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[Q] Nexus S SIM unlock?

Hey NSers.
I bought a Nexus S just about the week it came out from Best Buy, but I've decided to move on to another phone. I had thought that purchasing it from Best Buy meant that it shipped unlocked, with no specific carrier, but I just tried an AT&T SIM card in the phone, and it gets no service.
I called T-Mobile, but the woman I spoke to informed me that they couldn't request an unlock code because it's not a phone they actually support.
So I'm wondering how I can unlock it.
Right now, its bootloader is unlocked and it's rooted, if that makes any difference (I'm hoping there will be something easy I can do that doesn't involve contacting either Google or Samsung).
Thanks in advance for any guidance.

your nexus s IS unlocked as of google phones.
the problem is that the nexus s does not support (hardware) AT&T cellular bands.
there is a specific model of the nexus s (I9020A if i'm not wrong) that support those AT&T bands.. sorry.

Gonizahavy said:
your nexus s IS unlocked as of google phones.
the problem is that the nexus s does not support (hardware) AT&T cellular bands.
there is a specific model of the nexus s (I9020A if i'm not wrong) that support those AT&T bands.. sorry.
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Click to collapse
Oh, really? I thought it supported AT&T GSM bands, but not the 3G bands.
And no worries. It's an i9020T, so maybe it's unlocked but still works only with TMo. Darn.

willentrekin said:
Oh, really? I thought it supported AT&T GSM bands, but not the 3G bands.
And no worries. It's an i9020T, so maybe it's unlocked but still works only with TMo. Darn.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he meant to say it does not support at&t 3g bands. It should work on any GSM carrier, but may not work on 3g.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

OuncE718 said:
I think he meant to say it does not support at&t 3g bands. It should work on any GSM carrier, but may not work on 3g.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right. But if I put in an AT&T SIM, it should work with AT&T's GSM frequencies, right? I'm really not looking forward to calling Samsung tomorrow.

I should go to best buy and ask if you can swap it for a i9020A.

avili said:
I should go to best buy and ask if you can swap it for a i9020A.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I9029A isn't sold in best buy. I'd go to AT&T and get a new sim card. Your phone should work just fine on AT&T, u just won't have 3G.

I've had a similar experience with the Canadian carriers, however if the carrier supports GSM bands it will work (like previously said) it's when the carrier only supports HSDPA (like Koodo in Canada does) then you need the specific Nexus S (i9020A in your case).
You could also try adding the APN to see if that will allow you to connect (Settings -> Wireless & Networks -> Mobile Networks -> Access Point Names (APN)) - the details can be found on the forums / your carriers website.

Works for me.
willentrekin said:
Right. But if I put in an AT&T SIM, it should work with AT&T's GSM frequencies, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works for me. I live in NYC, and I picked up a Nexus S at Best Buy over the Easter break as a quick temp phone till I got my Captivate fixed.
No 3g, but it certainly works on Edge. Makes calls, data works, syncs with google apps, etc.
Maybe you're just in a poor reception spot for ATT...

Thanks for the advice. Will retry. I'd wanted to confirm AT&T would work before I put it on eBay.

How to make a GSM Radio for Thunderbolt

Hello
It sucks being an european and to have a 4g/cdma phone because in my country (Romania) you dont have a cdma network
So as we all know the Thunderbolt has the same chipset as the Rezound so in theory it should be able to transform into a Global Phone.
My question is why didn't anyone do that and how i can make one myself if a dev dosent bother.
I feel it in my guts that this will work but i need some guidelines, or someone with actual knowledge to help me.

charris said:
Hello
It sucks being an european and to have a 4g/cdma phone because in my country (Romania) you dont have a cdma network
So as we all know the Thunderbolt has the same chipset as the Rezound so in theory it should be able to transform into a Global Phone.
My question is why didn't anyone do that and how i can make one myself if a dev dosent bother.
I feel it in my guts that this will work but i need some guidelines, or someone with actual knowledge to help me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thunderbolt doesn't have the hardware. Not possible.

and what hardware are you talking about?

Thunderbolt has a CDMA radio and an LTE radio. Global phones need a separate GSM radio to work in Europe. If it has an unlocked SIM, the Thunderbolt should work on any 700mhz band LTE network, but is incompatible with GSM on all levels.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

MDM 9600
Actually, the Thunderbolt has an MDM 9600 baseband chipset that supports Hspa and Hspa+ which is a technology that At&t and T-mobile uses for their data connections. So, I believe that if the LTE radio is backwards compatible with those frequencies of At&t or T-mobile that it might work. The thunderbolt has two antennas: one for strictly CDMA and the other for lte and backwards compatibility to gsm/hspa(+) from what I understand. From what I have read Verizon has just opted to not install the drivers to support the GSM/HSPA(+) side of things. That, and the MSM 8650 processor or other hardware in the Thunderbolt may not support it. Just because the modem supports GSM/HSPA(+) doesn't mean the phone will, but I do think that if someone really wanted to they could modify the thunderbolt to work on GSM. The may need more hardware, but I do not know.
I would post the link about the chipset I have, but sadly as a noob it will not let me.
P.S. Verizon allows you to log-in to your account and view the unlock code for the thunderbolts SIM yourself. You do not have to call them. I have not used another Carriers SIM in my Thunderbolt, but HAVE read about people who have in other threads. Verizon from what I understand and have read on other forums does not allow you to use USA SIM cards other than VERIZON'S own SIM. From what I have read, it only unlocks the phone to use foreign country SIMs only. From what I had read, once you use VERIZON'S SIM unlock procedures a NEW menu pops up in your network settings giving you the option to select to use GSM only. The same thread was speaking about the iphone 4s and the Thunderbolt and said that Verizon allows for both to be unlocked and used as World Phones. I will not know for sure until I see proof, but I do know that Verizon allows you to unlock the Thunderbolt's SIM to use on Foreign Networks.

The MDM9600 baseband definitely supports quad-band GSM. However, the RF transceiver in the Thunderbolt may or may not, and the power amplifiers definitely do not. You need all three in order for a mode & band to actually work on a device.

Not possible from a hardware point of view.

Use XL on T-Mobile USA?

Can we get the ATT HTC One XL unlocked to use it on T-Mobile USA? If yeah, whats the procedure?
Thanks.

Check out my thread on getting this phone to work on WIND (similar to T-Mobile, but in Canada). http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1610323

madhad said:
Can we get the ATT HTC One XL unlocked to use it on T-Mobile USA? If yeah, whats the procedure?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a ton of posts on the One X forum where people got it working using EDGE for data. Folks on this forum are trying to get the XL working for 3G data on Wind. If they do, it'll work on T-Mobile U.S. also.

The AT&T model does not have the correct bands to work on 3G/4G TMo. All you will get is Edge.

Red5 said:
The AT&T model does not have the correct bands to work on 3G/4G TMo. All you will get is Edge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a huge conversation going on about what's published and what the radio's capable of. There's a hack for the G-Note that folks are going to try and make work on the One X (assuming the h/w supports the bands). With the hack, the G-Note lost a bunch of signal strength and battery life so it's far from perfect.

Red5 said:
The AT&T model does not have the correct bands to work on 3G/4G TMo. All you will get is Edge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hardware-wise it has.
If you go to HTC USA website you see that it does. The Tegra 3 based international version doesn't, but Rogers/AT&T version does. There is another thread where someone purchased the Rogers version and tried to use it on WIND (which uses the same band as tmobile usa), and got no data (phone is unlocked, but no edge no 3G). If the problem is due to the lack of WIND/tmobile 3G bands, he would have at least get EDGE data. He contacted HTC Canada and HTC verified that the phone hardware indeed support those band, and the issue has to do with Rogers implementation of the software.
The same happened with AT&T Galaxy Note. It supports tmobile 3G band, but was disabled in software. People here are able to open up those bands by flashing new radio on it.
It is still not know whether the AT&T One X has T-Mobile 3G bands disabled in software or not, and if it does, whether it can be easily re-enabled. But the hardware support is there.

So if I buy the att one XL outright (and dont do nothing else) and pop in the tmobile micro sim will it work..meaning make phone calls and all? And it'll just get edge right?

k87 said:
So if I buy the att one XL outright (and dont do nothing else) and pop in the tmobile micro sim will it work..meaning make phone calls and all? And it'll just get edge right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no
10char

I am using my Rogers HTC One XL on Tmobile right now and yes all you get is Edge + voice.

k87 said:
So if I buy the att one XL outright (and dont do nothing else) and pop in the tmobile micro sim will it work..meaning make phone calls and all? And it'll just get edge right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's locked to AT&T man.

cmaxwe said:
I am using my Rogers HTC One XL on Tmobile right now and yes all you get is Edge + voice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as you purchase an unlock code and unlock the phone then it will give you edge + voice on Tmobile.

cmaxwe said:
I am using my Rogers HTC One XL on Tmobile right now and yes all you get is Edge + voice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This sucks. I'm on Tmobile and was holding out for the AT&T One X to use on Tmobile. Didnt want the One S because of the small screen. May have to go with the Galaxy Nexus for 400.00.
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda premium

Well assuming you unlock it and live in a refarmed 1900 hsdpa area from tmobile can you get 3G that way?

methodz said:
Well assuming you unlock it and live in a refarmed 1900 hsdpa area from tmobile can you get 3G that way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1900 hasn't been refarmed in my area but that would be the only option for somebody to use the One X on 3g/4g.
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda premium

Is there or will there be an unlock for the one x so we can use it (phone calls, edge etc) on the tmobile network?

madhad said:
Is there or will there be an unlock for the one x so we can use it (phone calls, edge etc) on the tmobile network?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes...most definitely. Once the AT&T version is officially released, you'll likely see numerous posts on how to unlock. There are some threads already starting if you search...

Here is an unlock site the says they can unlock the ONE X (AT&T Version) phone already. It costs in the neighborhood of $15, but that is a small price to pay to carrier unlock. If you live in a TMobile area that has reassigned their HSPA+ to the same 1900MHz Band AT&T uses it should be well worth being able to grab a tmobile sim for back up data or switching over completely. From what I have read, TMobile will be moving most of their markets HSPA+ to the 1900 MHz band in the not too distant future so this could be win win. I am going to give this a shot on May 4th when my phone is supposed to show up, I will post back with my success or failure.

Just a random thought that came into my head.
T-mobile is getting the One S, which also uses the S4. Given that the radio is integrated in the S4 chipset, and both the One X(AT&T) and One S are using the same SoC, they probably have the same capabilities with regards to the networks. In that case, it may "simply" be a matter of producing a modem driver with support for the T-mobile bands.
Disclaimer: This is all conjecture on my part, as I'm not entirely sure what is involved with cell phone radios and the more modern technologies.

mesasone said:
Just a random thought that came into my head.
T-mobile is getting the One S, which also uses the S4. Given that the radio is integrated in the S4 chipset, and both the One X(AT&T) and One S are using the same SoC, they probably have the same capabilities with regards to the networks. In that case, it may "simply" be a matter of producing a modem driver with support for the T-mobile bands.
Disclaimer: This is all conjecture on my part, as I'm not entirely sure what is involved with cell phone radios and the more modern technologies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, that's a negative.
There are several variations of the Snapdragon S4. Some with LTE, some without.
In this case, the One X LTE has the S4 MSM8960 with LTE. The One S has the S4 MSM8260A, without LTE.

What exactly is WCDMA AWS band? Because on the HTC website it says the One XL has that. I thought that is both bands for tmobile 4G.

Verizon S GS3 on Straight Talk

Hi all,
With Verizon releasing officially, the update making its SGS3 Global ready atleast for voice as of now, a lot of discussion is happening right now about the Global capabilities.
FYI. I'm a good reader and explorer on hofo,androidforums and xda. So any guidance is highly appreciated
So here is my question.
I have a Verizon S GS3. It is brand new.
1. Can I use it with Straight Talk T-Mobile SIM ( T-Mobile has good coverage near my house ) after doing the rooting, unlocking, etc. etc all the technical stuff
2. If I unlock the phone, will it be truly global capable, I mean, can I use my S GS3 on any GSM Network in the World, even in the USA, with 3G Speeds? Did anyone use it in any Country with 4G LTE Speeds?
3. I know this is really a very very strange question. But after unlocking the S GS3, will it be working on the AT&T LTE Netowrk in the USA? My thinking is, if it working in the LTE Network in the USA, then it will work in other countries as well, where LTE Network is going to be available in the future. Sorry, I know this is a bit weird.
If You can please refer and threads or links, it is fine with me. I'm also looking and not depending only on the answers that I get from this thread. But looking for replies/guidance/links though.
Thank You.

hope this is the answers you are looking for
qzmpal said:
Hi all,
With Verizon releasing officially, the update making its SGS3 Global ready atleast for voice as of now, a lot of discussion is happening right now about the Global capabilities.
FYI. I'm a good reader and explorer on hofo,androidforums and xda. So any guidance is highly appreciated
So here is my question.
I have a Verizon S GS3. It is brand new.
1. Can I use it with Straight Talk T-Mobile SIM ( T-Mobile has good coverage near my house ) after doing the rooting, unlocking, etc. etc all the technical stuff
2. If I unlock the phone, will it be truly global capable, I mean, can I use my S GS3 on any GSM Network in the World, even in the USA, with 3G Speeds? Did anyone use it in any Country with 4G LTE Speeds?
3. I know this is really a very very strange question. But after unlocking the S GS3, will it be working on the AT&T LTE Netowrk in the USA? My thinking is, if it working in the LTE Network in the USA, then it will work in other countries as well, where LTE Network is going to be available in the future. Sorry, I know this is a bit weird.
If You can please refer and threads or links, it is fine with me. I'm also looking and not depending only on the answers that I get from this thread. But looking for replies/guidance/links though.
Thank You.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for Q1:yes you well be able to use any network... install any mod now most of them are already rooted and unlocked
for Q2:yes you can... all you need to ddo is to download a program called hiapn.. wipe the existing apn settings.. then auto detect and you are good to go 3g and hspa
Q3: yes it works thanks to the magic of hiapn software... but not many countrys use LTE .. usa canada japan and maybe few others

Verizon SGS3 on any GSM Carrier
Hi experts,
I have a small doubt here.
If the Verizon SGS3 can be used with any GSM Carrier around the world, then that means, the Verizon SGS3 can be used with AT&T or T-Mobile as well along with Verizon Network.
But the T-Mobile or AT&T Versions cannot be used on the Verizon's Network. Is that true?
I'm have got a traveling assignment coming up to Europe this Summer and I need to know what is the best possible solution out there before I leave.
Thank You.

Verizon's GS3 uses CDMA technology for the phone calling and data, as far as I know the SIM in the verizon version is only used for LTE.
From what I have read in forum posts, (this one in particular http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2013647) if you pop in a SIM card, calling and texting should work. If you want data to work then you need to change some APNs around. Stock touchwiz does not allow this so you would need an app to do that. AOSP ROMs should have a way for you to edit APNs.
On the topic of getting 4G on any other network besides Verizon, that is fairly unlikely as they all use different technologies/ bands. Verizon has LTE, T-Mobile has HSPA+, not entirely sure what AT&T has but I think its also LTE.

This phone will take any SIM card cut to micro-size.
3G+ speeds depends on the frequency the carrier uses. The VZW GS3 uses the following radio frequencies after the JB update: GPRS/EDGE/GSM (850/900/1800/1900); HSPA/UMTS (2100) [I had to search high and low to find this for my trip to China]
Each LTE carrier uses different radio frequencies, and global countries also use LTE frequencies different than the US ones. 4G is a very varied standard at the moment.
If you want fast internet on a non VZW carrier, it better have HSPA+, otherwise you are on 3G at best.
Right now, the only truely global phone is the iPhone5 on VZW, which supports 5 different LTE frequencies. Sad but true.
The US based SG3's dont even have the FM radio that the international versions have

Edge
Mix3d said:
This phone will take any SIM card cut to micro-size.
3G+ speeds depends on the frequency the carrier uses. The VZW GS3 uses the following radio frequencies after the JB update: GPRS/EDGE/GSM (850/900/1800/1900); HSPA/UMTS (2100) [I had to search high and low to find this for my trip to China]
Each LTE carrier uses different radio frequencies, and global countries also use LTE frequencies different than the US ones. 4G is a very varied standard at the moment.
If you want fast internet on a non VZW carrier, it better have HSPA+, otherwise you are on 3G at best.
Right now, the only truely global phone is the iPhone5 on VZW, which supports 5 different LTE frequencies. Sad but true.
The US based SG3's dont even have the FM radio that the international versions have
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, my girlfriend has a verizon s3 and with straight talk she is only on edge it never changes. It makes the phone nearly useless. Ive tried to talk her into letting me flash and unlock it but she isnt real interested in it. I dont even know forsure if unlocking the bootloader downgrading to 4.1.1 and using the att sim unlock method would work but I would assume that flashing it would allow you to at least get 3-4g. not?

How to enable CDMA on Nexus 5 (US)?

I received a Nexus 5 from US about three weeks ago, and have been using with the GSM network of BSNL. A friend of mine works for MTS, a CDMA network, and I got a SIM card from him, and inserted it. But the device doesn't detect any network. When I search for networks manually, it shows the list of GSM networks available.
How to use the phone in CDMA mode?

You can't, the phone is a GSM phone not CDMA

EddyOS said:
You can't, the phone is a GSM phone not CDMA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus 5 LG D820 supports both CDMA and GSM, doesn't it?
Ref: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Differences-between-the-two-Nexus-5-models-D820-and-D821_id48985

EddyOS said:
You can't, the phone is a GSM phone not CDMA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the nexus 5 works on sprint as well as GSM carriers.
as far as the OP, i'm not sure what youd need to do to get it on a CDMA carrier outside of sprint

EddyOS said:
You can't, the phone is a GSM phone not CDMA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for someone who is considered a recognized contributor you sure failed on this one
the phone supports both cdma and gsm

flex360 said:
for someone who is considered a recognized contributor you sure failed on this one
the phone supports both cdma and gsm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How am I meant to know when I'm in the UK with a D821? Old CDMA handsets are different from GSM phones, hence why there isn't a Verizon Nexus 5
And being a RC doesn't mean I know everything, nor I pretend to do so. If you wanna try and get one up on me you're gonna have to try harder

flex360 said:
for someone who is considered a recognized contributor you sure failed on this one
the phone supports both cdma and gsm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He might have not noticed that it was about US version of Nexus 5 (which I mentioned in the parenthesis). I thought, after reading his post, I should have posted it clearly in the post description.

vasukinv said:
He might have not noticed that it was about US version of Nexus 5 (which I mentioned in the parenthesis). I thought, after reading his post, I should have posted it clearly in the post description.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed it, but assumed it was only the 4G bands that were different. Again, this was based on knowledge of previous Android handsets where they weren't GSM and CDMA at the same time. We don't have CDMA in the UK so I have little to no knowledge of it

EddyOS said:
I noticed it, but assumed it was only the 4G bands that were different. Again, this was based on knowledge of previous Android handsets where they weren't GSM and CDMA at the same time. We don't have CDMA in the UK so I have little to no knowledge of it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries, mate. Take it easy. This is the first phone I know which has a single slot for SIM cards and supports both GSM and CDMA.

vasukinv said:
No worries, mate. Take it easy. This is the first phone I know which has a single slot for SIM cards and supports both GSM and CDMA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, a lot of the (newer) verizon phones have SIM cards, support both GSM/CDMA (iPhone 5/s, Droid DNA, S4)..
however, since few providers use CDMA, they are mostly on this side of the globe released by verizon, and verizon might have disabled USA sims on that sim slot unfortunately
@ OP, take a look at this hack to see if it'll work with your provider
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2619312

paperWastage said:
@ OP, take a look at this hack to see if it'll work with your provider
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2619312
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link, mate. I had already been through that post and found it's quite a cumbersome thing. And moreover, I couldn't find anyone posting a success story about their trials.