Keep cell phone from Russia?

[BTalley 0]

Svetlana brought her Samsung SGH-E620 dual band cell phone with her from Russia, and she wants to be able to use it in the United States.

We have been to three providers (Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T), and they are of no help. They say she cannot use the phone with their service.

Why not? The phone likely is not locked, because she was able to change providers in Russia simply by changing her SIM card.

Is there any provider here that she can use . . . and what (if anything) may be necessary to do to the phone?

The phone has two bands: GSM 900/1800, and GSM 1900

Edited February 7, 2009 by BTalley

[eekee 182]

Svetlana brought her Samsung SGH-E620 dual band cell phone with her from Russia, and she wants to be able to use it in the United States.

We have been to three providers (Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T), and they are of no help. They say she cannot use the phone with their service.

Why not? The phone likely is not locked, because she was able to change providers in Russia simply by changing her SIM card.

Is there any provider here that she can use . . . and what (if anything) may be necessary to do to the phone?

The phone has two bands: GSM 900/1800, and GSM 1900

The United States is 1900 or 850. She will not be able to use it on Verizon or Sprint--they are CDMA. She should be fine with T-Mobile or AT&T. If you have a SIM card from TMobile or AT&T, just stick it in her phone and test it out--it's American phones that are locked, not SIM cards. Phones are all sold unlocked in Russia.

I have used Samsung, Nokia, and Motorola Russian phones on TMobile, no problem. They will also sell you just the SIM card if you ask--I have sold my friends my old phones to use on TMobile. Chances are that the people who work in the store just never really dealt with the issue before.

Edited February 7, 2009 by eekee

[Neonred 3,562]

Svetlana brought her Samsung SGH-E620 dual band cell phone with her from Russia, and she wants to be able to use it in the United States.

We have been to three providers (Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T), and they are of no help. They say she cannot use the phone with their service.

Why not? The phone likely is not locked, because she was able to change providers in Russia simply by changing her SIM card.

Is there any provider here that she can use . . . and what (if anything) may be necessary to do to the phone?

The phone has two bands: GSM 900/1800, and GSM 1900

Is it a dual band phone or triband phone? Dual band phones in Russia are 900/1800 (two bands)and a triband phone will add 1900. If the phone includes the 1900 band then it will work in many places with ATT and T-Mobile. If it's a Russian dual band phone then forget it.

Try it with a friends SIM card from ATT or T- mobile.

[sashagrin 0]

I have a Nokia phone that i brought from Russia and it works - i use AT &T

[K1researcher 0]

Neon is right ... me and my fiancee have quad-bands and both work in russia and here with T-mobile

[BTalley 0]

We were able to put a T-Mobile SIM card in her phone and sign her up for a prepaid plan.

Works great.

[Brad and Vika 129]

We used AT&T. A GO (prepaid) SIM card worked fine with a 3G Ukrainian cell too.

[Corey-Mariya 14]

Svetlana brought her Samsung SGH-E620 dual band cell phone with her from Russia, and she wants to be able to use it in the United States.

We have been to three providers (Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T), and they are of no help. They say she cannot use the phone with their service.

Why not? The phone likely is not locked, because she was able to change providers in Russia simply by changing her SIM card.

Is there any provider here that she can use . . . and what (if anything) may be necessary to do to the phone?

The phone has two bands: GSM 900/1800, and GSM 1900

After I picked Mariya up at the airport we drove to an AT and T store and bought a sim card. Her phone has worked perfectly ever since! She has a

Sony Ericson.

[slim 1,525]

We're the proud owners of 2.5 year old Motorola Razr phones. She brought some fancy-shmancy Korean phone with her when she came here, but since there's nothing but hillbillies and hustlers working at the phone stores here, we had to buy two new phones to get the discount minutes plan. Been working fine ever since. Now, we're contract free, and I'm loving it. She's been asking me to buy her a new phone since our contract expired and I told her she was free to buy herself one whenever she felt like it.

She still has the old phone.