Glossary of Blackberry Terms

Glossary and meanings of Blackberry mobile handset terms

IMEI number

It stands for the International Mobile Equipment Identity. It is a 15 or 17 digit number unique to every GSM mobile phone. It is used to identify an individual mobile station to a GSM or UMTS network. It uniquely identifies a specific mobile phone being used on a mobile network. The IMEI is a useful tool to prevent a stolen handset from accessing a network and being used to place calls.

MEP number

MEP refers to an identification number placed on all Blackberry smartphones. It stands for Mobile Equipment Personalisation. When a wireless service provider (ie. Vodafone, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc) places an order with RIM for new Blackberry handsets, these handsets are programmed with firmware to match the carriers specifications (language, logos, games ,apps etc). This process also embeds a carrier specific MEP number into the engineering screen of each Blackberry handset. eg MEP-XXXXX-XXX
Additional info on the 5 MEP codes:
( you normally dont have to worry about these codes EXCEPT mep2)

SIM MEP Code (also known as MEP1 code)
Network MEP Code (also known as MEP2 code)
Network Subset MEP Code (also known as MEP3 code)
Service Provider MEP Code (also known as MEP4 code)
Corporate MEP Code (also known as MEP5 code)

MEP number versus MEP code ?

The network MEP code is not the same thing as the MEP number on a Blackberry smartphone. Both numbers play an important role in the unlocking process, but one, the MEP number can be obtained on the firmware of the phone and is unique to your mobile carrier (Swift/T-Mobile/O2 etc) , the other, the network MEP code is your UNLOCK CODE.
YOU NEED THE IMEI and MEP NUMBER to generate the MEP CODE (UNLOCK CODE)!!

PRD number

PRD refers to an identification number on a Blackberry smartphone. It stands for Product Requirements Documents. The number is a sort/batch number and is reference to where, when and for which mobile carrier the handset was manufactured for. All Blackberry models are not alike, but differ depending on the firmware installed, the software, language and the branding needed for the designated telecom provider they are going to be sold under.

The PRD number comprises of of eight numbers and can look something like this:

PRD-23474-002

The PRD number can be found by taking the battery off your blackberry and looking on the label on the back of the cellphone.

Engineering Screen or the E-Screen

Hidden deep beneath the Blackberry OS is the Engineering Screen or the E-Screen. This is the place where the engineers hang out.
You will ONLY need to access this screen if you dont have a USB cable or cannot find the PRD number .How to read the MEP without Cable!!

Hardlocked

Hard locked means that the phone is permanently locked to its original network carrier. This usually happens when someone has tried too many times to enter in the unlock code incorrectly. This can also happen if the phone has been deemed ‘Blocked’ by the original network carrier. This can happen if the phone has been reported as being lost or stolen or by having a poor history with them (ie. not paying bills). This means that the code would not work and would be useless to you for that specific device.
READ MORE on Hardlocking [view]

GSM

GSM is the most popular mobile phone standard in the world. It is used by almost every country in the world that has a mobile phone network. GSM stands for "Global System for Mobile communication". This is a second-generation digital mobile phone standard that transmits voice digitally between the phone and the cell antenna towers. Large North American mobile phone networks that uses GSM include Cingular and AT&T, Rogers and Fido, as well as T-Mobile. Standardization has permitted the ability to interchange phones between many different providers, provided that the phone is not "locked" to function only on one carrier.

gprs

Lowercase gprs on BlackBerry means that you have basic data service but without BlackBerry email support. Also applies to lowercase "1x" for Verizon/Sprint/Bell CDMA and "nxtl" on Nextel iDEN (see below). GPRS BlackBerries will display an indicator "GPRS" when it connects with full data service, and lowercase "gprs" when it is not able to connect to full BlackBerry email/Internet service.

EDGE

This is an extension to GSM and GPRS for faster data speeds. The principle is the same as GPRS, except data speeds are much faster. Speeds are typically in excess of 100 kilobits per second, and sometimes in excess of 250 kilobits per seconds under excellent conditions. Latency is improved over GPRS. For technical information, see Wikipedia EDGE.

CDMA

This is yet another mobile phone network standard, invented by Qualcomm, and is used mainly by many North American carriers. It stands for "Code Division Multiple Access". CDMA BlackBerries display an indicator "1X" when it connects with full data service, and lowercase "1x" when it is not able to connect to full BlackBerry email/Internet service. Carriers include Verizon, Sprint, and Telus. For technical information, see Wikipedia CDMA.