BlackBerry use in India.

Hi All,

I am planning to get a BlackBerry 8320 from a friend in US. I plan to use it in India with the local CDMA or GSM networks. I wanted to know if I will be able to use the local SIM Cards of India in the BlackBerry 8320 from US. And if not then some way to help me use the same in India. Please Help.

Regards,
Rahul

Reply 1 : BlackBerry use in India.

You can use any GSM BlackBerry models from the US in India by simply changing the SIM, so long as they are unlocked in the first place. You can not however use most CDMA BlackBerry models from the US in India as CDMA phones in the US do not have a SIM card, all the carrier information is built into the phone and is almost impossible for end users to change it. Both CDMA networks in the US, Verizon and Sprint offers some BlackBerry models branded as World Phone. These phones support both CDMA (US only) and GSM (always unlocked, and for use on networks outside of the US only). You can use any SIM card with these phones.

If you are considering buying a BlackBerry second hand, make sure you confirm with the seller that the BlackBerry has been deactivated by the previous owner. It is not possible to activate BlackBerry services on the phone until it has been deactivated by the previous owner.

Reply 2 : BlackBerry use in India.

u can use it...
will u be using 'unlocked' handset without BB services?
and BB phone minus the BB service is as good as a paper weight.
only serious users should go for it... not recommended for the 'typical' indian user who changes his handset every few months...
monthly charges Rs.899/-(plus Tax that is there in the monthly bill) OR one time annual charges Rs.6999/-(inclusive of Tax; non refundable if you terminate services)
sincere advice: don't go for it if you want it for the hype or it is the 'in-thing'
IF really serious user: go for 8520 the new curve with optical touch pad in place of scroll ball....around Rs. 16,000/-
if you can afford: go for the BOLD(BB bold 9000) Best hand set ever.
Do not even think about CDMA operators. Absolute NO NO.
Happy BB'ing!

Reply 3 : BlackBerry use in India.

I am actually getting a BB from a friend in US. He uses the handset with AT&T service. I dont know any other details. How will I unlock the BB once i get it in India?? And are there any specific BBs that can work in India?? And what are BlackBerry services??

Can you please clarify a bit. It will be of great help.

Reply 4 : BlackBerry use in India.

If you friend in the US bought that phone on contract with AT&T and the contract has already ended. He can get an unlocking code for free by calling AT&T. Otherwise you can obtain an unlocking code either from AT&T or some third party for around $10 ~ $20 US dollars. There are unlocking tools available you can download online to unlock the phone yourself if you are confident.

CDMA BlackBerrys always have a model number ending with 30, such as the 8330, 9530 and 8530. But all AT&T BlackBerrys will be GSM models.

Reply 5 : BlackBerry use in India.

if ur 8320 is unlocked one, At present BSNL has blackberry service with 3G, but i think u need BB like Bold to use 3G, but at location without 3G the service falls back to EDGE/GPRS
BSNL can be called Call Toll-free on 1800 1801 505. I could also get some info from http://bsnl.co.in/service/blackberry/index.html