Apparatus and method for remotely initiating operation of a cellular telephone

An apparatus for activating a cellular telephone within a cellular telecommunications network. A PCMCIA card interacts with a controller to display required programming information and questions. A user of the cellular telephone inputs responses to questions on a display. The user responses are transmitted to a system administrator at a customer activation center via a mobile telephone switching office in the cellular telecommunications network. The system administrator provides any necessary information for activating the cellular telephone. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a personal computer is connected to cellular telephone and the PCMCIA card is connected to the personal computer. Information for the user may be shown on either the display of the cellular telephone or on a display of the personal computer. The user may input information and responses to questions via a user input device provided as part of the display or as part of the personal computer. User input is provided to the cellular telephone to activate and program the cellular telephone for operation on the cellular telecommunications network.