Italian GSM card in US phone - PAC and PIN?

January 12, 2007 9:08 AM

My sister is in Italy - and is trying to use an italian (Wind) SIM card in her American cingular GSM phone. It's asking her for a PAC and PIN number - which she doesn't know. What does she do?

When she left for Italy, her (samsung) phone was still locked. I bought unlocking codes on EBay, and emailed them to her there. These same codes worked fine for my (identical) phone, but she might have made some mistake entering them. Therefore, I can't be 100% sure that her phone is actually unlocked.

posted by kickingtheground to technology (6 comments total)

Those codes mean the SIM card itself is locked. Whoever supplied the SIM card (Wind?) should be able to give you the codes.
posted by dcjd at 9:16 AM on January 12, 2007

She probably means the PUK (sometimes called PUC), not PAC. If she can't get the code from Wind, she's stuck and she'll have to get a new SIM card.
posted by fuzz at 9:21 AM on January 12, 2007

I have never seen a locked phone demand a number; they simply do not recognize the SIM. I believe dcjd is correct - this is related to the new SIM, not the phone.
posted by phearlez at 9:30 AM on January 12, 2007

The phone can ask for a lock code, sometimes called a subsidy lock code. It depends on the model phone.

Cingular will provide the unlock code, i think, if you are on service over 6 months.

The unlock codes are related to the IMEI number of the phone if you just gave her the code for your phone, chances are it wouldn't work.

What model phone does she have?
posted by SupaDave at 12:39 PM on January 12, 2007

Try 0000.
posted by charlesv at 11:50 PM on January 12, 2007

The PUK and PIN codes come with the SIM card when you buy it. Or rather my Telecom Italia SIM card certainly did and I can't see why Wind would be any different; PIN and PUK numbers are neccessary for certain SIM-dependant operations on the phone such as displaying remaining credit.

You don't say if your sister actually purchased this card; if she did not it will be more difficult to get the PUK and PINs. The most likely scenario is that the actual owner of the card will have to contact WIND and furnish ID and answer other questions used to establish ownership (ie last calls made or received). They won't just hand out PINs and PUKs* willy-nilly as possession does not equal ownership (cases of theft and all that fun stuff.)

*assuming they can. IIRC, both times I've blocked my old SIM card and gotten a new one activated, they've had different PINs & PUKs printed on the creditcard thingy where you can snap out the SIM card. And it emphasized somehwere on the packet not to lose the PIN/PUK info.

155.it - Wind's customer service line/site (in Italian only)
posted by romakimmy at 6:46 AM on January 13, 2007