Will a BELL Mobility Phone Work on Public Mobile (and keep Phone Number?)

[jamesgboutilier]

Hi. I'm a PM user, but I'm asking for my father.

I might get him signed up and off of Bell

He has a paid for Bell Phone (he was in contract, but is paid off).

Will this work "as is" with Public Mobility, or must it still be unlocked?

(my koodo phone worked without having to unlock it).

ALSO--- His next billing cycle is coming up fast...  HOW do I get him to keep his current Phone Number if switching over?

Would like to do all this before a new bill starts.

THANKS

[GreatCanadian]

I know the OP has his questions answered, but to summarize and clarify some of the posted info:

1. Bell phone will most definitely work if unlocked.
2. Phone can be unlocked at no cost.
3. DO NOT cancel Bell account. That's taken care of during the porting process.
4. You do not need the phone with you to activate the SIM card.
5. Unlock can be done online through your Bell account, or over the phone. If done online you may have to wait 24 hours.
6. You do not need your phone with you to activate the SIM card.
7. For you to get the referral, your PM phone number MUST be entered during the activation process.
8. Once the SIM is activated, and the Bell number ported, his Bell SIM will no longer work.
9. Pop the new PM SIM into the unlocked phone, and presto, glorious savings!!

GC

[sheytoon]

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@jamesgboutilier wrote:

QUESTION:  Can I get the PM SIM, Activate it,  then go to the hospital with the new Sim and put in dad's phone, punch in the unlock code, and presto !? 

----or... do I need to have the phone with me when they activate the card to verify an activation Text message or something ?

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@jamesgboutilier, you can activate first and then go to the hospital, but beware that activations are usually instant. You may not be able to call your dad since his SIM will be deactivated as you are completing your transaction at Wal-Mart. At the very least, give him a heads up when you arrive at Wal-Mart, and tell him his phone is about to stop working until you bring him a new SIM.

Also make sure you have a SIM eject tool with you, if your dad's phone needs one.

[kav2001c]

@LEGOreally only ancient Rogers phones (2G only) or certain models of Freedom phones (AWS no LTE) would be only issues

Most phones will work on all Canadian carriers so long as unlocked

We do not have the mess the US does

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@LEGO wrote:

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Read in one of the above posts that “Bell phones won't work on the Public Mobile network” and just followed the flow!  

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[srlawren]

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@LEGO wrote:

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@srlawren wrote:

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@LEGO wrote:

@jamesgboutilier As suggested above, first check if your father's phone is compatible or not. When activating your new SIM card at Walmart, you don’t need to have a phone with you,

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@LEGO FYI, Telus and Bell actually share a network, with Telus providing the bulk of the towers in the western parts of the country, and Bell providing the bulk of the towers in the eastern parts of the country.  Phones that work on the one network will work on the other just fine (provided unlocked).

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Read in one of the above posts that “Bell phones won't work on the Public Mobile network” and just followed the flow!  

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@LEGO understood!  The subtext there was "without getting it unlocked first".  Technical compatbility (like the kind you can find on willmyphonework.net) is not an issue; carrier lock is, though can now be removed for free as others have noted.  🙂

[LEGO]

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@srlawren wrote:

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@LEGO wrote:

@jamesgboutilier As suggested above, first check if your father's phone is compatible or not. When activating your new SIM card at Walmart, you don’t need to have a phone with you,

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@LEGO FYI, Telus and Bell actually share a network, with Telus providing the bulk of the towers in the western parts of the country, and Bell providing the bulk of the towers in the eastern parts of the country.  Phones that work on the one network will work on the other just fine (provided unlocked).

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Read in one of the above posts that “Bell phones won't work on the Public Mobile network” and just followed the flow!  

[srlawren]

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@LEGO wrote:

@jamesgboutilier As suggested above, first check if your father's phone is compatible or not. When activating your new SIM card at Walmart, you don’t need to have a phone with you,

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@LEGO FYI, Telus and Bell actually share a network, with Telus providing the bulk of the towers in the western parts of the country, and Bell providing the bulk of the towers in the eastern parts of the country.  Phones that work on the one network will work on the other just fine (provided unlocked).

[jamesgboutilier]

YES !  Checked compatibility and said yes.

Thanks

[LEGO]

@jamesgboutilier As suggested above, first check if your father's phone is compatible or not. When activating your new SIM card at Walmart, you don’t need to have a phone with you,

[jamesgboutilier]

Thanks everyone !

To clarify:

Bell only tried to scare me, saying the phone number will no longer be available - they of course neglected to say it can be ported BEFORE you cancel, haha.

They provided me an unlock code.  I will try "my" PM card in his phone when I go visit him tomorrow.

Got it - Make sure Walmart knows before they start to add my referral number.

QUESTION:  Can I get the PM SIM, Activate it,  then go to the hospital with the new Sim and put in dad's phone, punch in the unlock code, and presto !? 

----or... do I need to have the phone with me when they activate the card to verify an activation Text message or something ?

[kav2001c]

Normally you can transfer Bell number to Public no issues

They said you could not? Is it a corporate account or business account?

Either way ASK Bell to UNLOCK phone before you cancel / port / activate Public SIM

There is no need to check phone as EVERY Bell phone with a SIM card will ALWAYS work on Public

[smp99]

IF you put your PM sim into your dad's phone it should ask for the unlock code. Then you know it's unlocked before you cancel port his number out from Bell.

[LEGO]

@jamesgboutilier Please, use this site to check for your father's phone compatibility with Public Mobile. You may also insert your own SIM card in his phone to see if it works with Public Mobile or not. 

[matbasm]

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@jamesgboutilier wrote:

Got it, thanks.

Spoke to Bell... got my Unlock code for when I get a PM Sim card.

So, I activated my Sim from home, but for dad's the Free Promo going on requires the Walmart guy to activate it --- can I still get my referral discount though for my own account? (I'm happily on PM myself)

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@jamesgboutilier, You don't need to wait until you get the PM SIM card to unlock the phone.  You can enter the code any time as long as you have a non BELL SIM card to put into the phone (perhaps yours if the size is the same), in order to trigger the (un)lock prompts.

[srlawren]

@jamesgboutilier you need to make it clear to the Walmart employee before they start entering your information on the activation page that you have a referral number.  This *has to* be entered at the time of activation or you miss out.  They may be reluctant or unaware, but make sure you insist. 

[ShawnC13]

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@jamesgboutilier wrote:

Got it, thanks.

Spoke to Bell... got my Unlock code for when I get a PM Sim card.

So, I activated my Sim from home, but for dad's the Free Promo going on requires the Walmart guy to activate it --- can I still get my referral discount though for my own account? (I'm happily on PM myself)

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Walmart is the best place to get activated right now with their deals (unfortunately)  You can get a free sim and a $20 credit for your next renewal.  Not sure if you can add a referral number when Walmart activates you should be able to.

[sheytoon]

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@cmatassa wrote:

Bell phones won't work on the Public Mobile network. 

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I think you mean Bell phones WILL work (once unlocked).

[jamesgboutilier]

Got it, thanks.

Spoke to Bell... got my Unlock code for when I get a PM Sim card.

So, I activated my Sim from home, but for dad's the Free Promo going on requires the Walmart guy to activate it --- can I still get my referral discount though for my own account? (I'm happily on PM myself)

[cmatassa]

@jamesgboutilier No problem.  Just be aware that the "phones" section of Walmart closes earlier then the actual store.  I had gone in yesterday at 8:30pm but the sales associate was already gone for the day.

[jamesgboutilier]

Thank you

Glad it worked so fast for you. I need it fast as he is in the hospital and want to keep an active number with him.

[cmatassa]

Bell phones won't work on the Public Mobile network.  However, as of last December all providers now provide the unlocking service free of charge.  Simply call technical services support and they will unlock it for you.  Do not cancel your Bell account before switching over to Public Mobile.  When you create your new account at Public Mobile, you can choose to port your old number.  Simply enter your Bell account number and phone number, and the rest will be done for you.  I just ported mine from Rogers and it took less then 30 minutes before my number was transferred over.

[jamesgboutilier]

Thanks folks !

Can the tech at Walmart do the number transfer?

[Luddite]

@jamesgboutilier It is really easy. Just call Bell now, and ask them to unlock the phone. There is no charge.

Once that is done, move to Public Mobile whenever you wish. Do not close the Bell account; once the transfer is complete Bell will close it and send a final bill, or refund.

Save the money; that's why we are all here! 

Suggest you read:

- https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Getting-Started/Transferring-your-number-to-Public-Mo...

- https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Getting-Started/BE-PREPARED/m-p/112014#M20827

[wetcoaster]

Do NOT cancel your number at the previous provider. The account will be closed automatically when the port is complete.

If you are on post paid you will get a final (prorated) bill, if you are on prepaid you are forfaiting all remaining balance and paid up services for the billing cycle.

[jamesgboutilier]

Hi.   That won't work.

I was told clearly, when we cancel (if we cancel) with Bell, his phone number will no longer be available to him.

He needs that number.  Maybe we need to stay with Bell then  8(

[wetcoaster]

A phone that comes from a carrier other than Telus or Koodo needs to be unlocked in order to work with Public Mobile - the carrier that sold you the phone needs to help you with the unlocking process.

We recommend that you take a temporary number in the initial sign up process and then port the number from the previous provider once everything works on the new line ( initiate the port in self-serve - "change number"). Allow several days of overlap, just in case there are hick-ups in porting.