[Q] Universal Service??? - Captivate General

So this may be a dumb question, but I can't help but to wonder. Is there a way to use different carrier's networks? I know each operate on their own frequencies or ranges, but it seems with all the things you can do with this phone it could be possible. I think it would be amazing if I could use T-Mobile's or Verizon's 4g network, or just switch carriers whenever one had better service/reception. Is there an app for this maybe? Would it require installation of different modems every time you switch networks? Would you have to modify sim card somehow? Is there any kind of information I can read on this somewhere? Any info is appreciated.

You can only connect to the carriers network for whom you have a sim card for.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I know that. I'm wondering if there is a way around that. Verizon doesn't have sim cards right? At least not removable like ATT. Maybe it's just a matter of programming/software on your simcard. I'm just wondering if doing this would be possible. I know how the game goes now, just wondering what stops us from doing this? Aside from the morality issues of stealing.

4got2g0 said:
I know that. I'm wondering if there is a way around that. Verizon doesn't have sim cards right? At least not removable like ATT. Maybe it's just a matter of programming/software on your simcard. I'm just wondering if doing this would be possible. I know how the game goes now, just wondering what stops us from doing this? Aside from the morality issues of stealing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon gives u a SIM card if u say u are traveling abroad, and want to use their service abroad.

AT&T and T-Mobile along with some others are aa GSM style of network. Verizon, sprint and others.are based on a CDMA network. They are completely different. The only it could be possible if is all the companies 4G networks were the same, such as LTE. Which is extremely doubtful that it will work that way seeing that Sprint is already going Wimax and T-Mobile HSPA+
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

diablo009 said:
Verizon gives u a SIM card if u say u are traveling abroad, and want to use their service abroad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't know that. I guess I could pay $80 a month to each company. I'm wondering if it's possible to not do that and still get it using only one sim card.

Yes their is. If you have AT&T you can add T-Mobile's APNs along with any other carrier that is GSM that supports your frequency. However, if you switch to that other carriers APN you will be bill astronomical roaming charges.

bptba93 said:
AT&T and T-Mobile along with some others are aa GSM style of network. Verizon, sprint and others.are based on a CDMA network. They are completely different. The only it could be possible if is all the companies 4G networks were the same, such as LTE. Which is extremely doubtful that it will work that way seeing that Sprint is already going Wimax and T-Mobile HSPA+
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T is switching to UMTS for their 3G. Same 850 and 1900 bands though. And will be upgrading to LTS for 4g sometime in the near future. I actually install the UMTS cabinets, 850&1900 radios, and coax at towers around here. So there's no possible way to take whatever it is on a sim card that works for a CDMA network and throw it on an AT&T simcard somehow(maybe like a stored contact) and use that programming selectively?

nbs11 said:
Yes their is. If you have AT&T you can add T-Mobile's APNs along with any other carrier that is GSM that supports your frequency. However, if you switch to that other carriers APN you will be bill astronomical roaming charges.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh so it is possible, but it's considered roaming? I guess that makes sense. Pretty much what roaming is, using something outside of your carrier.

4got2g0 said:
Oh so it is possible, but it's considered roaming? I guess that makes sense. Pretty much what roaming is, using something outside of your carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The sim card ties a phone to a carrier. There is no software to bypass this. Some phones support 2 sims via 2 slots. As for vzw, there sim is a vodaphone sim and only works in other countries as there is no vodaphone service in the us.
If you want multiple gsm carriers you need multiple sims. EU has a hundred different sim cards to support all the carriers.
Sent from my MB520 using XDA App

alphadog00 said:
The sim card ties a phone to a carrier. There is no software to bypass this. Some phones support 2 sims via 2 slots. As for vzw, there sim is a vodaphone sim and only works in other countries as there is no vodaphone service in the us.
If you want multiple gsm carriers you need multiple sims. EU has a hundred different sim cards to support all the carriers.
Sent from my MB520 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have personally use T-Mobile with an AT&T sim card but the bill is not pretty.

Related

[Q] Switching Networks?

So I know when I am not in a tmo area my phone automatically connects to whatever GSM network is available, if any. It's usually ATT but sometimes other regional carriers. However, when I am in a tmo area, it will show ATT as being available, but my phone won't connect to it. Is this a hardware limitation, or is this restricted access controlled by the carrier? If I unlock my phone will I be able to access a different operator?
Sent from my LG G2x
It won't let you connect because there is no roaming and your own carrier is available. Yes, if you unlock the phone and use another sim you can connect to whatever carrier you desire as long as they are gsm. If you switch to an AT&T sim you will get 2G service only on the G2X due to baseband limitations.
Yeah I knew if I unlocked and used an ATT SIM I could access them. I was just wondering if while I am in a tmo coverage area I could access att while using my tmo SIM like I can while I'm not in a tmo area. As it is now, I can't. I'm just wondering how tmo regulates this. I want to know if there is a way to access att using my tmo SIM while in a tmo area.
Thanks for the reply.
Sent from my LG G2x
TJBunch1228 said:
Yeah I knew if I unlocked and used an ATT SIM I could access them. I was just wondering if while I am in a tmo coverage area I could access att while using my tmo SIM like I can while I'm not in a tmo area. As it is now, I can't. I'm just wondering how tmo regulates this. I want to know if there is a way to access att using my tmo SIM while in a tmo area.
Thanks for the reply.
Sent from my LG G2x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. TMO and AT&T are direct competitors. They aren't going to allow roaming in areas they have service. I don't even know if they have a roaming agreement for other areas. My guess would be no as AT&T doesn't want to make TMOs service work better prior to the merger.
Oh they for sure have roaming agreements. Anytime I leave a tmo area my phone automatically jumps to ATT.
Sent from my LG G2x

What carriers can use?

I am currently using the phone as a pure wiiFi item. I will be coming out of contract with them and do not plain to get a nother contract. I know that att has a pay as you go for $.10/min with a $15 for 100mb. Belive it or noth that is enough for me for data as I normly only us the phone for about 20 min and 10-15 mb a mounth.
What I was woundering is if I unlock the phone are there other carriers I can go to with this phone so that I can compair? Thank for any help on this.
Yes, when you unlock you can choose any carrier of your choice
Big Dog Infuse I997 ICS CatyRom
Which country are you in? You basically need to check what bands the carrier you want to switch from uses. They need to match what your infuse can use otherwise it won't work.
The phone supports: UMTS 850/1900/2100 and GSM 850/900/1800/1900. I think T-mobile runs on a different band but I don't know for sure as I live in Canada. Here in Canada you can use this phone on Rogers (the carrier that sells it), Bell, Virgin, Fido but I don't think it will work on WIND. If memory serves me correctly it might not work on T-mo, Verizon or Sprint (because Sprint and Verizon are on CDMA). If you are in the US you might want advice from someone other than me though.
It works on t mobile because mine is unlocked and my daughter has used it with her T-Mobile sim
Sent from my DROIDX using xda premium
dman3285 said:
It works on t mobile because mine is unlocked and my daughter has used it with her T-Mobile sim
Sent from my DROIDX using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah but umts bands are incompatible so you still only get 2g.
Isn't it possible to band unlock the infuse, but it requires more than the typical efforts. wasn't some group offering to do it for $50 if you send your phone to them?
Straight Talk. Uses AT&T's networks. But you have to buy a phone off of them with a sim.
Sent from my SGH-I997
There are different types of carriers in America and there are many things scarier can,do to lock certain devices to the network. Tmobile and att are gsm carriers and have some compatibility But they use different bands. The talk works and edge works. No 3g.
Sprint and Verizon are cdma and are not compatible. However Verizon,has phones that are both gsm and cdma and can,work on att. Nextel has Sim cards but are iden. Boost is also half cdma and half iden. And begin is basically sprint.
Then there are the no contract deals like strait talk. Problem is the Sim may be locked to the phone and even if you know the phone has a Sim and is working off atts network it may not work. The strait talk thing is only known to work if you buy a $200 Nokia smartphone and many of those have Tmobile Sims that are locked to the phone. I'm not sure how to tell the tmo version from the att version without looking at the Sim itself. Strait talk seems to just buy rights to use other networks, I've seen phones at Walmart with gsm on the box and others with cdma on the box. I think they use all the major networks depending on the phone.
I also saw an ad for simple mobile. Seems promising but appears to be Tmobile
So no 3g.
In Canada almost all carriers are 100% compatible with att phones. All but one but I forgot the name. So if you're Canadian you have options.
Do not know if you know about this- New T-Mobile Monthly4G $30 Unlimited Web & Text with 100 min of talk
email delivery or purchase monthly cards at Super Walmart.
Can not post link but go to Walmart dot com and search for the card I listed above.. sorry
Consumer Cellular is an AT&T reseller - in fact AT&T phones treat their SIMs as an AT&T SIM, don't even need to unlock.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk
Entropy512 said:
Consumer Cellular is an AT&T reseller - in fact AT&T phones treat their SIMs as an AT&T SIM, don't even need to unlock.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, good to know. Might have to look into a consumer cellular Sim and an i777. I wonder if it will work with lte in the future (the Sim that is. not the phone) but I can,worry about that when my area gets lte and the next generation,phone comes out.

[Q] Unlocked Fido Razr HD w/ AT&T Sim: "SIM not allowed MM #3"?

Got my FIDO Razr HD. Rogers SIM = all is good. AT&T sim = asks for unlock code, which i buy online.
After entering code, phone appears to do a factory reset. During the reboot, a box pops up:
"SIM not allowed MM #3"
Now the phone permits "Emergency Calls Only" with the AT&T sim. Rogers SIM = still good.
When I put AT&T sim into my other phone (HTC desire) it works fine on roaming (rogers network). So I know sim + signal is fine.
Don't understand this error message.
Did I mess up the unlock?
advice appreciated, thanks.
Do you have another Canadian SIM you can try? Bell/Telus etc?
grant2 said:
Got my FIDO Razr HD. Rogers SIM = all is good. AT&T sim = asks for unlock code, which i buy online.
After entering code, phone appears to do a factory reset. During the reboot, a box pops up:
"SIM not allowed MM #3"
Now the phone permits "Emergency Calls Only" with the AT&T sim. Rogers SIM = still good.
When I put AT&T sim into my other phone (HTC desire) it works fine on roaming (rogers network). So I know sim + signal is fine.
Don't understand this error message.
Did I mess up the unlock?
advice appreciated, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you inserted your fido/rogers simcard when you are in usa... and roaming (put the phone on and get the att signal)... if yes... there are no solution you must roam with rogers... imei is recorded via att and you can t use att on your razr ;( this is a strange things... but is real ... many user report this ! ( not just with the razr ) this is not a phone problem
This is a very... great problem for traveller...
grant2 said:
Got my FIDO Razr HD. Rogers SIM = all is good. AT&T sim = asks for unlock code, which i buy online.
After entering code, phone appears to do a factory reset. During the reboot, a box pops up:
"SIM not allowed MM #3"
Now the phone permits "Emergency Calls Only" with the AT&T sim. Rogers SIM = still good.
When I put AT&T sim into my other phone (HTC desire) it works fine on roaming (rogers network). So I know sim + signal is fine.
Don't understand this error message.
Did I mess up the unlock?
advice appreciated, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was doing some research for you, have you tried using a different SIM card from AT&T? The SIM might be corrupted.
Sent from my XT925 using Tapatalk 2
Really not sure...
My fathers who travel in usa and canada... have tried 2 others att simcard ... same problems ...
i have see anothers topics on howardforum
o2qc418 said:
Really not sure...
My fathers who travel in usa and canada... have tried 2 others att simcard ... same problems ...
i have see anothers topics on howardforum
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are the SIM cards prepaid or postpaid? Did you have to cut then yourself or were they already micro sized?
Sent from my XT925 using Tapatalk 2
I have try with a rogers xt925 last month ... tried with different sim... micro and regular... postpaid and prepaid too... have see many people in the same boat...
Sent from my XT925 using xda premium
If you think AT&T are blocking your phone, then why don't you try T-Mobile...?
... Yes no problem with tmobile or others prepaid carrier on att network...
You just don t roam on att with uour rogers simcard...
Sent from my XT925 using xda premium
Thanks for the replies everyone. to answer the questions:
1) i don't have any other sims right now: just rogers + ATT. Next time i am w/ friends I will ask to borrow telus/bell microsim.
2) they were regular sims that were cut down.
3) haven't had a chance to visit USA since posting topic- but when i do, i will test both cards and also visit an AT&T shop to bug them about it.
Is sim corrupted? I don't think so because it works fine in HTC desire. But I guess trying a new one will prove or disprove.
imei is recorded via att and you can t use att on your razr ;( this is a strange things... but is real ... many user report this ! ( not just with the razr ) this is not a phone problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do we know this is happening, has someone from AT&T discussed this before?
grant2 said:
Thanks for the replies everyone. to answer the questions:
1) i don't have any other sims right now: just rogers + ATT. Next time i am w/ friends I will ask to borrow telus/bell microsim.
2) they were regular sims that were cut down.
3) haven't had a chance to visit USA since posting topic- but when i do, i will test both cards and also visit an AT&T shop to bug them about it.
Is sim corrupted? I don't think so because it works fine in HTC desire. But I guess trying a new one will prove or disprove.
How do we know this is happening, has someone from AT&T discussed this before?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to let you know that I was able to use a Bell sim card in my phone. That's what I used to unlock it with.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
grant2 said:
Thanks for the replies everyone. to answer the questions:
1) i don't have any other sims right now: just rogers + ATT. Next time i am w/ friends I will ask to borrow telus/bell microsim.
2) they were regular sims that were cut down.
3) haven't had a chance to visit USA since posting topic- but when i do, i will test both cards and also visit an AT&T shop to bug them about it.
Is sim corrupted? I don't think so because it works fine in HTC desire. But I guess trying a new one will prove or disprove.
How do we know this is happening, has someone from AT&T discussed this before?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using this phone with at&t with no problems, I took my sim out from my iphone 5 and used a adapter to go to micro sim and it works fine, no issues.
I'm receiving a Fido RAZR HD to be used with AT&T this afternoon, I'll let you guys know if there are any issues.
OOI, is AT&T seen as a much better GSM network than T-Mobile in the US?
I was looking at the T-Mo USA site, and there are some amazing "Monthly4G" SIM only plans (e.g. $30/month for 100 minutes, unlimited texts and 5GB of HSPA data).
This seems much better value than AT&T, Verizon and even Sprint! But is their network sketchy compared to the others?
Sumanji said:
OOI, is AT&T seen as a much better GSM network than T-Mobile in the US?
I was looking at the T-Mo USA site, and there are some amazing "Monthly4G" SIM only plans (e.g. $30/month for 100 minutes, unlimited texts and 5GB of HSPA data).
This seems much better value than AT&T, Verizon and even Sprint! But is their network sketchy compared to the others?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T offers the second largest network coverage behind Verizon. They are also one of the two GSM carriers in the United States, and tend to be more popular with mobile phone enthusiasts because their UMTS bands are more common and used with other regions such as Canada or Australia. T-Mobile does indeed offer excellent value, but they use mainly AWS band in addition to PCS band in selected regions, thus making them the lesser choice for using unlocked phones from outside the country.
Hey,
Just looking on wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-Mobile_USA#Radio_frequency_spectrum_chart
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT&T_Mobility#Radio_Frequency_Summary
It looks like T-Mo mainly use 1900 for 2G and 1700 for 3G, whereas AT&T use 850 and 1900 for both 2G/3G, right?
So if I bought a Canadian Razr HD XT925 and came to the US, would I be able to use T-Mo's 3G network? I am guessing no, since it does not support 3G on 1700MHz.
But then there is a note on that Wiki page saying that they now have a roaming agreement with AT&T after the failed acquisition. So if I forced the phone into "WCDMA only" mode from the test menu, would it then fall back onto the AT&T 3G network?
Sorry for taking the thread slightly off topic
Cheers,
Su
Sumanji said:
Hey,
Just looking on wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-Mobile_USA#Radio_frequency_spectrum_chart
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT&T_Mobility#Radio_Frequency_Summary
It looks like T-Mo mainly use 1900 for 2G and 1700 for 3G, whereas AT&T use 850 and 1900 for both 2G/3G, right?
So if I bought a Canadian Razr HD XT925 and came to the US, would I be able to use T-Mo's 3G network? I am guessing no, since it does not support 3G on 1700MHz.
But then there is a note on that Wiki page saying that they now have a roaming agreement with AT&T after the failed acquisition. So if I forced the phone into "WCDMA only" mode from the test menu, would it then fall back onto the AT&T 3G network?
Sorry for taking the thread slightly off topic
Cheers,
Su
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As you have read, T-Mobile did acquire PCS bands from the failed merger with AT&T, but these bands are not as utilized as their 850 MHz band so it's not as widely available as you may think. Some areas might be able to use the 1900 MHz band for T-Mobile 3G, but I would check with fellow T-Mobile users to confirm first before you dive in headfirst. I know that there are T-Mobile users in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that are getting 3G data connectivity with their unlocked AT&T iPhones.
Well T-Mo do daily plays for like 2 bucks right, so I can always try this out before committing to a contract
Do you think AT&T would be the better bet if I am bringing my own device from Europe?
The reason I ask is that I may be coming to a US college for a couple of years, so naturally, I'm planning ahead to see if my phone will work over there
Sumanji said:
Well T-Mo do daily plays for like 2 bucks right, so I can always try this out before committing to a contract
Do you think AT&T would be the better bet if I am bringing my own device from Europe?
The reason I ask is that I may be coming to a US college for a couple of years, so naturally, I'm planning ahead to see if my phone will work over there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're using a device from Europe or Asia, then yes, you have a much higher chance of being able to get 3G connectivity with AT&T. Off the top of my head, Nokia seems to be the only one that tries to actively keep AWS band in their radios.
Hmm, so I did a bit of research on GSM Arena. Seems the Nexus line of devices consistently support 1700MHz 3G (including the Nexus S which I currently have).
Guess who cancelled their Nexus 4 order last week, and opted for a Canadian RAZR HD instead...
Whoops

[Q] How to Switch to Verzion with T-Mobile's myTouch 4G Slide

Hi guys I have a question hopefully someone can help me with. I have the myTouch 4G Slide from T-Mobile but I want to use it on Verizons network. I know how to root and unlock the boot-loader but are there any other steps I need to take before this is functional? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Version uses sim cards right? If so just search the threads here on how to sim unlock your phone, I believe I read one or two here before. You can also have it unlocked by tmo if your on contract with them or you can buy sim unlock codes
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Verizon uses CDMA. The MT4GS is a GSM phone, so there is no way to use it on Verizon's service. It doesn't have a radio that is compatible with Verizon's towers.
HappyKhicken said:
Verizon uses CDMA. The MT4GS is a GSM phone, so there is no way to use it on Verizon's service. It doesn't have a radio that is compatible with Verizon's towers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly! There is absolutely no way to get this phone, or any GSM phone that I know of, to work on Verizon's system. Even T-Mobile's new LTE service is different than the LTE from Verizon (not that this phone can work on either of those, either).
Haha, couldn't remember myself, hence the foggy reply! CDMA is such a pain, makes me wonder why anyone uses a carrier with it, I mean unless you never travel or want your phone to only ever work with one carrier....
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
demkantor said:
Haha, couldn't remember myself, hence the foggy reply! CDMA is such a pain, makes me wonder why anyone uses a carrier with it, I mean unless you never travel or want your phone to only ever work with one carrier....
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a few Verizon and Sprint (both CDMA carriers) that have GSM backup. They market them as their "World Phones". The iPhone5 is one of them. If the phones have the GSM portion unlocked (Verizon automatically unlocks theirs, Sprint will unlock on request after a certain amount of time), you can use a foreign SIM and the GSM radio of those phones. But, you have to be careful, the phones default to the CDMA and if you have roaming turned on, in some countries that could be a VERY expensive oversight with roaming charges.

FreedomPop? Offical Photon Q LTE support? When? Getting a Q on FP now?

Starting to do my research on taking my Photon Q LTE from Sprint over to FreedomPop.
Has anyone done this yet?
How did you do it and what is your opinion of the entire experience?
Is it Officially Supported by Freedom pop? If not, when?
If not supported, how to get a Photon Q LTE on FreedomPop now?
If you have any experience with FreedomPop service, please give the geographic service area you've tried and your impression of the FreedomPop service.
Thank you.
No LTE for all "SIM-cards" except the buit-in one.
There is afaik no chance to get LTE working with another carrier than the original one (sprint).
Loader009 said:
No LTE for all "SIM-cards" except the buit-in one.
There is afaik no chance to get LTE working with another carrier than the original one (sprint).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But FreedomPop is a Sprint MVNO...
I'm not saying this will guarantee it'll work, but I'd say there's a much better chance it will.
I'm kind of curious, but not sure I'm ready to switch my phone to FreedomPop. Maybe I'll try it out on my roomie's phone first...
4g LTE works for the photonQ on Voyager Mobile and Ringplus, those are the best sprint mvno's imo...
Then it have to work without hardware modding, right?
If I'm wrong and it works with a hardwaremod, then other carrier with the same LTE frequency should also work.
I'm kind of confused, how LTE is working in our Q.
Loader009 said:
Then it have to work without hardware modding, right?
If I'm wrong and it works with a hardwaremod, then other carrier with the same LTE frequency should also work.
I'm kind of confused, how LTE is working in our Q.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What we mean by Sprint MVNO is they basically resell Sprint service. So you aren't paying Sprint directly, but you are using their towers/network. The MVNO leases the network space from Sprint... Pretty much all the big providers lease space on their network to gain another revenue stream.
Yes, I know what a MVNO is.
But in my country you need for each MVNO an own SIM-card.
I assumed that something similiar is done in the US.
If you can change to another Sprint reseller without the need of change something in hardware, then it might work.
I'm probably unaware of the typical US mobiles and the carriers technology.
Loader009 said:
Yes, I know what a MVNO is.
But in my country you need for each MVNO an own SIM-card.
I assumed that something similiar is done in the US.
If you can change to another Sprint reseller without the need of change something in hardware, then it might work.
I'm probably unaware of the typical US mobiles and the carriers technology.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Typically MVNOs that operate on GSM networks have their own SIM cards, however CDMA carriers (such as those running on Sprint) identify the phone by its internal ESN. Since there is no SIM to swap, the ESN has to be reassigned from Sprint to their MVNO.
And FYI, the Q works beautifully on Ting as well, LTE and all.
BAMF said:
Typically MVNOs that operate on GSM networks have their own SIM cards, however CDMA carriers (such as those running on Sprint) identify the phone by its internal ESN. Since there is no SIM to swap, the ESN has to be reassigned from Sprint to their MVNO.
And FYI, the Q works beautifully on Ting as well, LTE and all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice, thanks for the explanation.
Now, is Ting a GSM or CDMA carrier/MVNO?
I assume it's a CDMA MVNO, which works inside the sprint network and is (because of sprint) able to operate in the LTE network.
Freedom Pop is a rip off I set up a free data account and they tried to charge me. The only customer service is through there forums.
I use Ting they are great.
They resell Sprint.
Sent from my PHOTON Q using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

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