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Frequency Issue, Help!!!!

I am looking at the Xda and the PDA2K units and am having NO luck getting the info that I need to make a decision. Here is the issue.
I live in Florida and currently have ATT, taken over by Cingular GSM. I am not happy with the Nokia and want to upgrade so I need the frequencys used here. The Idiots at the tech support for Cingular can't seem to furnish the info. I don't want to get a phone that is not usable so if I get a unlocked/unbranded phone and want to use my sims card, which frequencies do I need, 850/1800/1900 or 900/1800/1900???? I am aware that there are Quad band units, but I have noticed that the Triband units seem to have the faster processor and better features. HELP????

phone that works in one frequency band unfortunately can not also work in the frequency band next to it unless added as a specific extra frequency band. For comparison, when you have your FM radio tuned to a radio station at 98.1 MHz, there's no way you'll hear what is happening on another radio station at 98.3 MHz unless you retune your radio.
Which frequencies are used in the US?
Originally, the US used only 1900 MHz for its GSM cell phone service. In the last year or so, there has been a growing amount of GSM service on the 850 MHz band. This type of service will usually be seen in rural areas, because the 850 MHz band has better range than the 1900 MHz band. It can sometimes also found in city areas, particularly if the cell phone company has spare frequencies unused in the 850 MHz band, but no remaining frequencies to use in the 1900 MHz band.
Most of the 850 MHz service belongs to AT&T, and some to Cingular (these two companies are in the process of merging). Although T-Mobile does not (as of July 04) have any of its own 850 MHz service, because it has roaming agreements with both AT&T and Cingular, even a T-mobile user might sometimes find themselves in an area where the only signal available is on 850 MHz.
What about 800 MHz? Is this a fifth band?
Some people refer to the 850 MHz band as being the 800 MHz band. This is incorrect. The actual frequencies in the band are closer to 850 MHz and the standardized naming convention as promulgated by the GSM Association is to refer to this band as '850 MHz'.
If you see someone referring to a phone with 800 MHz service, they probably are simply mistaken and mean to refer to the 850 MHz band.
Do you need both frequencies in the US?
This really depends on the areas in which you use your cell phone. If you're in a major metropolitan area, you probably won't need the 850 MHz band, but if you travel to secondary areas regularly, you will find the extra coverage of the 850 MHz band to be valuable.
Looking into the future, it is probable we'll see increased use of 850 MHz to expand GSM's overall coverage into more of the country.
And then, looking further into the future, it is possible we'll see 1900 MHz coverage duplicating the 850 MHz coverage.
Bottom line : If you travel out of the main cities, you'll definitely benefit from a phone that supports both 850 MHz and 1900 MHz.
Which frequencies are used internationally?
GSM was originally developed in Europe, and only came to the US recently.
Initially, all countries with GSM service used the 900 MHz band. In the past few years, service providers have increasingly been adding 1800 MHz coverage, due to congestion in the 900 MHz band.
When the US started to use GSM, a few other countries with very close links to the US chose to copy the US and use the same frequencies that the US used - first 1900 MHz, and in a few cases, 850 MHz also.
Almost without exception, all international countries that use the non-US international frequency bands have 900 MHz service, and many have some 1800 MHz service as well.
All international countries that have the US frequency bands have 1900 MHz service. A very few might also have some 850 MHz service.
Which frequencies do you need when traveling internationally?
That depends on the countries you plan to visit.
Refer to the table below to get a feeling for which countries use which frequency bands. For a more expanded set of information, complete with network coverage maps, refer to the official GSM Association's website.
As the table suggests, 900 MHz is the most common band used internationally. 1800 MHz will give you expanded coverage in countries that also have 900 MHz. And some countries only have 1900 MHz rather than 900 or 1800 MHz.
Note that countries with both 900 and 1800 MHz service generally provide better coverage in the 900 MHz band than in the 1800 MHz band.
Which bands should you get on your phone?
If used only in the US
If you intend to use your phone only in the US, then get a dual band phone that has both 850 MHz and 1900 MHz.
A single band phone with only 1900 MHz will give almost as good coverage.
If used only internationally
If you intend to use your phone only internationally, then decide if you'll be using the phone in countries that use the international frequencies, or in countries that use the US frequencies, or in both.
If you only need to use the phone in countries with international frequencies, get a dual band 900/1800 MHz phone. A single band phone with only 900 MHz will give reasonably good coverage, but most international phones these days have both bands.
If you need to use the phone in countries that also have the US 1900 MHz frequency, get a tri-band phone with 900/1800/1900 MHz.
If used in both the US and internationally
Two frequencies are 'must have' frequencies - 900 and 1900 MHz. The other two bands are nice to also have, with 1800 MHz typically opening up more of foreign countries than 850 MHz would open up in the US.
Ideally the best solution is to get a quad-band phone with all four bands.
So why not simply buy a quad band phone?
When we first wrote this in July 04 we said 'there are only a very few quad-band phones for sale at present, and they tend to be expensive'. Happily, nine months later, quad band phones have become a lot more common and may even be close to free when you're signing up for new service.
We find the cheapest deals for new phone service are usually those offered at Amazon - see their ad on the left hand side (they have many more models on their site, too). Bizarrely, the prices shown on the Amazon ad are often much higher than the actual prices after special offers on their site - for example, today (March 05) there is a lovely Motorola V551 showing for $74.99, but clicking over to their site shows that after rebates, you actually get the phone for free and $75.10 cash back!
We are aware of the following model quad band phones (if you know of other quad band phones, please let us know so we can update the list)
Geo
GC688
HP
i6315
Motorola
A780
V3 Razr (but not V300)
V180 (note - some people report that Cingular
disables the 1800MHz band, but in theory
these phones should have four bands)
V220
V330
V400
V500 / V501 / V505 / V525 / V551 / V555
V600 / V620
NEC
515 / 525
Palm
Treo 600 / 650
Sharp
GX32
Xda
IIs
WARNING : T-mobile disables the 850 MHz band in the quad band phones it sells. For this reason, you should not buy any quad band phone from T-mobile without getting full formal confirmation from them beforehand that the phone has all four bands fully operational.
http://www.thetravelinsider.info/roadwarriorcontent/quadbandphones.htm

accessing 3g

I have an unlocked touch cruise with t-mobile in the us, but don’t understand how, or if I can, use the 3g function for internet data access. My questions are as follows:
1. How do I find out if my phone is the European version or the US version (each has differing specs on accessing the 3g network).
2. If it is the US version, will I be able to access the 3g network on t-mobile or AT&T in the US?
3. If it is the European version, will I be able to access the 3g network.
4. How do I know whether my phone is accessing 3g or not?
5. Is there a software fix to allow me to use either the European version or us version to access 3G.
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
Dave

there's only one version of the Cruise out:
http://www.htc.com/www/product.aspx?id=798
These are the frequencies:
Network HSDPA/UMTS: 2100 MHz (Europe), 850/1900 MHz (USA)
HSDPA: Up to 384kbps for upload and 3.6Mbps for download
UMTS: Up to 384kbps for upload and download
GSM/GPRS/EDGE: Quad-band 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz (The device will operate on frequencies available from the cellular network)
It's triband 3G. It is currently working on ATT 3G in the US. I don't know about TMobile is there 3G network up and running, and if so I don't remember what frequency that might be at.
The icons at the top point to what type of network E/G is Edge, while 3G/H is 3G.
You can go into the Phone Settings under Band and see some of the different frequency choices. You can force it to be on Edge/GSM there or Auto (which will pick up 3G if it's available).

3 g access
hambola said:
there's only one version of the Cruise out:
http://www.htc.com/www/product.aspx?id=798
These are the frequencies:
Network HSDPA/UMTS: 2100 MHz (Europe), 850/1900 MHz (USA)
HSDPA: Up to 384kbps for upload and 3.6Mbps for download
UMTS: Up to 384kbps for upload and download
GSM/GPRS/EDGE: Quad-band 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz (The device will operate on frequencies available from the cellular network)
It's triband 3G. It is currently working on ATT 3G in the US. I don't know about TMobile is there 3G network up and running, and if so I don't remember what frequency that might be at.
The icons at the top point to what type of network E/G is Edge, while 3G/H is 3G.
You can go into the Phone Settings under Band and see some of the different frequency choices. You can force it to be on Edge/GSM there or Auto (which will pick up 3G if it's available).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I understand it (for internet data access) the european version (as alluded to in your quote) works at Network frequency: HSDPA/UMTS: 2100 MHz (Europe), the American version at the frequencies: 850/1900 MHz (USA). If my phone is the european version, then it works at 2100, and will not access usa networks, unless there is a fix.
t-mobile is 3G in my area.
How to I access the "phone settings under band". I cannot find this on my phone.
Thanks

What I am saying is the device can function on all 3 frequencies listed on the specifications page. I believe the Tmobile 3G frequencies are 1700/2100. You might want to search on the forum and check it out for sure. If it is 1700 you are out of luck. Here are some threads discussing it.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=427700
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=417437
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=391339
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=390449
Go to Start -> Settings -> Band tab. If you don't have it, there is a registry tweak that enables that tab.

3 g access
hambola said:
What I am saying is the device can function on all 3 frequencies listed on the specifications page. I believe the Tmobile 3G frequencies are 1700/2100. You might want to search on the forum and check it out for sure. If it is 1700 you are out of luck. Here are some threads discussing it.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=427700
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=417437
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=391339
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=390449
Go to Start -> Settings -> Band tab. If you don't have it, there is a registry tweak that enables that tab.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmmm, htc told me there were two versions that the european version does not have the capability to switch to the us frequencies, which the specs list as 850 / 1900, but is only using the 2100 frequency. I'm not sure htc tech support is always accurate.
However when I go to the band tab via comm manager, settings, phone, band, it shows me (found with your assistance) that I can select gsm (1900 + 850) + UMTS(1900+850). I assume I should use this setting rather then auto.
T-mobile claims they use the 1900 and 850 bands. I am still at Edge.
I have not had time to read the threads you listed, and will do that later today. Perhaps I will have more questions then, but for now, did I select the correct gsm settings?
Thanks,
Dave

3g access
ok, read the posts you mentioned.
More information about differing versions
from phonescoop.com:
Versions of touch cruise for different regions support different 3G frequency bands.Eurasian version is WCDMA 2100 only)
I assume that since the 850 and 1900 is listed in my setup program, I have the usa version, if phonescoop is correct about two versions.
Since t-mobile works on 1700 I assume I cannot have 3g with them.
Will I get 3g with AT&T?

i personally have never heard of 2 different versions of the Cruise. I have one presumably imported from the UK and works on 3G here.

Btw the Cruise manual says this:
FunctionalityHSDPA/UMTS: 2100MHz for Europe, 850/1900MHz for USA HSDPA: Up to 384kbps for upload and 3.6Mbps for download UMTS: Up to 384kbps for upload and download
GSM/GPRS/EDGE: Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, and 1900)
There is only one version of the Cruise.
Also a caveat about the bands available in the Band tab of the Phone Settings. I believe some options might be available in the drop down even though the phone doesn't support it. Best thing is to look at the phone specs.

Mmmm... My Polaris shows this:

Bodisson said:
Mmmm... My Polaris shows this:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bodisson said:
Mmmm... My Polaris shows this:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bodison,
My phone has the same features in your picture.
1. Hambola states
"Also a caveat about the bands available in the Band tab of the Phone Settings. I believe some options might be available in the drop down even though the phone doesn't support it. Best thing is to look at the phone specs."
suggesting what's in the picture may not be in the phone.
2. He also states:
a.
"FunctionalityHSDPA/UMTS: 2100MHz for Europe, 850/1900MHz for USA HSDPA: Up to 384kbps for upload and 3.6Mbps for download UMTS: Up to 384kbps for upload and download
GSM/GPRS/EDGE: Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, and 1900)
b.There is only one version of the Cruise."
The phone specs restate what he states in 2a.
A and B seem to contradict one another. Unless it means that the phone is capable of all the MHz frequencies mentioned (850, 1900, and 2100), and when used in Europe it accesses 2100 frequency, and in the US the other frequency. This is not clearly stated in the specs.
If the allusion to functionality does not mean that the frequency used depends on where the phone is used, then therefore there are two versions, with hsdpa/umts for europe (2100) and another for USA (850/1900). In any case, HTC (probably not the ulimate source of reliability) states that there are indeed two versions.
According to Hambola's reference to the caution that what is in the picture may not be in the phone, what is in the picture shows what is in the specs of the phone. He is therefore suggesting that what is in the specs of the phone (as shown in the picture) are not reliable. Not sure what the implications of this are.
I have been reading other posts about 3g with ATT. Is it safe to assume that (if there is one version of the phone, or I have the one that is able to access the US bands as shown in Bodison's picture), that I will be smokin when I switch to ATT in January when my contract runs out?

I am pretty sure there is only one version of the Cruise and it has those 3 bands listed for 3G. In fact there are guys on this forum that have the UK Orbit O2 running on the ATT 3G stateside.

3 g access
In any case, I tested my phone with a buddy's ATT sim card and was able to access 3G for browsing just fine.
I agree there is one version, though the HTC rep told me otherwise, he was probably....

3G Frequencies

Is there a way to change the 3G Frequencies on the G1 to support AT&T 3G network?

Nope, thats a hardware issue.

I thought it was possibly a software issue. If not, is there a way to change out the chip or the incompatable part to make it compatible?

card13 said:
I thought it was possibly a software issue. If not, is there a way to change out the chip or the incompatable part to make it compatible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope...not going to work for many reasons.

been answered plenty plenty of times.

From what I can figure a hardware change may not be required with the correct radio but we dont know the right radio without the right hardware. lol I know that makes no sense but it makes as much sense as anyone can make of it thus far. When its possible I assure you I will be among the first to do it. Although Im not ready to try installing a new radio without first acquiring a backup phone but if I do Im gonna give it a try and maybe have better luck than the last guy to try.

What about a mini-usb attachment that can receive atnt signals?
I am sure with that and the right software manipulation it could work.

sjbayer3 said:
What about a mini-usb attachment that can receive atnt signals?
I am sure with that and the right software manipulation it could work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While it sounds great in theory I doubt anyone would put forth the resources for such a limited market.
You would be best off getting android to work on existing AT&T hardware.

in order to do it we would need hardware which would plug in the bottom and software to tell the phone to use the signal from the attachment.
while there wouldnt be millions in the market i guarantee there are hundreds.
if anyone wants to think about it i dont mind making 50 of em and selling for cost. i have some hook ups in the engineering field i work in

ok, my question is... Europe 3g is diff than tmob usa 3g, but is tmob europe the same 3g setup as US? and if europe 3g is same as tmob europe 3g, is att US 3g same as europe 3g. so if tmob europe is same as europe 3g then a europe g1 should work on att US 3g. am i coming thru clear or am i jumping all over?
Shaggy

Shagman68 said:
ok, my question is... Europe 3g is diff than tmob usa 3g, but is tmob europe the same 3g setup as US? and if europe 3g is same as tmob europe 3g, is att US 3g same as europe 3g. so if tmob europe is same as europe 3g then a europe g1 should work on att US 3g. am i coming thru clear or am i jumping all over?
Shaggy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The American G1 has 3G support for HSDPA 1700 MHz & 2100 MHz, both bands I believe are used by T-Mobile. In Europe I believe they use only 2100 MHz band for 3G.
AT&T on the other hand uses 850 and 1900 MHz HSDPA
The phone has the capability for 2G at 850 and 1900 MHz, so technically it can be used on their network, just not at 3G speeds.
Although technically it's possible to design a Phase-Locked Loop to operate at a variable frequency and to be tuned with jumpers or something, it's probably cheaper for them or they might be subsidized to make phones so that they are exclusive for one network in the US.
To me the ideal is more about standardizing the protocols and the frequencies used for all companies, and having all bands available for traffic. But at least in the short-term that's not really good for business and so probably won't happen for a while.
This is all based entirely on a limited amount of research and my opinion, take it for what it's worth.

Europe uses 1900/2100 in a pair (1900 is the uplink, 2100 is the downlink). (source)
Most phones produced these days are tri or quad band and can work (almost) anywhere.. I'm surprised the G1 isn't.

Shagman68 said:
ok, my question is... Europe 3g is diff than tmob usa 3g, but is tmob europe the same 3g setup as US? and if europe 3g is same as tmob europe 3g, is att US 3g same as europe 3g. so if tmob europe is same as europe 3g then a europe g1 should work on att US 3g. am i coming thru clear or am i jumping all over?
Shaggy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TonyHoyle said:
Europe uses 1900/2100 in a pair (1900 is the uplink, 2100 is the downlink). (source)
Most phones produced these days are tri or quad band and can work (almost) anywhere.. I'm surprised the G1 isn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*sigh*.
Folks, you need to learn about UMTS bands before complaining about that the G1 or any other phone can't do this or that when it certainly can.
The G1 is a 3g worldphone. It works on the US 1700 AWS network (UMTS Band IV) and works on the world's 2100 network (UMTS Band I). ATT uses the 1900 Band (UMTS Band II).
Apparently the common names for these networks is being confused with the actual operating frequencies because they don't upload and download on the same frequencies. The 1900 band is not the same as the 2100 band, even though the 2100 band (UMTS Band I) uploads in the 1900mhz frequency and downloads at the 2100mhz frequency range. The 1900 Band (UMTS Band II) uploads on the upper half of the 1800mhz and downloads on the 1900mhz frequency range. UMTS Band II uploads on the frequencies that UMTS Band I downloads.
These bands separate.
TMO 3g band is different from ATT 3g band which is also different from EU 3g band.
The 1700 band (UMTS band IV) is actually made up of 2 frequency ranges like the other bands I and II are: 1700mhz and 2100mhz. In fact, the 2100mhz download range for UMTS Band IV is within the same frequencies used for the Band I download range, theoretically making it cheaper/easier for manufacturers who make Band I phones to "support" UMTS Band IV phone production.
Most phones produced today are NOT "tri or quad-band" 3g phones. In fact, I have yet to find a quad-band 3g phone. If quad-band 3g phones were made, they would be very likely to support the T-Mobile 3g network, because it's the 4th largest UMTS band type (behind Band I, II, and V). I would be very shocked to find a phone which was 2100/1900/900/850 instead of 2100/1900/1700/850.
And the G1 is a worldphone. It works just fine on UMTS in Europe. It is a band I and band IV device.
read these 2 links:
http://www.htc.com/www/product/g1/specification.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UMTS_frequency_bands#UMTS-FDD
So to clarify, when you see a list of support bands, this is what you should interpret from those advertised bands:
2100 Band = UMTS Band I (The entire world outside of North America)
1900 Band = UMTS Band II (The Americas, ATT)
1700 Band = UMTS Band IV (The Americas, TMO)
900 Band = UMTS Band VIII (Australia)
850 Band = UMTS Band V (The Americas, ATT)
Outside of North America, the 2100 band is almost universally deployed, even where the 850,900,1700 or 1900 band is deployed.

Can someone please help me decipher my carriers 3G/4G frequencies?

Hi guys,
My carrier is Digicel in Barbados (Caribbean), i asked what frequencies they used for 3G and 4G on their facebook page and they responded that the frequencies are 900,1800 & 2100.
Which fequencies are used for what? I think 900 & 2100 are 3G but i'm not 100% sure and i'm lost about the 4G frequency.
Thanks for any help.

I believe 3G works on the 900mhz band. Everything is is just EDGE.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Digicel#Caribbean_and_Central_American_Operations (remove space in ". org"):
GSM (EDGE (2G)): 900/1800/1900 MHz
UMTS (3G): 1900 MHz
HSDPA (4G) will (almost) definitely use 2100 MHz.
I don't know too much about the specifications behind 4G, but I'm pretty sure it utilizes two bands simultaneously. A few of the bands commonly used for 4G are 850, 1700, 1900, and 2100 MHz, so you'll often see something like HSDPA 850/1900 or 1700/2100. I don't know what Digicel Barbados would be using alongside 2100 MHz.

Well it depends from country to country, because each country uses some frequencies to something (ex. TDT), and mobile phone companies need to reserve the frequencies to use them on their services.
In Portugal, at the moment, LTE uses the 2600 Mhz frequency (Standart for Europe), but when TDT is fully implemented and analog signal is completely turned off, LTE will also use 850 Mhz frequency because it can offer better coverage indoors (comparing to the 2600 Mhz).
In Barbados I have no ideia, but if you know the name of the National Communications Authority (in Portugal it's called ANACOM), search on their website for information about the frequencies used by the mobile operators.

-m3ta- said:
Well it depends from country to country, because each country uses some frequencies to something (ex. TDT), and mobile phone companies need to reserve the frequencies to use them on their services.
In Portugal, at the moment, LTE uses the 2600 Mhz frequency (Standart for Europe), but when TDT is fully implemented and analog signal is completely turned off, LTE will also use 850 Mhz frequency because it can offer better coverage indoors (comparing to the 2600 Mhz).
In Barbados I have no ideia, but if you know the name of the National Communications Authority (in Portugal it's called ANACOM), search on their website for information about the frequencies used by the mobile operators.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll check this out, thanks guys.:good:

Frequency bands and protocol?

I'm confused on bands / frequency.
I thought each technology had their own specific band. For example LTE would operate on it's own band and HSPA would operate on a separate unique band.
However, I'm looking at frequencies now and I'm seeing the multiple technology operating on the same band. I don't understand that.
In example I'm seeing something like this
3G capabilities = 850, 900 MHz, PCS, IMT ,UMTS / HSPA+
3G capabilities = 850, AWS (Band IV), 1900, 2100 MHz, UMTS / HSPA+ / DC-HSPA+
I don't get how 3G has different bands. Also looking at the above, are they saying HSPA+ does not have a frequency? or that those listed frequencies can support HSPA+?

1dtms said:
I'm confused on bands / frequency.
I thought each technology had their own specific band. For example LTE would operate on it's own band and HSPA would operate on a separate unique band.
However, I'm looking at frequencies now and I'm seeing the multiple technology operating on the same band. I don't understand that.
In example I'm seeing something like this
3G capabilities = 850, 900 MHz, PCS, IMT ,UMTS / HSPA+
3G capabilities = 850, AWS (Band IV), 1900, 2100 MHz, UMTS / HSPA+ / DC-HSPA+
I don't get how 3G has different bands. Also looking at the above, are they saying HSPA+ does not have a frequency? or that those listed frequencies can support HSPA+?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bands are kind of like channels, different frequencies have different benefits.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_frequencies
The different technologies are not all deployed on one tower. What happens is tower a may use umts on 1900mhz where tower b across the state may only use pcs on that frequency.

Generally,
Lower frequency, more range and penetration through buildings and trees BUT less bandwidth.
Higher frequency less range and penetration through buildings and trees but higher bandwidth.
Now, with that being said what is done with the frequency with things like FDMA, TDMA, CDMA, and OFDMA can change how much is sent on the frequency and how many users can share a frequency.
The term waveform can be used to describe what is being done with the frequency much like AM vs FM.
That is the difference in 3G, 4G, and 5G. The technology on what the frequency is doing.
That is also why the higher the G the more battery is used. It takes more computing power to sperate your traffic from everyone else.