I have a never-activated VZW Galaxy S3 that I keep as a spare.(use my other line to upgrade for $0, but kept the old phone on the line)
There is no SIM card inside... in fact, it has never had a SIM card inside, since the day I received it brand-new from Best Buy.
Anyway, I use this S3 on wifi-only. Since I only have VOIP phones at home, I also use the S3 as a back-up phone to dial 911 in case of emergency.
My home VOIP phone had problems with 911 dialing configuration which took a couple of days to get sorted out. I made a test call to 911, after getting permission from the police dept.(they told me to do it between 3AM and 5AM and identify the call as non-emergency immediately) It went through to my local 911 dispatch.
I figured I should do the same with my Verizon Galaxy S3. So I dialed it a few minutes later(around 4AM). Imagine my surprise when I asked the lady which 911 I had reached. It was a small town I've never heard of.. in the middle of Texas. 1500 miles away from where I was calling from. I apologized and hung up. Well... there goes my hope of using this never-activated S3 as a back-up phone for dialing 911.
What I'm really concerned about is this... was the problem caused by Verizon Wireless, Samsung, or someone else? I have always believe that all cell phones are required to be able to reach the nearest 911 dispatch center, regardless of the activation status of the phone. (even if its ESN or IMEI is blacklisted) Or was I wrong?
There is no SIM card inside... in fact, it has never had a SIM card inside, since the day I received it brand-new from Best Buy.
Anyway, I use this S3 on wifi-only. Since I only have VOIP phones at home, I also use the S3 as a back-up phone to dial 911 in case of emergency.
My home VOIP phone had problems with 911 dialing configuration which took a couple of days to get sorted out. I made a test call to 911, after getting permission from the police dept.(they told me to do it between 3AM and 5AM and identify the call as non-emergency immediately) It went through to my local 911 dispatch.
I figured I should do the same with my Verizon Galaxy S3. So I dialed it a few minutes later(around 4AM). Imagine my surprise when I asked the lady which 911 I had reached. It was a small town I've never heard of.. in the middle of Texas. 1500 miles away from where I was calling from. I apologized and hung up. Well... there goes my hope of using this never-activated S3 as a back-up phone for dialing 911.
What I'm really concerned about is this... was the problem caused by Verizon Wireless, Samsung, or someone else? I have always believe that all cell phones are required to be able to reach the nearest 911 dispatch center, regardless of the activation status of the phone. (even if its ESN or IMEI is blacklisted) Or was I wrong?