Verizon Wireless today informed MVNO operators like Page Plus Cellular that it would no longer block the activation of iPhone devices from their networks.
PhoneNews.com was the first major member of the mobile media to expose Verizon and Apple’s anti-competitive business practices in blocking iPhone from activation on Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). Currently H2O Wireless and Page Plus Cellular have enacted support for Verizon’s Open Network protocol, which allows any foreign CDMA device to be activated on their services.
The limitations to this have been very few; the only two main restrictions are that the device cannot be a Verizon prepaid phone which is still subsidized by Verizon, and that the MVNO cannot activate BlacKBerry device without first signing their own BIS license agreement with Research in Motion.
When iPhone 4 launched, Verizon blocked the activation of iPhone on their virtual and prepaid networks. The carrier did not explain, and has yet to comment on why they did this. Verizon reported to the FCC that the devices that they sell, are sold unlocked, with no carrier subsidy locks.
Verizon MVNOs often undercut their parent network’s plans. Page Plus cellular offers 1,200 minutes per month, with 1,200 text messages for $29.99 per month on prepaid. Later this month, the operator will provide unlimited voice and text, with 300 MB of data per month on prepaid for $55/month. Verizon MVNO providers typically urge customers to use Wi-Fi as opposed to large amounts of data, due to the high cost that Verizon sets on wholesale data.
PhoneNews.com recently re-highlighted the arbitrary and antitrust-grade blocking of iPhone 4 from virtual networks in an in-depth article on iPhone 4S’s built-in support for both CDMA and GSM.
We’d like to thank the readers and regulators that tune into PhoneNews.com, as the title of this article says, we exposed it, but you made the change happen… by staying informed.
Update: We have re-confirmed the news in this article, and followed up with additional steps in a new article.
The cat dealer sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!
They said iphone ok to use. I order one and now no good?
cat dealer sucks!
The cat dealer sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!
They said iphone ok to use. I order one and now no good?
cat dealer sucks!
So official word from pageplus is that the iPhone is still banned.
Whatever dealer started sending out their own press releases saying otherwise is clearly not in any position to know any insider information and should have their status revoked for being a dunce.
i got the notice from that feline dealer also and it is wrong. what a joke. i agree that dealer should be gone! i was a big fan but no more.
i agree with micallen. i vote for that dealer to be canned. i was fooled for too long by her!
hi guys, i am leaving that dealer too! it is always promises and never nothing. always teasing with what is going to be coming. like she is really getting inside infromation. she is a joke. do not use this dealer she is bad. scamming
I just rolled over!
Hi folks, we’re looking into this. We’ll follow up when we get this all sorted out.
[…] an additional step needed to activate an iPhone on Page Plus Cellular.As we reported in our last article, yesterday, Verizon has not commented at all on the iPhone blockade situation, and has not offered any […]
Hi folks, as the update and above trackbacks point to… we have re-confirmed that you can activate an iPhone on MVNOs now. For some reason, we still are not sure why, Verizon is demanding that iPhones be activated first on a Verizon postpay account, before being activated on a Verizon MVNO.
You have always been able to activate an iphone on pageplus under the radar. Nothing new here. Did some one at pageplus tell you that it is now an approved device? It has been confirmed by a pageplus suit over on howard forums, just this afternoon, that they still are NOT approved. Who did you confirm this with? At this point you are no more reliable than the dumbass dealer who sent out the mass email reporting this as official.
Joeblow, we do know that it was banned at one point. We’ve received reports of Page Plus dealers even being threatened if they attempted to activate an iPhone.
Non-Page Plus devices are not approved by Page Plus. Page Plus rarely comments on these matters directly, you can look at our past coverage to see that. Instead Page Plus usually publicizes this information through its dealer network.
You have to understand that 99% of Page Plus’s user base is not tech savvy. They have far less motivation to keep people who read PhoneNews.com informed on an official basis.
[…] site, you may want to subscribe to the the feed.…with a potentially expensive catch. Yesterday PhoneNews.com reported that indeed you could activate a Verizon Wireless iPhone on Page Plus. This is nice, since the […]
I have been using my iphone 4 on pageplus for 4 months now. No problems what so ever…Beigephone is the only dealer i know that has been successfully activating iphone 4 and HTC Thunderbolt on page.
[…] on Page Plus Cellular and other Verizon MVNOs, contradicting commitments made to the FCC. While briefly allowing such activations, the situation was quickly reversed, and iPhone is still blocked. Verizon Wireless […]
I did activated my iphone 4s on page plus four months ago and everything is working fine ,i donot have any problem and i travel all over the country and everything things is working fine .