[aessexuk]

Dear All,

I am going to be moving to the US and want to take my blackberry over to the USA.

I have done this a few times and overall it has worked out great. I picked up a sim card from AT&T once and for $2 a day I had unlimited calling and texting. Good stuff!!

Another time I picked up a sim card from T-Mobile for $50 for a month again with unlimited calling etc mainly because I trust the brand in the UK (not in the USA anymore)!!!

QUESTION:

My question is I want to use Verizon but I hear they use a different form of technology Sprint also use the same technology. Something which does not need a sim card. WEIRD in my opinion since sim cards are all I know.

Has someone done this before? I am using a cheap and cheerful 8520. Any issues on this?

[NJBlackBerry]

The 8520 will not (ever) work on Sprint or Verizon.
They use a different technology (as you noted) called CDMA which doesn't use SIM cards. Not weird. Just different. You also can't take a phone from another carrier and use it on Sprint or Verizon. "Unlocking" is not in their vocabulary.

T-Mobile USA uses different frequencies than T-Mobile UK.

My suggestion would be to visit authorized carrier stores once you move to the US and find out what the best model and deal is for you. Most important is to choose the carrier that has the best coverage for you as they are all different, and they have different voice and data plans.

[knottyrope]

AT&T might be your best bet unless you want to upgrade, the 8520 is a entry level 2G device that came out a few years ago or so. Any OS 7 new devie will perform much better (faster CPU and more RAM) and give you 3G access on most of them.