# Verizon's LTE + SIM cards?



## Syndacate

[background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]_Tried posting this in carrier discussion...183 views, 0 replies....maybe help here?_

Hey,[/background]

[background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]I have 2 GSIII's that I'm about to post for sale. I've never had 4G before and I've only had VZW so I have no idea how the SIM card things work on Verizon. I know on other carriers you can just hot-swap the SIM cards and it's like an instant phone switch...but we can't do that, can we?[/background]

[background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]Either way, I have these 2 GSIII's, one is new, never opened, still in original packaging from VZW. Now if I sell the phone, do I sell the SIM card too? Or since that was given to me by VZW, do I hold onto that and keep it and throw it in whatever 4G CDMA phone I buy in the future? Also, if I throw it in a different phone, does it switch like other carriers? Or do I still have to go to Verizon's website and switch the phone out via the serial?[/background]

[background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]My Dad's phone is pretty much the same situation. He put his SIM card INTO the phone, but never powered the phone up. So I wasn't sure if I just leave it there and sell it like that or if I pull the card, then sell the phone? I'm not exactly sure what to do with his old SIM card if I hold onto it because he bought an iPhone 5, which obviously has LTE, so I have no idea what this one would be used for if I were to pull it prior to sale...?[/background]

[background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]So yeah, sorry about this, guys, I just found out relatively recently that 4G has SIM cards and I know nothing about them, my phone is 6mo old and literally still inside the fedex box it came in. I'm a bit confused as to how the SIM cards tie into how Verizon typically does things, as most other carriers (using GSM) always had SIM cards, even prior to 4G.[/background]

[background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]Thanks in advance! Much appreciated.[/background]

[background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]PS:[/background]
[background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]I know this isn't the FS section, but I guess I might as well mention here that if you're interested in either, PM me, think they're both blue, 32GB, but I'll dbl check...[/background]


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## Cruiserdude

You'll wanna keep the SIM cards, they go with your account, not the phone. Switching phones between VZW CDMA/LTE handsets is as simple as swapping your SIM card, but only among those compatible handsets. For instance, I have a Droid RAZR and a Galaxy S3, which I freely switch between simply by powering the devices off and swapping the SIM out (only insert or remove a SIM card from a device that's powered off).

Again, note that your VZW sim will only work on compatible handsets. A GSM device, unlocked or from another carrier, will not work, as it will not have CDMA radios. Even a Sprint LTE device, which is technically CDMA/LTE, will not work, as Sprint uses different bands, and they do not use SIM cards, so there's no slot. But yes, sell the devices to any VZW customer, and they can use them with their SIM card. If they don't have one, they simply need to call Verizon and they will be sent one free of charge, provided they have a compatible plan. You can put your SIM card in whatever Verizon LTE device you want, and turn it on, which will activate both the phone and the SIM.

You do not have to deactivate anything, or use the website or the activation # to switch handsets, provided you remain on an LTE device. Do note, however, that if you wish to switch back to a 3G device, you will need to use the website or *228 to switch to that device, as before. When you do this, your existing SIM is nullified, and you'll need to call Verizon and have them send you a new one.

To summarize, yes, keep the SIMs, as they're tied to your account, and whoever buys the phone will need to use their own SIM. Note that many newer VZW LTE devices, like the S3, have some degree of functionality on certain GSM networks, but this is dependent on FW version, and often various additional tweaks, and functionality is often limited. So that doesn't really apply to you, and there are no devices that I know of from another carrier that will work as a VZW LTE device.


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## Syndacate

Cruiserdude said:


> You'll wanna keep the SIM cards, they go with your account, not the phone. Switching phones between VZW CDMA/LTE handsets is as simple as swapping your SIM card, but only among those compatible handsets. For instance, I have a Droid RAZR and a Galaxy S3, which I freely switch between simply by powering the devices off and swapping the SIM out (only insert or remove a SIM card from a device that's powered off).
> 
> Again, note that your VZW sim will only work on compatible handsets. A GSM device, unlocked or from another carrier, will not work, as it will not have CDMA radios. Even a Sprint LTE device, which is technically CDMA/LTE, will not work, as Sprint uses different bands, and they do not use SIM cards, so there's no slot. But yes, sell the devices to any VZW customer, and they can use them with their SIM card. If they don't have one, they simply need to call Verizon and they will be sent one free of charge, provided they have a compatible plan. You can put your SIM card in whatever Verizon LTE device you want, and turn it on, which will activate both the phone and the SIM.
> 
> You do not have to deactivate anything, or use the website or the activation # to switch handsets, provided you remain on an LTE device. Do note, however, that if you wish to switch back to a 3G device, you will need to use the website or *228 to switch to that device, as before. When you do this, your existing SIM is nullified, and you'll need to call Verizon and have them send you a new one.
> 
> To summarize, yes, keep the SIMs, as they're tied to your account, and whoever buys the phone will need to use their own SIM. Note that many newer VZW LTE devices, like the S3, have some degree of functionality on certain GSM networks, but this is dependent on FW version, and often various additional tweaks, and functionality is often limited. So that doesn't really apply to you, and there are no devices that I know of from another carrier that will work as a VZW LTE device.


Yeah, I know I can't cross carriers, I'd be staying in carrier.

That's pretty much exactly what I was thinking. No real surprises there.

One more thing, on other carriers I'm pretty sure the contacts and some other personal stuff is tied to the SIM, is this correct?

Is this still the case with Verizon's use of them? All my contacts are google contacts, but I'd just like to make sure it's not going to do something goofy with my data, simply just bind the phone to my account/phone #.

Many thanks!


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