Motorola Startac 70

[Commuter23]

Can i use this cellphone on the network. This uses the whole simcard, the card and the cutout which slides into the phone from the bottom. It does use the GSM standard. Will the contacts line up properly, and is this available from the o2 store or mail order?

Thank you

[Cleoriff]

Hi @Commuter23

The phone you want isn't available from O2...you will have to purchase from a third party seller who probably sells retro phones.

You can use it on the O2 network.

[Bambino]

I read it as the OP is enquiring about the sim card, not the phone, @Cleoriff

@Commuter23 If you have an O2 store nearby you could call in and ask. Barring that you could call and ask customer service. https://www.o2.co.uk/contactus

[madasaf1sh]

You might struggle, as there are gaps in the sim card holder,. and o2 sim cards are not credit card size either now.

Also bare in mind this is a 900Mhz device, and where o2 have refarmed to use 1800Mhz for voice you may struggle. 

These and the v. phones where awesome back in the day 🙂

[Cleoriff]

Although most offer sim card adaptors I noticed when I looked at sim size and Startac retailers.

I also saw a similar query on the Vodafone forum... hence my response

[Bambino]

Even if the OP did get it to work, the only spectrum they would get would be 2G. I remember having one. It was a cool phone at the time. I think I still have my Motorola RAZR too.:smileywink:

[Cleoriff]

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@Bambino wrote:

I read it as the OP is enquiring about the sim card, not the phone, @Cleoriff

@Commuter23 If you have an O2 store nearby you could call in and ask. Barring that you could call and ask customer service. https://www.o2.co.uk/contactus

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You are probably correct @Bambino, I misread it.

Oh well it's late and I'm tired so....  

[Cleoriff]

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@Bambino wrote:

Even if the OP did get it to work, the only spectrum they would get would be 2G. I remember having one. It was a cool phone at the time. I think I still have my Motorola RAZR too.:smileywink:

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Yes the query on the Voda forum was regards using it as a back up phone, in case the 'main' mobile failed

I still have my Motorola Razr and Krzr. Loved them....

[Anonymous]

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@Commuter23 wrote:
Can i use this cellphone on the network. This uses the whole simcard, the card and the cutout which slides into the phone from the bottom. It does use the GSM standard. Will the contacts line up properly, and is this available from the o2 store or mail order?

Thank your

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You can use EE/Asda/Lebara and I think Three  mobile whole credit card sized  4 in 1 sim cards in the Startac and the  contacts do line up, if you dont pop the smaller sims out --tho that's fixable using scotch tape on the back of the sims and adapters.You can't use O2 out of the box as they don't do the 4 in 1 cc sized sim holders. Though you can pop the three in one  SIM and use another cc card as an adaptertho getting a sim to fit will be the least of your problems 

. 

If the Startac is locked to any network, then things get a lot more complicated, as it won't recognise an ee SIM as being Orange say, if it was locked to Orange, even tho Orange are now part of ee, and network unlocking it will be a real challenge.

Same goes for T-Mobile and so on. Even if you get an Orange/ T-mobile Sim there is no guarantee that ee will activate it. 

Also getting a battery that will hold its charge will be problematic, 'new' batteries are available, but they are usually unopened 15 year old ones, which are useless. No one is supplying new 'new' batteries any more.

As well as the band issue so you'd have to find a network still using the GSM bands your model would be happy with.

They went out of production 20 years ago, so getting one to work now will be a challenge. 

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

I have 3 startac’s in my collection, a 70, 75 and 110.
They all still work on their respective networks but it isn’t possible to unlock them for any network use.
You need one of the old credit card size SIM card adapters rather than a full sized credit card sim and you need to tape your mini sim into the cut out.
They are very basic though compared to even the cheapest modern phones, esp the 70 which did not have sms facility or caller ID etc.
Great little retro phone though and still look fantastic and get admiring glances when used in public, either that or they think “what a berk” lol