Archived from groups: alt.cellular.sprintpcs (
More info?)
"Mike" <spamtrap@zbuffer.com> wrote in message
news
JxOc.20527$iK.16463@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> s wrote:
> > Phone went astray a few days ago and just got a replacement today.
Getting
> > some conflictiing info from Sprint's outsourcers on proper activation
> > procedure.
> >
> > First guy I talked with had me enter the service menu and enter my phone
> > number in both areas. Second person said to enter a different number for
the
> > MSID. What's MSID? Is that messaging system ID?
>
> The MSID is often the same as the MDN (MDN="mobile device number"=phone
> number) but not always. IIRC, MSID stands for "Mobile Station
> IDentifier." For people like me, who deal with activating all over the
> country, it's easy to get into the sloppy habit of entering the MDN and
> the MSID as the same number. I imagine it's even worse with reps working
> in stores where most of the market has matching MDN and MSID numbers.
> You must enter the correct MDN and MSID or your phone will not work.
> Your phone should be on. If you're replacing an old phone, you'll
> generally be advised to leave the old phone off for 24 hours or until
> provisioning is complete. I would suggest turning your phone on after
> programming. If you cannot place a phone call after four hours have
> passed, I would call right back to customer service and ask them to help
> you reprogram your phone.
>
>
The SID isn't used in programming anymore. The MSID is the mobile station
ID, it was created as part of the requirements for WLNP. If you got your MDN
before August 2002, your MDN and MSID are the same. If you got your MDN
after then, they could be different, and the newer the number, the more
likely it is that the two are different, especially in larger markets where
all the carriers go through pools of numbers pretty quickly.
If the numbers are different, they both MUST be entered (and this is where
the problems start with older phones that can't accept the programming of
the MSID and can't be updated). If the two numbers are the same, only the
MDN has to be entered. However, as a trouble specialist, time and time again
I get calls from people who did an ESN swap, their MDN and MSID are the
same, so the first specialist didn't program the MSID, but now either they
still can't make calls (and programming the MSID corrects it) or the Voice
Mail One Touch (the envelope key) is dialing the wrong number. My rule of
thumb is to always program the MDN and MSID, even if they match, and then
you eliminate these potential problems. Sprint is training it that way now,
but there are always people out there that either can't or won't learn the
new way. The most common call I get is from customers who can't use their
phone because the first (or second, or third, or fourth) rep didn't program
the MSID. Nothing frustrates me more than that!
Leisa