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Unlocked Phone?
May 14, 2008
3:53 pm
KrazyKat
Guest
Guests

Hello

I read the locked note regarding how you can use "unlocked phones" but... at the FAQ at Petro Canada says "Do I need a Petro-Canada mobile handset to use this service or can I use a handset from another mobile carrier?
Yes, you must be using a Petro-Canada Mobility branded mobile handset. We do not support the use of other handsets.".

Has anyone tried to take out the sim card and placing it in an unlocked phone?

May 14, 2008
4:57 pm
Bylo
Guest
Guests

Yes, you must be using a Petro-Canada Mobility branded mobile handset. We do not support the use of other handsets.

PCM won't sell you the SIM separately so youhave to buy a phone from them in any case. However, there is no way to restrict the use of a SIM to a particular phone. (That would defeat the purpose of the SIM, which is to provide a portable means of identifying each cell phone customer.) In practice your PCM SIM will work with any unlocked, GSM phone that works on the 850/1900 bands.

So why the disclaimer? Probably because it's a lot easier to explain it that way -- both to PCM employees and to their customers -- than to explain what I wrote in the previous paragraph 😉

May 15, 2008
1:37 am
Gopher Guts
Guest
Guests

However, there is no way to restrict the use of a SIM to a particular phone.


Actually, that's just one of several types of "locks" that a phone can have applied to it. It can be locked to a country, to a particular Network or Service Provider (Rogers vs Fido), or even to (gasp!) a specific SIM card. If the SIM gets lost or damaged, the phone is trash, unless the network weenies provide an unlock code, or agree to assign the phone to another SIM. That's also why there's so many ads for "unlocking" services.

May 15, 2008
7:11 am
MDMM
Guest
Guests

I was thinking to buy a petrocanada phone.I have an other GSM cellphone.
Please let me inform about your experience if I can use Petrocanada sim in my other GSM canadian band cellphone or not????

May 15, 2008
8:08 am
Bylo
Guest
Guests

Gopher Guts said:

However, there is no way to restrict the use of a SIM to a particular phone.


Actually, that's just one of several types of "locks" that a phone can have applied to it. It can be locked to a country, to a particular Network or Service Provider (Rogers vs Fido), or even to (gasp!) a specific SIM card.

I didn't say that phones can't be locked. Quite to the contrary. The OP asked if he could use a PCM SIM with another phone. My response stands: yes, if it's an "unlocked, GSM phone that works on the 850/1900 bands."

If the SIM gets lost or damaged, the phone is trash, unless the network weenies provide an unlock code, or agree to assign the phone to another SIM. That's also why there's so many ads for "unlocking" services.

All true, but irrelevant to the OP's question. Presumablby if he just bought a phone/SIM from PCM then the SIM is functional.

May 15, 2008
9:53 am
MDMM
Guest
Guests

This mean all cellphone from Petrocanada are locked to Petrocanada only.So we can not use petrocanda- cellphone- with-sim into any other GSM cellphone??
Correct??

May 15, 2008
10:28 am
bylo
Guest
Guests

Correct??

No.

I didn't say anything about PCM's phones being locked (or unlocked.) My comments are about SIMs, not phones.

May 15, 2008
11:51 am
MDMM
Guest
Guests

BYLO,

I was thinking to buy a petrocanada phone.I have an other GSM cellphone.
Please let me inform about your experience if I can use Petrocanada sim in my other GSM canadian band cellphone or not????
Does petro sim work in another gsm cellphone?

May 15, 2008
2:51 pm
Bylo
Guest
Guests

if I can use Petrocanada sim in my other GSM canadian band cellphone or not????

I don't see why not, however, if no one else here has done it, the only way to confirn it 100% is to try it.

Note too that PCM's return policy gives you 15 days to return the phone/SIM for full credit, minus airtime. If you start with $20 airtime then that's all you risk in the unlikely event that their SIM won't work in your phone.

May 15, 2008
6:24 pm
Big Ang
Guest
Guests

A PetroCan SIM should be able to work in

1. An unlocked GSM phone that can work in Canada (it can have either the 850 or 1900 mHz frequency, ideally both)

2. A GSM phone locked to Rogers (but not one locked to Fido)

7-11 SpeakOut and PetroCan phones are generally unlocked, and I have not heard any of them being locked.

May 16, 2008
6:59 am
MDMM
Guest
Guests

Thanks alot.
I need only Petrocanada SIM to use in my other unlock GSM Canadian cellphone.
Since i cannot buy a separate PCM SIM,I have to buy a cheaper PCM phone with their SIM.

So You advise to go and buy patro SIM with phone.Will take my sim and will use into my other unlock expensive GSM phone.
OK.

May 16, 2008
10:50 am
psychocat
Guest
Guests

MDMM said:

Thanks alot.
I need only Petrocanada SIM to use in my other unlock GSM Canadian cellphone.
Since i cannot buy a separate PCM SIM,I have to buy a cheaper PCM phone with their SIM.


So You advise to go and buy patro SIM with phone.Will take my sim and will use into my other unlock expensive GSM phone.
OK.


I did the "experiment" this morning - took out my PetroCan SIM & inserted it in several phones of mine & made calls with them. Results:

UNLOCKED Nokia & Panasonic 900/1800/1900 triband GSM phones: WORKED

UNLOCKED Siemens 850/1900 dualband GSM phone: WORKED

LOCKED "FIDO" Sony Ericsson 850/1800/1900 triband GSM phone: DIDN'T WORK, asked me to insert correct SIM

Hope the above helps.

May 16, 2008
11:07 am
MDMM
Guest
Guests

Thanks a lot.Now it is safe for me to buy an other from petro canada.

May 16, 2008
11:16 am
psychocat
Guest
Guests

MDMM said:

Thanks a lot.Now it is safe for me to buy an other from petro canada.


You're always welcome. Have a great day.

May 16, 2008
1:03 pm
JL68
Guest
Guests

I have a Motorola K1 unlocked phone using PC sim for 3 months now. No any problem.

May 16, 2008
4:03 pm
KrazyKat
Guest
Guests

Hey Everyone!

I went out and bought a Sony Ericsson K850 from Rogers and the Petro Canada Mobility Plan ($49 cellphone + 100 air time).

After registering the SIM with Petro Canada's activation thingy. I put the SIM in my K850 and it works. So. To clarify.

Yes. You can put Petro Canada's sim card into an unlocked or rogers network phone.

December 27, 2008
8:58 pm
miki
Guest
Guests

All,
a phone that takes a sim card will accept any sim card on the same freq.
the phones are usually locked to the suppling network but if you know the IMI code you can have them unlocked. this can be done on the internet. But new phones have a time restriction on them.

All GSM phones have sim cards, Bring them on get rid of the retriction on the type of Phone you can have. you can buy any phone you like that is unlocked from any other county. they will all work here, and thats I phones too.

December 27, 2008
9:30 pm
bylo
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You can put Petro Canada's sim card into an unlocked or rogers network phone.

PCM and SO both use the Rogers network so any unlocked 850/1900 GSM phone and all phones locked to Rogers will work just fine.

December 27, 2008
9:34 pm
bylo
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a phone that takes a sim card will accept any sim card on the same freq.

SIM cards and frequencies are two unrelated issues. SIM cards know nothing about the frequency bands that your phone works on. You can take, say a Rogers SIM, and put it in a phone that works only on European bands (900/1800) and it will work in Europe in those countries that have roaming arrangements with Rogers. That same phone with the same Rogers SIM will not work in Canada because the 900/1800 bands aren't supported here.

you can buy any phone you like that is unlocked from any other county. they will all work here, and thats I phones too.

Again, this is untrue. If you buy a phone in, say Europe, that supports only European bands (900/1800) then it won't work in NA no matter what SIM you have in it.

September 2, 2009
12:54 pm
richard
Guest
Guests

I am heading to europe. Will my petro can nokia 3555 work there? If I buy a local SIM (italy) will it work? I have been trying to figure out if my PCM phone is locked or unlocked. How do I do that? Thx

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