connecting a nokia 5120

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mmcnicholl

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#300821 6-Oct-2022 18:00

Hi all,

We're planning to film something that is supposed to be set in late 90's early 2000s.

We have an old Nokia 5120 that we want to be able to receive a call - so it lights up and vibrates etc.

Does anyone know if its possible to connect this to one of the mobile networks in New Zealand? or any other way of triggering the phone to act like it's receiving a call?

I realize it's a bit far fetched, but I had to ask :)

lxsw20

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#2978377 6-Oct-2022 18:12

I think thats a TDMA phone, which is the old Telecom network. If so, then nope, that network is long gone. Not even sure if anyone still has a 2g network going?

MaxineN

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#2978381 6-Oct-2022 18:28

lxsw20:

I think thats a TDMA phone, which is the old Telecom network. If so, then nope, that network is long gone. Not even sure if anyone still has a 2g network going?

We do still.

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DjShadow

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#2978385 6-Oct-2022 18:44

If you can find a Nokia 5110 then you should have some luck with a Vodafone Sim

cokemaster

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#2978389 6-Oct-2022 19:00

As long as it’s a 900/1800 device, you shouldn’t have any issues using a GSM device on Vodafone.
You’ll be able to do calls, SMS and internet (although APN setup is required and I don’t know if Vodafone operate a wap gateway anymore.

Just keep the bands in mind - many of the amercian gsm phones do 850 so won’t work here. This was before the days of quad band or universal network support. Any from Australia, the UK or the EU should be safe though.

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#2978392 6-Oct-2022 19:12

MaxineN:
lxsw20:

I think thats a TDMA phone, which is the old Telecom network. If so, then nope, that network is long gone. Not even sure if anyone still has a 2g network going?

We do still.

This handset will still not work on 2G GSM the Nokia 5120i was DAMPS the 5110i was 2G / GSM

MaxineN

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#2978394 6-Oct-2022 19:19

Linux:

This handset will still not work on 2G GSM the Nokia 5120i was DAMPS the 5110i was 2G / GSM

The annoying part is that Nokia's naming scheme(or rather how it names it's variants) is all over the place and it's really hard to find the exact phone.

If it was the 5110 then yep no problem.

Maybe I'm too young to know about this 😊

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mmcnicholl

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2978498 7-Oct-2022 11:29

Wow, thanks for all the replies and info - I knew I came to the right spot :)

So it sounds like our best bet is to get a Nokia 5110 - any leads on where we might be able to acquire one locally?
TradeMe has nothing , ebay Australia has some but they're sourcing them from Europe which doesn't sound promising as far as compatibility on NZ's 2G networks..

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#2978501 7-Oct-2022 11:42

Does it have to be a 5110/5120 (granted they were iconic handsets)?

The nokia section on Trademe has lots of old handsets which still work on Vodafone. And there's the "new" 3310 which has a colour screen but otherwise looks very similar to the classic 3310 released in 2000. And it's 3G!

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#2978556 7-Oct-2022 12:33

I don’t believe Europe used 800/850mhz bands for GSM (this was more of a North America thing)You should be able to use EU sourced GSM phones in NZ.

Sim locking might be a concern however…

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#2978614 7-Oct-2022 13:31

Maybe you could hit up Vodafone for access to their secret basment where they hold every phone that's ever been approved on their network? I use to run the I think the 6210. Was probably one of the best pre-smart phone era phones. Nice size and build quality.

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#2978713 7-Oct-2022 15:40

@mmcnicholl:

So it sounds like our best bet is to get a Nokia 5110 - any leads on where we might be able to acquire one locally?

Make sure it's a New Zealand Nokia 5110i.