Cingular Policies
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Cancelling Your Contract
You are only able to get out of contracts through a mutual agreement (ie. both you and Cingular decide you are no longer interested in the contract (which isn't going to happen here), by exercising a termination clause (ie. paying the ETF), or an act of the courts (ie. you sue Cingular and explain to a judge why the courts should terminate the contract on legal basis - which would make the judge laugh at you in this case).
An alternative is to transfer your contract to someone else. This is called "Change of Financial Responsibility" (COFR) or "Transfer or Liability". Basically, the contract is transferred to someone else who has to finish the remainder of the contract. Call Cingular for more details. Usually the problem with this alternative is to find someone who is willing to do this, since probably most of the people you know already have a cell phone. In order to help you find someone who is willing to take your contract, there are companies like CellTradeUSA (http://www.celltradeusa.com)& (http://www.cellularsubleasing.com) who can help you find that person. Cingular will run a credit check on the person taking the contract so it is possible they have to pay a deposit if their credit is not very good.
The last and most difficult option is to have a friend inside Cingular who can do this favor for you for free. ;)
Upgrade Eligibility
Generally, if you signed a one year contract you can get an upgrade after 11 months and after 22 months for a 2 year contract. There are lots of exceptions and the amount of money that Cingular makes on a particular line is calculated by some formula to determine LTV or Long Term Value. Higher LTVs can result in more frequent upgrades, while the lowest ones can result in no upgrade offers. This policy is relatively new and not a lot is known about the specifics.
Phone Unlocking Policy
Data Plan Policies
Cingular has four different classes of data plan. There are MEdia plans, which include the MEdia Works, MEdia Max, and Smartphone Connect, PDA plans, like PDA Connect, Data Connect/Laptop Connect plans, and Blackberry plans. Each of these allows different types of usage under Cingular's Terms & Conditions. The MEdia plans are intended for use on feature phones (LG CU500, Motorola RAZR, etc.) and smart phones only, and only for data used on the device itself. These packages generally include messaging as well as data. The MEdia plans only allow access to the wap.cingular APN. PDA plans are intended for use with PDA devices (Cingular 8525, Treo 750, etc), and only for use on the device itself. They allow for the use of both isp.cingular and wap.cingular. Data Connect plans are the most expensive, and can be procured as a plan on its own SIM or as a feature added to a voice plan. Data Connect plans can be used on any device for any purpose Cingular allows, including tethering or use with a data card. These plans allow access to isp.cingular and wap.cingular. Data Connect plans are also eligible for use with custom and special APNs other than wap.cingular and isp.cingular.
Currently, Cingular considers devices with QWERTY keyboards to be PDAs, and all other phones, excluding Blackberries, to be feature phones and smartphones, which are eligible for MEdia plans.
On any plan, even Data Connect, servers and telemetry are not acceptable uses.
Despite the policy, Cingular's Terms & Conditions do not allow for any penalty should you use the plan for a purpose outside its intended use, except the removal of the plan from your account. There are no monetary damages, nor is there a provision allowing them to charge you pay per use rates should you be found using the plan outside of policy.
