is on a different carrier or using another frequency/band? How would you know about the band/frequency? If your friend is using the same carrier, that's one thing, but all of us use something different. That kind of makes the SIM not so useful then, except for new phones of course. |
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joemcmahon
Post 29 |
Hi I have a Verizon LG VX8300 phone and I dropped it in the ocean. It is drying right now and i want to know what to do or what is the best thing to do. I need to know where the "SIM" card is on this model. |
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anon9180
Post 28 |
If I take my SIM card and my memory card out of my phone is there any personal information left on it? |
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anon9003
Post 27 |
I need more information about the GSM Sim which you called R-UIM. Who can I talk to, is it now available anywhere? |
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gmac280
Post 26 |
I have an old Motorola i860, I have pictures and text messages that I would like to save (the sender is no longer with us). They were on phone but the power died and now they are not on the simcard anymore. What happened ? Can I save them or are they gone forever too? Also I have more pics and texts on a broken Motorola V3m that has no SIM card can I somehow transfer them to my new phone ? please tell me how to do this, they are the only pictures and messages that I have left of her !!
George |
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anon8630
Post 25 |
i have a sony ericsson v600i (prepaid) and my mom has just brought a nokia 6110 NAV (cap plan). i want to use the nokia, can i swap SIM cards. - put my prepaid sim card into the NOKIA? |
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bucready
Post 23 |
I have a motorola razr v3 cell phone. Can I get deleted text messages off of my sim card? If so, how? |
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anon7408
Post 22 |
I have cingular or at&t cell service. I really hated my phone so I went to the local Sam's Club and bought a togo phone which is AT&T. I did take the chip from my phone and put in the togo phone which is more modern than the one I had. Works fine. You can unlock Trac phones to do this too. |
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anon6819
Post 21 |
i have a motorola phone that my mom bought for me. i don't know the pin number. so the phone locked. my boyfriend tried to unlock it got mad and broke the sim card. now my phone doesn't do anything. it just says insert sim. if i buy a prepaid sim card, will it still work? even if it was locked before it got broken? |
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unclefred
Post 20 |
Does anyone have an answer for the tracfone/bluetooth problem by UF? |
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anon6190
Post 19 |
I have a Tracfone and just bought a car with Bluetooth technology. My present phone does not work with bluetooth. Can I buy an unlocked phone and take the sim card from the tracfone and install it in the new phone and have it work in the car? Thanks, UF |
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knun
Post 18 |
A friend who lives in Texas asked if he could use my sim card to unlock an extra cell phone he had. He stated that he was going to London for a few weeks & wanted to be able to use the phone while he was there & that the only way he could unlock this phone was if he used a sim card from a phone that used AT&T as the carrier. I felt a little uneasy so I told him no. Was this the right decision? Could he have charged calls to my number or would it have simply just unlocked his phone & nothing else? |
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anon5936
Post 17 |
hi, i am considering purchasing an unlocked iphone from ebay and want to know: a) do i just go to T-mobile/cingular and purchase a SIM card and b) if not, do i just purchase a crappy phone with a SIM card in it and use that (and its corresponding services)? I am just trying to figure out the best way to get an iPhone and not use the ATT network. |
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anon5925
Post 16 |
where is the SIM card in a virgin mobile 'shorty' (nokia) phone???? |
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FClark
Post 15 |
Thanks for explaining SIM Cards. Knowing I could, I have successfully copied my phone numbers to the SIM Card, and have ordered a new phone to replace my damaged one. When I move the SIM Card, I should be in business. Very useful! |
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anon5671
Post 14 |
i have a motorola from verizon, and there is this phone i want on ebay from T-mobile (it is unlocked). so is there anyway i could use the T-mobile phone, and use it on the verizon service? if anybody has an answer please let me know. please and thank you (: |
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anon5647
Post 13 |
i have a simple verizon phone.. it doesnt have a card with it... and i wondered if there is a way to get a sim card or something from them that i could use in a sidekick, because i want a sidekick but i want verizon still instead of t-mobile... |
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anon4772
Post 11 |
Hello. I just upgraded my cell phone that was brought over from Malaysia. Its the same company so it shouldn't have been a problem. i slid my old SIM CARD in and i could make calls. However, i could not top up my phone. Do you know what's wrong? |
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anon4659
Post 10 |
i just brought a phone on ebay. I wanted to know what is a triband phone? |
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anon4185
Post 9 |
Called my prepaid provider and they warned against inserting a new SIM card in the phone. Won't replacement cards work on prepaids? |
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anon3532
Post 8 |
Hi, I am visiting the USA from England for a few months and brought my MOTOROLA V3i with me. I can send text messages but can't make calls. Can I buy a SIM from here to use in it and can you suggest which one I should go for? Thanks |
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anon3064
Post 7 |
why is it called re-useable identification?
Is there any phone that supports the two networks? |
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anon3004
Post 6 |
what are the processes of making a sim card? |
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anon2537
Post 5 |
Can I use the sim card out of my CDMA phone ( if it has one) on my new nokia I just bought on ebay? |
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anon1655
Post 4 |
To answer terence123:
Your SIM card should work in any GSM phone so if your sister's phones also use a SIM card they should theoretically work with your SIM card. One thing you need to be aware of is if she didn't get her phone from Cingular the phone could be locked. If it is locked you'll need to contact Cingular or the old carrier that the phone came from to have them help you unlock it. There are also resources online showing how to unlock phones.
To answer Anonymous: Since Verizon is a CDMA carrier (not GSM) their phones don't have a SIM card. SIM cards are used in GSM phones and R-UIM cards are used in CDMA phones (note: R-UIM equipped phones are currently only available in Asia). The chocolate phone you can buy from Verizon, Virgin Mobile, and Sprint is different than the SIM version you get from Cingular, T-Mobile, etc. See the wiseGeek article "What is the Difference Between GSM and CDMA?" for more info. |
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anon1336
Post 3 |
Where is the Sim card in a verizon chocolate phone? |
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terence123
Post 2 |
I have a cingular account and a samsung phone. My sister has two newer phones that she wants to get rid of and wanted to know if I wanted them. Will my sim card work in any phone. |
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anon711
Post 1 |
Hi, I purchased a used nokia 6103 thru EBay and I need to get a sim card for it. Should I get a new card or a preactivated card? |
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