MOBILE BROADBAND EXPERTS: do sprint and verzion use the same wwan cards?

[madesoda]

i have sprint mobile broadband service. and i want to get lenovo x61 with Integrated Wireless WAN: Verizon Sierra CDMA2000


can i activate Sprint service on this card? anyone think it might work?

 

[kevnich2]

They use the same type of network. You'd have to contact sprint to see if they'd be able to activate the verizon WWAN card on their service. Another option is just to swap out the verizon card for a sprint WWAN card, the cards are removable once you open up the laptop.

 

[madesoda]

Originally posted by: kevnich2
They use the same type of network. You'd have to contact sprint to see if they'd be able to activate the verizon WWAN card on their service. Another option is just to swap out the verizon card for a sprint WWAN card, the cards are removable once you open up the laptop.

that makes sense, but do you think there will be software issues connecting?

 

[kevnich2]

If you swapped out the card, all you'd have to do is install the sprint connection manager. I myself prefer the USB/PCMCIA/Express cards because I can transfer them to different computers.

 

[Foxery]

If this is the same as the EVDO data service I tried out last year, Sprint and Verizon's products are both able to connect to the other's network; they "roam" like a cell phone. I tested Sprint service with a Sprint modem, but got the best signal and speed from my local Verizon tower, so I stayed on it. Ask them about roaming charges first, though - I was on an unlimited plan.

The only question, really, is whether Sprint's software will use any modem you plug in, or if it's hardcoded to only recognize their own products. I can't picture it well enough any more to tell you for sure.

 

[kevnich2]

Sorry to say this but you sir are very much mistaken. Verizon and Sprint do not have evdo roaming. Sprint does have evdo roaming with several carriers, including alltel. Verizon also has evdo roaming with alltel. As far as the card, you can't just take a verizon card, stick it in a computer that has sprint connection software and voila, your now using sprint's network. The card's are specific to that carrier's network, that card will specifically look for that carrier's network signal using the PRL. In a perfect world, you could activate a sprint card on verizon's network and vice versa but it's not yet a perfect world. Hopefully in a few year's this will be possible. SOMETIMES I have heard that Sprint can activate a verizon card but again, you'd have to contact Sprint just to be sure. Verizon currently will only activate Verizon's cards. They don't have an open network but have announced plans to pursue opening their network but again, this is several years off.

 

[Foxery]

Originally posted by: kevnich2
Sorry to say this but you sir are very much mistaken. Verizon and Sprint do not have evdo roaming.

I'm not sure if Roaming is the correct term, but I can assure you that I used Sprint hardware & service with a Verizon tower and obtained a Verizon IP address. I tested it thoroughly, and confirmed with Sprint's own tech support that this was acceptable usage.

As far as the card, you can't just take a verizon card, stick it in a computer that has sprint connection software and voila, your now using sprint's network. The card's are specific to that carrier's network, that card will specifically look for that carrier's network signal using the PRL.

I think I just had a username and password to verify that I was a paid customer. Not sure whether or not the card itself was "activated."

 

[kevnich2]

The only roaming that sprint can do on verizon and vice versa is 1x roaming. Yes, you're still on the internet but the speed is maybe 2x dialup speeds. As far as EVDO, they do not have evdo data roaming agreements, and I don't think they ever will. As far as that cards, the cards themselves are programmed to communicate with a specific set of towers based on the PRL it's given, this is hard-coded. You technically could activate a verizon card on sprint and vice versa but it's up to that specific company to be willing to activate it on their network. Once it's activated on that network though, you can't use it on the other network at that point unless you activate it on that network (much like a cell phone, it's on activated on verizon, it's a verizon cell phone and vice versa). All the connection software does is tell the card to initiate a data connection, the card itself controls which towers it communicates with and what network it's on. If you don't believe me, look it up.

 

[qaa541]

There is roaming but as kevnich2 said, it seems to be only for 1xRTT and not EVDO. Sprint has the best EVDO Rev. A network but they dont have the voice CDMA coverage of Verizon. They ended up signing a roaming agreement where Verizon users can roam to Sprint and vice versa but if you go Sprint -> Verizon you tend to only end up with getting 1xRTT because Verizon doesnt have as many Rev.A towers as Sprint.