Hi all
I just bought new unlocked Samsung Galaxy S 4G (SGH-T959V) on the internet and before to talking to possible providers I got confused about its 3G bands. I've got two specs with different bands:
one says it has 1700/1900/2100 (e.g. see pdadb.net)
another says it has only 1700/2100.
How do I check which 3G bands my phone really has? Is there any way to check it using the phone itself? Like test software or something?
Thank you
From http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s_4g-3719.php
2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 1700 / 2100
Perhaps that is some of the confusion about bands; 1900 is also a GSM band.
T-Mobile, for better or worse, uses the AWS bands, which results in its handsets having a different set of requirements than other carriers.
I've used an AT&T SIM in my SGS4g and was able to get 3G, so I'm fairly positive the phone also has the 1900 HSPA band.
Wikipedia says T-Mobile has 1900 in both GSM and 3G
I dont know what bands they use but I use simple mobile unlimited 3g for $40 or unlimited 4g for $60....$20 sim with free activation. SimpleMobile uses tmobile network
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda app-developers app
Related
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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.
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
I've seen that a few samsungs and european HTCs can do this through service mode, but is there any way to force the Sensation 4G to 850mhz? according to HTC, the modem in the phone does support AT&T frequencies and the carrier with the best connection only supports 850mhz in my country, and i reeeally don't want to buy a new phone.
i know it's a longshot, but it's worth trying.
Be careful, you don't want to ruin your device. Watch for overheating. Watch for force closes. Any signs And go back to normal. Be very cautious overclocking that much
Sent from my Sensation 4G using xda premium
Its not overclocking, its trying to get one of the cellphone frequencies.
FG
realsis said:
Be careful, you don't want to ruin your device. Watch for overheating. Watch for force closes. Any signs And go back to normal. Be very cautious overclocking that much
Sent from my Sensation 4G using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm not talking about overclocking, it's the data modem, to put it simply, i need to be on AT&T frequencies but my phone is T-Mobile, and i've seen people change it according to their region. is it possible on the Sensation?
Well for starters the only way you would be able to operate on that frequency one your device has to be carrier free meaning unlocked from all gsm carrier's and this will allow your device to operate on that frequency meaning all you would have to do is swap sim cards if your device is carrier free and then you be able to put in AT&T sim card and reboot however you can't do this unless you are carrier free
sent from my sensation 4g using xda premium
The Sensation supports 850mhz for gsm. It does not support 850mhz or 1900mhz hspa (at least the us version does not support 1900 hspa, having aws instead).
So if you are using an att sim and want 850mhz, you would have to switch it to gsm only (although it'd only work with gsm anyway since att uses 850/1900 for hspa iirc, or maybe just 1900?).
Even then, it'd choose between 850 and 1900 depending on signal / area, etc.
ziddey said:
The Sensation supports 850mhz for gsm. It does not support 850mhz or 1900mhz hspa (at least the us version does not support 1900 hspa, having aws instead).
So if you are using an att sim and want 850mhz, you would have to switch it to gsm only (although it'd only work with gsm anyway since att uses 850/1900 for hspa iirc, or maybe just 1900?).
Even then, it'd choose between 850 and 1900 depending on signal / area, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
meaning my sensation is confined to EDGE speeds on said networks??
Compatible networks GSM/GPRS/EDGE
850 900 1800 1900 MHz
UMTS/HSPA
850 1900 2100 or 900 1700 2100 MHz
HSDPA 14.4 Mbps
HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
tmo version supports 900/1700/2100.
looks like the other version not available in america supports 850/1900/2100 for umts.
not sure if there's any difference in hardware or if it's defined in software (not a part that's included in ruu's).
ziddey said:
Compatible networks GSM/GPRS/EDGE
850 900 1800 1900 MHz
UMTS/HSPA
850 1900 2100 or 900 1700 2100 MHz
HSDPA 14.4 Mbps
HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
tmo version supports 900/1700/2100.
looks like the other version not available in america supports 850/1900/2100 for umts.
not sure if there's any difference in hardware or if it's defined in software (not a part that's included in ruu's).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its a difference in hardware. The Canadian Bell version supports 850/1900 (AT&T Frequencies) You can use the T Mobile version but you will be limited to edge/2G only.
hi i read here in a post that mytouch 4 slide is a 3g in 1900 1700 2100, but according to gsmarena it comes only with 3g 1700 2100, as some tmobile units, my questions are:
does anybody knows the real configuration (only 1700 and 2100, or not)?
is there any radio that comes with 3g 1900mhz, even if its not from mytouch 4g slide, maybe other cause i think that the hardware will work in 1900 as 3g instead of only edge like in 850mhz?
is there any secret code to activate 3g band options?
thank you very much indeed
I would trust the gsm arena spec sheet, but haven't confirmed the bands myself. And not you cannot just add bands, they are interdependent of the radio in that sense, you can not add or remove them
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
To make it easier instead of using the Freqs (Because they overlap with other bands) here are the Bands that the mT4GS uses: Band 1 and Band 4.
Your confusion comes from T-Mobile refarming the 1900 MHz for 3G. This is the one at&t also uses. It is Band 2.
The mT4GS will not work on Band 2 in 3G only 2G. The hardware was made for Bands 1 and 4.
Use this chart it should clear up the confusion:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UMTS_frequency_bands