[Q] Will current 3G sim card work in Atrix

RiNo808

Senior Member
Feb 25, 2006
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If I buy off contract will I need to get a new SIM? I have an old $20 unlimited data plan that I dont want to lose.
you can buy off contract (out right), but if your $20 data plan is not for a smart phone. The system will automaticlly put you on the 2g data plan and you will lose your unlimited. Now if your $20 unlimited data is for a smart phone i would make sure that when you purchase the phone, talk to the rep and make sure that they still have you on the unlimited plan...there are way around this...hope this helps...
 

bfrank

Member
Aug 18, 2006
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Currently using it on a Fuse on 3G

So the big issue is $20 per month plus ~$600 for the phone = unlimited data (2 years = $1080)

or

$25 per month plus ~$150 for the phone = 2gig per month (2 years = $750)

Currently using less then 2gig per month but thats with the Fuse....struggling with what to do but I guess we need to see real prices first.
 

RiNo808

Senior Member
Feb 25, 2006
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if your on a smartphone unlimited plan, you are locked in for unlimited data on any smart phone... you have tol let the rep know that you have unlimited data when you get the atrix...
 

smeadow

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Sep 29, 2010
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I have the vibrant on a at&t unlimited plan that's non smartphone. Will I be detected & upgraded with the atrix 4g?

Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
 

Rastor

Member
Nov 17, 2010
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If you are on a non-smartphone data plan and get an Atrix it is extremely likely that AT&T will detect you and require you to switch data plans.
 

Milkshakes00

Senior Member
Oct 3, 2010
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If you are on a non-smartphone data plan and get an Atrix it is extremely likely that AT&T will detect you and require you to switch data plans.
This isn't the case. At least, it wasn't when I quit Radioshack a year ago.

All people on AT&T that had the original $20 unlimited data are entitled to it, for as long as they want. You just have to tell them you had it. They can check your plan to see if you previously had it, and if you did, will be able to keep it.

Although, AT&T royally ****** me when I quit Radioshack(They cancelled my Employee Plan, and I lost all my benefits, they then went ahead and told me they have no record of me ever being a *customer,* so I wasn't entitled to the older plans.)

Again, this was a year ago; They might have changed things since then. I would call and ask.

Realistically, though, 2gb on a phone isn't the easiest thing to cap out.. Especially when the phone has built in Wi-Fi.
 

smeadow

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Sep 29, 2010
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I am very interested the atrix and would luv to rid myself of the vibrant. I am going strickly american.

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Rastor

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Nov 17, 2010
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This isn't the case. At least, it wasn't when I quit Radioshack a year ago.

All people on AT&T that had the original $20 unlimited data are entitled to it, for as long as they want. You just have to tell them you had it. They can check your plan to see if you previously had it, and if you did, will be able to keep it.
Right, if you had an old data plan you can keep it. But AT&T categorizes some plans as "non-smartphone" plans, and if you get an AT&T smartphone they will notify you that they are switching you to a smartphone plan. I know multiple people that had this happen to them, starting around November.
 

AllTheWay

Retired Senior Moderator
Apr 3, 2007
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I have the vibrant on a at&t unlimited plan that's non smartphone. Will I be detected & upgraded with the atrix 4g?

Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Yes because the AT&T system will automatically add a smart phone data plan. There is no way around it. Trust me ;)

If you are on a non-smartphone data plan and get an Atrix it is extremely likely that AT&T will detect you and require you to switch data plans.
Correct.
 

kbc88

Senior Member
Nov 5, 2007
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I still have my unlimited data plan from my first Tilt... used it for my Tilt 2.. and I plan on getting the Atrix 4G.

I assume I'm safe as long as I tell/remind/make sure with them, correct?
 

xryousukex

Senior Member
May 25, 2010
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I'm on a non-smartphone unlimited data on my milestone due to AT&T not recognizing the phone.

My thought process is to get a Bell version Atrix if they are the same hardware as the AT&T and flash AT&T's firmware when it becomes available. That way AT&T can't recognize the IMEI and make me get the higher data plan. I'm currently on $10 unlimited data since i have the unlimited text.

Anything wrong with this thought process? Just curious. Thanks!
 

DarkDvr

Senior Member
May 30, 2007
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Yes because the AT&T system will automatically add a smart phone data plan. There is no way around it. Trust me ;)
Nope, you're incorrect.
If Atrix has a new simcard format, and will force u to get a new simcard, then perhaps.
If standard old sim works with Atrix, you will NOT be upgraded/changed.

This topic was around for a long time, and I'm tired of seeing this. I've been using my simcard for about 5 years now, coming from HTC Kaiser to TouchPro to TouchPro2 to NexusOne to Captivate. Same 1 simcard. Same $20/unlim data.

In fact, I called AT&T (about a different issue) and decided to ask them outright about this policy. They specifically told me that they will not change your account to a more expensive data plan by themselves, unless you ask them to. So I asked (off the record) whether it's ok that I keep the same simcard and using same data plan (i use up around 2-6GB per month data) as I sell/buy my phones off contract. They said they don't care, unless they want me to change it, they won't.

So, 5-6 years with AT&T and 5 (soon to be 6) phones I changed tell me you're wrong.

My advice: sell your N1/captivate/g2/whatever, add $100/$200, get Atrix off contract, plop in the old simcard, never tell AT&T about it, and live happy.
 
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stoli412

Senior Member
Jun 28, 2010
75
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Philadelphia PA
Nope, you're incorrect.
There's a ton of evidence to the contrary, including my own experience. I bought an N1 outright and signed up for AT&T service. At the suggestion of a friend, I went into the corp store with an unlocked feature phone so I could sign up for the $15 unlimited data plan. I did, swapped SIMs, and in less than a day I got a text saying I had been switched to the 2 GB DataPro plan.

AT&T does IMEI scans, and if they are pretty good at telling which phones are smartphones. It's not 100% perfect, but pretty good.

That being said, there should be no reason that you need a new SIM for the Atrix unless you have a REALLY old pre-3G SIM. But, don't count on being able to keep a non-smartphone data plan.
 

DarkDvr

Senior Member
May 30, 2007
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There's a ton of evidence to the contrary, including my own experience. I bought an N1 outright and signed up for AT&T service. At the suggestion of a friend, I went into the corp store with an unlocked feature phone so I could sign up for the $15 unlimited data plan.
Big difference being that you actually tried to go and get this grandfather $15/mo unlimited plan, which is no longer available. I got this plan many years ago, before iPhone, and just kept renewing my contract on the same terms, which AT&T was happy about. A year ago they already started doing away with unlimited plans, yet they gladly renewed my contract with unlimited data, even though I used the contract extension subsidy to get a new TouchPro2 from them, right from their store.
So maybe the moral here is that if you have the old plan with unlimited data - u can just keep extending it every 2 years without trouble. Cannot do that for new contracts.

But, don't count on being able to keep a non-smartphone data plan.
Oh, I've counted on that for last 5 or so years, and don't see why I can't in the future =)
 

stoli412

Senior Member
Jun 28, 2010
75
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Philadelphia PA
Big difference being that you actually tried to go and get this grandfather $15/mo unlimited plan, which is no longer available.
Maybe we have our wires crossed here. Data Unlimited for non-smartphones is still very much available and is $15/month. But if you try to use it with a smartphone, 95% of the time they're going to automatically switch you to a DataPro plan for smartphones once they do an IMEI scan. This is exactly what happened with me. I signed up with a dumbphone, and within a day of switching my SIM to my N1 I got a text saying I had been switched.

Now if you are grandfathered into the old unlimited smartphone data plan, the absolutely you should have no trouble keeping it when swapping SIMs.
 

Elite GunnerX

Senior Member
Aug 18, 2010
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Austin, Texas
I'm on a non-smartphone unlimited data on my milestone due to AT&T not recognizing the phone.

My thought process is to get a Bell version Atrix if they are the same hardware as the AT&T and flash AT&T's firmware when it becomes available. That way AT&T can't recognize the IMEI and make me get the higher data plan. I'm currently on $10 unlimited data since i have the unlimited text.

Anything wrong with this thought process? Just curious. Thanks!
I plan on doing the same thing! Just got to make sure you get it unlocked some way or another! thats really the only thing you have to worry about...