Using cellphone only for GPS - SIM question

[macnab69]

I have a Nokia E70 which I can't use because the battery is shot. But it came with Nokia Maps, an excellent GPS nav app. I have a car-charger for it, so I can use it while driving.

GPS accuracy is very much enhanced by connecting to cellphone poles. Can I buy a SIM, put it in the phone, and it will connect to the specific service-providers poles and give location data?

Will it need to be RICAd? Will I need to put airtime into it?

 

[AdrianH]

I have a Nokia E70 which I can't use because the battery is shot. But it came with Nokia Maps, an excellent GPS nav app. I have a car-charger for it, so I can use it while driving.

GPS accuracy is very much enhanced by connecting to cellphone poles. Can I buy a SIM, put it in the phone, and it will connect to the specific service-providers poles and give location data?

Will it need to be RICAd? Will I need to put airtime into it?

I have a data-sim from Vodacom for my old phone which I use mainly for playing music and Google Maps. This simcard is linked to my normal cell contract and uses the data from it as well. Can't make calls though the old phone though. So the data-sim basically piggy backs the data from my contract.

I can't recall if I had to RICA it or not.

 

[macnab69]

@AdrianH That makes sense. The little bit of data that the "o9ld" phone uses comes from your normal phone's data allocation. Thinking about it, the "old" phone would need some sort of connection, even if it is just to enable the app (Nokia Maps, Google Maps)

 

[richjdavies]

Would love to hear more about doing this... I bet there are lots of people interested in what the 'plan' is that lets you do this...