!!!Need Help!!! Nokia 6230 & AT&T -new sim

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Joy442

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:(I need help big time! AT&T canceled my sim card (old Cingulare one) when I tried out a Blackberry phone with them. Now that I have mailed the BB back to them they say they can't get my Nokia 6230 to work again. I got them to agree to pay the cost to replace it... but I really like this phone and want to know if they are telling me the truth or even if the person I spoke to knows what they are saying. When you put a good new sim card in it..... it tells you to put in a "restriction code". AT&T didn't seem to know what was the code and I don't recall ever having changed any pin # of any kind in it since it was new to me. I purchased phone from Cingulare in July '05. Note they did point out to me today that the phone has no name on it except "Nokia". So why it doesn't have "Cingular" on it I don't know. Any ideas???
 
I don't really understand what exactly happened, so let me try to decipher it.

Something happened to your Nokia 6230, so you had it shipped to ATT while they gave you a replacement phone for the time being, which was a BlackBerry. But when you inserted your SIM card, the BB wasn't recognizing it, so ATT deactivated you old Cingular SIM card and replaced it with a new ATT SIM card. Now that your 6230 returned, you're wondering why it's not working and the phone keeps informing you of a restriction code, even though you already inputed the unlock code. Is this correct? Well, if that's the case, you need to downgrade your SIM card back to an old Cingular 64K SIM card (you can call Nokia, thy should back this up...I had this happen to me with two 6230's that I had). Reason being is that the 6230 is old technology. That's why ATT had to transfer your account to a newer ATT SIM card, because you were probably not getting any signal when the old SIM card was inserted to the BB, and right now your 6230 does not recognize the newer card. If you still have your old Cingular card with you, just go to a store and ask a rep to transfer back. If you don't have it, you can still go to a store and ask a rep if they still carry the old Cingular 64K SIM cards. If that store doesn't carry it, just ask them to call another store and see if they have one available. If another store has one, they can drop it off to your local ATT store, or a rep will pick it up. However, I'm not sure if stores still carry the old cards just because of that, they're old. If you can't find one at a ATT store, you might need to look for one in eBay, Craigslist, or the classifieds. Also, you seeing the "Nokia" logo instead of "Cingular" when you start up the phone is actually a good thing. What that means is that they de-branded your phone from the service provider's firmware (flashing firmware), and it frees up for more memory space because the Cingular logos that were once there and couldn't be erased are no more. Plus, it's resetted to factory settings, so no worries.

I know that the 6230 is a great feature-packed phone, overall. However, you might just want to get a more recent phone that's comparable to the 6230 if you are eligible for upgrade. One phone that comes to mind is the Sony Ericsson W810i. It's not carried by ATT anymore, but it's pretty cheap nowadays. Some go for $100 - $150, if you look in the right places.
 
I am sorry I did such a bad job explaining myself. Thank you for your answer and tolerance of my confusing post. I took an old generation Cingular (active) sim card out of another phone we have. (I can't believe we never thought to do that one!) I was able to call out then & it also showed "AT&T" on the screen of the phone while that sim card was in it. AT&T already has a refurbished 6126 on the way to replace it. I hate losing my 6230 (I'm suppose to send it to them ten days after I get the replacement phone) I anticipate much frustration in managing to move 1000 phone #s from 6230 to 6126. I love my 6230 and am grieving already. I would love to purchase a new case and battery and just go back to the 6230. Tks again for the help!
 
No need to apologize, that's what forums are made for;). If you feel that the 6126 isn't for you, you can sell it and buy a 6230 on eBay.
 
Good idea.. I guess I am just an old "puppy" .. don't like changes. I love the forum here and have passed the link on to a friend and will continue to pass on the word. I am confused about a few issues on how to use it all , but will continue to read the thread ... line on the way to use all this. Thank you again.
 
I would personally sell the phone that was given to you and just buy the 6230 again for half the price. I'm sure you can find it on ebay or somewhere.
 
Joy, one thing I completely forgot to add was that you CAN actually use your new at&t 3G SIM card on your 6230b. Sorry about that, it's been a long time since I dealt with a 6230b. Anyway, instead of having to unlock the phone without the SIM card inserted, you need to have it inserted when you power it up. When you turn on the phone with the SIM card that's not being accepted, of course it will state "Phone Restricted", with "Undo" underneath it. Click "Undo" and insert a specific unlock code for it. You can acquire the code from an individual or business that services in unlocking phones. You can probably find one locally just by checking out the classifieds, or on Craigslist. On Craigslist, check out "services" and "for sale", and type in "cell phone unlocking" or something similar. You can also check online. One reputable site is called iUnlock. They are very courteous and knowledgeable.
 
Okay, I will try all this. I wondered if doing an unlock thing is what I needed. Of course I was guessing, as I don't know or understand what it means to "unlock it". Makes me wonder why AT&T couldn't do it. I bought phone from Cingular and AT& T bought them out (or took over). I suspected that they just wanted me to purchase a new phone. I never thought that trying out a new phone would cause so much trouble. I very much appreciate all the info you have shared. So glad I found this site. :)
 
Okay, I now have the refurbished Nokia AT&T sent me. It is all neat but I am still goning to want to refurb my old 6230 or find and another. I have been watching the sales on them for a bit on ebay and Craigs list. I like me 6230b, but have come to understand the the 6230i is essentially the same thing, but with better camara. I tried putting my 3g sim card in the 6230b I have but it still shows restriction error. So.... how can I know that if I buy another 6230 (b or i ) if I will be able to use it with the newer technology sim card "3g".
 
The 6230i is basically the same thing as the 6230, just with a better display and an upgraded camera to 1.3MP. However, the 6230i is originally intended for Europe and Asia regions because of the frequencies it supports. Even though it is a world phone with 900/1800/1900Mhz, at&t runs on 850Mhz and 1900Mhz, with 850 being the predominant signal in most areas. If you were to use a 6230i in a rural area (which most only support 850Mhz), reception is going to be spotty at best. You're going to break up on your calls, and at times drop calls. However, if you live in the city, reception will be better because 1900Mhz is more abundant. However, that doesn't always guarantee you'll get great reception. In some places like the mall or a theatre, you might not get a signal, and you'd have to walk outside in order to get one because the 1900 spectrum doesn't penetrate walls as well as 850. Since you have at&t, it's more safer just to stay with the 6230b. Remember, the 6230i was an "upgrade" to the original 6230, which was intended for overseas. Unless a phone is quad band (850/900/1800/1900), whenever you see a "b" at the end of the model number, you know that it is made for the US, because it supports at least 850/1900. There was speculation before of a "b" version of the 6230i, but I don't think it ever materialized.

Like I've stated before, your 6230b has to be unlocked for you to use your 3G SIM card. Some other older Nokias didn't need a specific code to use newer SIM cards, but the 6230 is just weird like that.

If you are having problems with trying to use your 6230, you might just want to get another phone with similar features that's more recent (there are a bunch that are comparable to the 6230). If you are eligible for upgrade through at&t, use that to your advantage. Because if you're not planning on switching to another service provider anytime soon, you might as well use your upgrade.
 
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