Recently, it was discovered that the latest hardware of Verizon's Motorola handsets features global GSM roaming bands unlike the HTC Rezound. Through slight hacking, it has been found that the LTE devices can take both T-Mobile and AT&T SIM which make them transferable to a large set of customers among U.S. carriers. The confirmed phones so far include Motorola's Droid Bionic, Droid 4, Droid Razr and even the Droid Razr Maxx. All of the handsets utilize SIM cards that can access the LTE network of Verizon.
The only thing that owners of these phones need to know is that they will not be getting the speed of LTE in case they hack the phone for other carriers. Not only that, they may not even be getting 3G. Moreover, due to the variation in wireless bands, data is constrained to the 2G edge network.
On the positive side, using the handsets for other carriers do not pose any limitations when calling or texting.
It is not easy to do the modification but users who have been playing around Android for several years now can definitely do it. One way to do so is to update the bootloader, install a stock ROM, root the phone, install another custom ROM then link it to a personal computer at the same time run a disclosed Radiocomm program to put on the inactive GSM bands for data and voice.
All these are possible since the LTE radios in the handsets of Verizon technically utilize GSM bands for data at the same time default to an older CDMA radio for texts, voice and 3G. What the process does is to simply wake the LTE radio's inactive bands.
While the mod is not ideal without 3G, it is able to open plenty of options for users who just left Verizon or is thinking of leaving soon but do not want to spend for another latest smartphone. Edge is already sufficient for basic surfing in the web and other things like the integrated navigation of Android. However, majority of media applications will need a Wifi connection.
