Can any reader familiar with GMS and
> AT&T Wireless and Cingular Wireless help me figure this out? I am
> willing, and desirous of using my old Nokia phone as long as I can;
> the Cingular phone is perfect for me
I assume you know that GSM is a totally different system than you use with your Nokia 5165. The Nokia 5165 is a TDMA (IS-136) phone and absolutely will not work with anything other than IS-136. It absolutely will not work with GSM at all. If your handset works stay with it. Cingular will not activate any new TDMA service. If you find another TDMA phone which is/was used on cingular's TDMA service you can probably switch it out, but AFAIK cingular does not sell any new TDMA IS-136 handsets any longer. They really want to transition people to GSM (and of course they want their customers to pay for the "privilege" as well!)
Welcome to Cingular! Resistance is futile. You have been assimiliated.
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yeah, that is true, but all I wanted to do was swap my existing area 316 (Wichita) prepaid number on AT&T with an area 620 (Independence area) prepaid number on AT&T (now Cingular). But the phone is several years old (dating back to my Chicago days) however it works quite well. If I am going to absolutely have to (some day) go with GSM, maybe I will chat with the ladies who run the Cell One store or the United States Cellular place here, and see if I can get any better deals from them. PAT]