Three current phone bans/blocks reported at Page Plus.

[mobilefreedom]

1)Partial ban on smartphones. This is covered in another thread.
2)Ban on being able to use new Verizon prepaid devices unless activated for six months on Verizon prepaid.
3)Flawed Verizon esn banned devices data base overlap.

Answers:

1)All banned smartphones can be flashed to Cricket or other byod networks or resold as Verizon postpaid or other Verizon byod mvno stock if clean Vz esn. Other Verizon mvnos are not affected by this policy. It is a PPC in house policy .

2)Verizon prepaid devices can be flashed to Cricket or other byod networks or used on Verizon prepaid as originally intended. Some report bypassing by calling PPC CS and having them do a direct activations. Dealers will refuse activation to prevent losing their dealer code. Other mvnos are suspected to be affected by this policy.

3)Bad/Flawed Verizon banned devices database set up. Devices that read "clean" on checks with Verizon come up not being able to activate and are put on hold with PPC. This is random and devices that fail include devices not covered by the first two bans. Fortunately, it has been reported to be a very small amount (Less then 2% in one sample of 400 successful and 6 failed activations).

It is random and impossible to predict until after the fact though. The best way to guard against this is to get a Page Plus dealer to switch your new device esn to an older device that's got an active account to see if the esn is banned. This ban knocks out devices that aren't stolen, not from the other bans , not lost, account owed or other wise blacklisted from the Verizon database so there is uncertainty what causes this other then Verizon did a sloppy job implementing a blacklist with PPC/possibly other mvnos.

PPC has had its byod policies so messed with lately (particularly connected to Verizon), that it has really damaged their reputation, especially among dealers. A lot of users too.

Still hope the smartphone partial ban will be lifted but not holding my breath. The prepaid ban definitely won't be and the random esn ban problem will probably linger on for quite a while too.

[mobilefreedom]

Update. According to more then one dealer and other sources, ALL Verizon prepaid phones AND Alltel prepaid phones are PERMANENTLY banned form being activated on ANY Verizon mvno with byod. No six month activation on Vz prepaid and it's okay either . The problem with this is they don't say if it is EVERY prepaid Verizon and Alltel EVER made or is it only new ones. Where is the cutoff point? Just like Page Plus's simplistic (and only partially accurate) smartphone ban list, there will guaranteed be lots and lots of grey areas (Prepaid Vzs that became refurbs, etc). I can forsee this being one more big mess courtesy of Big Red and PPC. The sad thing is that it is spilling over onto the other mvnos.

Right now, the execs at Verizon mvno and Tracfone subsidiary Straight Talk are hearing about this and laughing. Their byod is dead simple. There isn't any. Some customers may not like that, but at least you know where you stand with them. With PPC, who freaking knows?

[meanngreen04]

Better some BYOD than none.