I want a 3g enabled smartphone/PDA for t-mobile, not the G1 dont like it. T-mobile 3G uses bands 1700 Mhz and 2100 Mhz right? So if i buy a phone that supports HSDPA 2100 Mhz will it work on the t-mobile 3G data network?
t-mobile is a gsm network though, so i don't know that an hsdpa phone would work with them (first of all no sim slot)
tmobile's 3g is new and not fully released so it would be difficult to find a phone that supports their 3g (you won't find anything but the g1, and you couldn't unlock a phone from att to support there 3g because the bands are different)
This is my understanding, but if i am wrong you guys can correct me
Related
Im thinking of buying an unlocked GSM phone (nokia e55) soon, but im confused by GSM and UMTS because ive never had a GSM phone before. heres what (i think) i know:
Dual band 3g: 900/2100 mhz, will work with tmobile US, but only on the 2100 mhz spectrum, means no roaming.
tri band 3g: 850/1900/2100 mhz, supports tmobile and at&t, the ideal type of GSM for US.
Quad band: not sure.
fortunately ive been able to find quite a few triband e55's, but i just want to make sure i dont buy a phone with no 3g (i would NOT be happy).
btw, tmobile is the carrier im looking to change to soon, so triband is what i think will suit me best. corrections welcome.
I work for Tmous retail sales and we have never really been taught anything about bands. Ive been pretty curious myself since some customers come into the store with AT&t phones asking about tmo service. I have been instructed (by a fellow retail associate) to tell them that no At&t phone will ever have 3G on tmo ( I assume thats just the safe answer though).
real question!
in terms of 3G/4G (hspa+) what bands does tmous use?
same question for AT&t.
To tie that together. ex: If a phone from At&t hypothetically has capabilities to use the same bands as tmous and is unlocked, can it get 3G/4G service on tmous?
i did search around and didnt find a very clear answer so i figured i'd start a thread, im sure other noobs have the same question.
T-Mobile uses 1700 2100 MHz bands for 3G/"4G"
AT&T uses 850 and 1900 MHz bands for 3G/"4G"
Yes if a phone has all those bands for 3G, and it's SIM unlocked you can get 3G on other cell company.
The T-Mobile Vibrant actually has those AT&T bands too, if you SIM unlock the Vibrant, you can get 3G on AT&T.
http://www.androidguys.com/2010/08/22/samsung-galaxy-unlockable-tmobile-vibrant-supports-att-3g/
It's very rare to see a phone that supports both T-Mobile and AT&T 3G bands.
nxt said:
T-Mobile uses 1700 2100 MHz bands for 3G/"4G"
AT&T uses 850 and 1900 MHz bands for 3G/"4G"
Yes if a phone has all those bands for 3G, and it's SIM unlocked you can get 3G on other cell company.
It's very rare to see a phone that supports both T-Mobile and AT&T 3G bands.
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Thanks for the clarification. In hopes that im not being a further nuisance, I was wondering, what about a phone that has 1 of the matching bands?
T-Mobile USA is using the 1700/2100 Mhz bands for 3G (UMTS)
T-Mobile Germany uses 1900/2100 Mhz for 3G (UMTS)
If you couldnt tell, im considering buying an iPhone (to develop on for fun). Will a phone that uses 2100 Mhz only be usable on USA towers (for 3G service)?
DrewMullen said:
Will a phone that uses 2100 Mhz only be usable on USA towers (for 3G service)?
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No it will not get 3G
Hi
I was told this would be a better forum for this question.
I have a huawei ideos (older non X6 version) and supposedly it is unlocked. It works with 2g/edge. It does not work with t-mobile 3g. I have looked for APN information and the info downloaded to the phone when I connected to t-mobile network is identical to what is listed on the net.
ie. I added
MMSC: http<colon><twoslash>mms.msg.eng.t-mobile.com/mms/wapenc
xxx added because I can not post urls.
Things which are odd. When choosing access network, it does not say T-mobile 3G. It only says T-mobile 2g, Att 2g and Att 3g. According to the net this phone supports the frequencies for tmobile.
gsm link for u8150 not allowed.
shows HSDPA 900 / 2100 / AWS
HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 / 1700
And the wikipedia entry for tmobile
shows
1700 MHz/2100 MHz UMTS (W-CDMA)/HSPA 4G (formerly 3G[31]) 2006 2008 (3G), 2010 (Marketed as 4G) First carrier in the U.S. to deploy services on AWS frequencies. Markets HSPA+ as "4G". UMTS band IV
Not sure if HSPDA spec is same as HSPA though.
I did the trick where you enter #*#*4636*#*#* and checked phone settings. I changed the setting from CDMA to GSM auto (PRL). I also tried to hit menu and select radio band, but it pulls up an empty "Set GSM/UMTS Band" dialog. There is nothing to select.
I guess my question is, does this phone support 3G for t-mobile and if so, what setting am I missing?
thanks in advance.
John
I got an email from Huawei support
Hi,
Just as another data point. I got an email regarding this issue from Huawei support. They said an unlocked phone from one provider may not fully support 3g on T-Mobile. I asked them what he meant by not fully support.
Here is an excerpt from the Huawei email:
This phone is capable to be used in 3G that is correct, however if the phone is unlocked from the original provider it may not be fully compatible on 3G on the different providers network.
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Click to collapse
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A
three more datapoints
Hi
I got another note from Huawei. They said they don't support unlocked phones.
I talked to t-mobile support. They said the u8150 uses PPP and not RMNET. I have never heard of RMNET, and that the phone would only support 3G if it was rooted.
This seem like BS all around to me. T-mobile and Huawei.
I did test my phone with a friends tmobile sim and the phone behaved the same. ie. edge only.
Some more datapoints
Hi
This phone is available in two different frequency capabilities. Considering mine can see the ATT 3G network, it must be using the second set of frequencies. This second set is listed as usable by T-Mobile as well. Here is the info:
From the huawei spec sheet.
At the top it shows
UMTS 900/AWS/2100MHz or
UMTS 850/1700/1900/2100MHz;
EDGE/GSM/GPRS: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
According to Wikipedia
ATT
850 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G
1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G
850 MHz UMTS/HSPA 3G
1900 MHz UMTS/HSPA 3G
700 MHz LTE 4G
T-Mobile
850 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G
1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G
1700 MHz/2100 MHz UMTS (W-CDMA)/HSPA 4G (formerly 3G[31])
When I connect to wireless networks, I see three choices:
T-Mobile 2G
AT&T 2G
AT&T 3G
So I am guessing my u8150 is using the second UMTS set of frequencies:
1. 850 (since it sees two edge networks and that is only available in the second set.)
2. 850 and 1900 (since it see's AT&T 3G and it is also in the second set)
This second set of frequencies is also used by T-Mobile so I don't understand why this phone can not connect to T-Mobile 3G using my simcard or my pals.
It's all about the supported 3/4g bands. Most carrier Androids only support their networks spectrum's. Check gsmarena to ensure compatibility.
Hi,
Thanks for the info. Maybe I don't understand, but I thought gsmarena showed this phone as using both the Att and Tmobile bands. I remember when I had nexus ones was that one version was for ATT 3G and one was for TMobile 3G. I'm guessing that the 8150 is similar with the exception that huawei has not published accurate docs. ie. their docs say both frequences for all phones when in reality its two different model phones with only one label.
netskink said:
Hi
I got another note from Huawei. They said they don't support unlocked phones.
I talked to t-mobile support. They said the u8150 uses PPP and not RMNET. I have never heard of RMNET, and that the phone would only support 3G if it was rooted.
This seem like BS all around to me. T-mobile and Huawei.
I did test my phone with a friends tmobile sim and the phone behaved the same. ie. edge only.
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Click to collapse
I apologize for not reading all of your posts
This isn't BS. It's the same issue facing Cricket phones attempting to connect on Verizon. I'm not fully up to speed but it looks like RMNET needs to be added via the kernel (edit sources and compile).
The below thread isn't specific to Tmo but it should give you some insight.
[04JAN][TMOUS]CMYLXGO's Stripped & Squashed Stock Desire HD[KERNEL:gauner1986][RMNET]
This is what Huawei meant by "may not be supported". However, if the phone connected to Tmo with SIM then it's already carrier unlocked. You now face the above issue plus prl, etc.
You face a long road ahead. My suggestion, sell the Huawei and buy a used Tmo Android.
I'll be traveling to Beijing in a few weeks and have an unlocked Skyrocket. I will probably get a prepaid card from China Mobile.
I was checking out this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1426001
And was wondering if anyone had a recommendation as far as a better modem to flash to improve things while I'm there (and possibly get 3G speeds) or if the stock modem (I727UCKJ2) would be fine?
It seems that 3G in China requires UMTS 2100. From the Amazon description of the Skyrocket it seems like it might be capable:
It runs on AT&T's 4G LTE and HSPA+ networks (850/1900 MHz; HSPA+/HSDPA/UMTS) plus international 2100 MHz 3G networks. It's also a quad-band GSM phone (850/900/1800/1900 MHz GPRS/EDGE).
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When I go to service mode on the phone under WCDMA Band Selection I see: 850, 900, 1700,1900, and IMT2000, but no 2100.
Does anyone know if this is going to work in China as is, or if I need to tweak the modem to get it to work, or I'm just barking up the wrong tree completely?
Thanks,
Jeff
So yesterday I flashed this phone to ICS, its great, thanks guys!
However, I have a question about radio (I'm a software guy not a hardware guy).
Apparently, this phone supports Triple band UMTS 1700 1900 2100 MHz.
Rogers Wireless in Canada 'operates on the frequencies of 850/1900 MHz'
So, why can't I connect to Rogers Wireless with 3G speeds on the 1900mhz band? Does the phone require both 850 and 1900 MHz UMTS to operate 3G on a 850/1900MHz network?
The best connection I can get is EDGE and it's painfully slow...I bought this phone before I had a data plan with Rogers, so I never quite realized this issue...I guess I could just switch to WIND I just want to understand why it cant operate 3G over the 1900MHz band
3g needs 2 bands, one for upload and one for download. And that's why most phones, for example, bringing to the T-mo network you won't get 3g/ 4g speeds since it would need both the 1700/2100 bands and not a whole lot of non T-mo phones have these bands. So in your case a phone to run on Rogers with 3g would need both the 850 and 1900 bands.
the hardware should be able to operate at those frequencies but its software locked to 1700/2100 or 2100 mhz, so if you want 3g/hspa you must be on an operator which uses one of those 2 frequencies
Braccoz said:
the hardware should be able to operate at those frequencies but its software locked to 1700/2100 or 2100 mhz, so if you want 3g/hspa you must be on an operator which uses one of those 2 frequencies
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how do i software unlock it? Does cid uunlocking do this?
Although I haven't use it, I often see 4G Rogers data connection when I'm in Wind's "away" zone. Assuming there are no other models of MT4GS (with different radios) I'm rather sure this phone can use Rogers 3G network.