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Hello gents, I'll start with a short story to get you into the thread:
Me and my girlfriend live in Venezuela, our service providers are not up to par with american or european carriers in terms of available devices, so we bought an HTC Magic for each of us last year to try out Android, everything was fine, I learned how to root it, install roms and such, and we had a pretty good run with the phone and the OS.
Last week we got robbed and they took away our phones, I decided to get a Nexus S for her and I found one at a good price on eBay(270$+shipping) however this one is branded for Sprint, will I be able to go to my service provider and just tell them to attach my account to the phone I bought on ebay? or are the Sprint and Verizon Nexus S locked to those carriers exclusively?
If the answer to the second question is yes, then a third question is raised, can I in any way unlock this phone to use it on my non-american service provider?
I have seen other threads and the replies are always "the Nexus S is factory unlocked." but I dont know if this refers exclusively to the ones sold in the UK or retail stores in the US.
I apologize for any noobish behaviour, I'm a big fan of devices and gadgets yet I lack a lot of the technical skills you all seem to demonstrate.
Thanks in advance.
-Gaash
There is no such thing as a Verizon Nexus S. Sprint Nexus S have different radio bands than the regular Nexus S (I9020T/I9020A/I9023) and features a 4G radio with it. You have to make sure that the phone is compatible with your carrier's bands. Another thing to note is that the Sprint Nexus S is CDMA (No SIM card) as well.
All Nexus S models come unlocked regardless if you're on the contract or not. Sorry to hear about your incident
The model I bought is GT-I9020T, according to people on the internet(random links on google) this model works on GSM frequencies of 850, 900, 1800, & 1900. It supports UMTS 900, 1700, and 2100 frequencies.
My current provider works on 850 and 1900 for GSM and 850 for CDMA.
Do you think I will have trouble using the phone I bought for my girl?
I feel terribly dumb when I ask this, I cant explain why, hehe.
Oh, I think I figured it out, I bought for her the non branded GSM version, so yes, it will probably work on my provider.
But what happens if I buy a Sprint CDMA one for myself? Those are definitely cheaper, and CDMA seems to be better down here, at least more stable.
Thanks for your replies, and simpathy, it's been a rough week without a smartphone for both of us.
Gaash said:
Oh, I think I figured it out, I bought for her the non branded GSM version, so yes, it will probably work on my provider.
But what happens if I buy a Sprint CDMA one for myself? Those are definitely cheaper, and CDMA seems to be better down here, at least more stable.
Thanks for your replies, and simpathy, it's been a rough week without a smartphone for both of us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure and I wouldn't say the CDMA version is more stable. I personally never used the Nexus S 4G but from what I can tell from threads is that there are problems with WiFi or something of that sort.
You might want to ask the carrier yourself via phone to see if it would be compatible or so. Just let them know about the bands the phone supports.
And that's interesting if your carrier supports CDMA and GSM.
CDMA = No SIM card
GSM = SIM card
GSM is more popular around the world. Just including that just incase!
Alright, so I talked to my carrier they said the following:
-If I buy a CDMA phone with no contract on the US I will be able to register it on their network.
-If I buy an unlocked GSM phone I can register it on their network.
I guess I'll have to buy a couple of GSMs just to be sure... even tho they are about 100$ more expensive.
Thanks for all the replies, catch you later!
Not too long ago, I had heard that the Verizon Galaxy S3 would support global roaming in a future update. With the Verizon Galaxy S3 release imminent, I was wondering if this was still the case.
I recently ordered a Galaxy S3 for my Dad, considering his contract with Verizon was up and the data plans were changing. Now, my dad often travels back and forth between the US and South Korea; so often in that he carries two different Android phones for each country (DROID Incredible on Verizon and Nexus S on KT).
Would it be possible for him to dump both the Incredible and Nexus S phones and use only Verizon Galaxy S3 on both of the carriers (if unlocked), by just swapping out the SIM card when traveling between Korea and the US? He will be keeping KT as his cell provider in Korea and from what I've heard, KT does allow foreign phones to be registered on their network, as long as they're unlocked. Both Verizon and KT support CDMA & LTE, but I'm not sure if their frequency bands overlap and if the Verizon S3 would be able to hook onto both without having to flash the radio.
I see that there's already a Voodoo S3 SIM Unlock app on Google Play (probably not compatible with Verizon S3 yet, but maybe eventually possible?).
Either way, it'd be awesome to be able to use the S3 as his main phone on both carriers with a simple SIM card swap! Does anyone have any insight on this, whether it would be possible or not?
CKTurbo128 said:
Not too long ago, I had heard that the Verizon Galaxy S3 would support global roaming in a future update. With the Verizon Galaxy S3 release imminent, I was wondering if this was still the case.
I recently ordered a Galaxy S3 for my Dad, considering his contract with Verizon was up and the data plans were changing. Now, my dad often travels back and forth between the US and South Korea; so often in that he carries two different Android phones for each country (DROID Incredible on Verizon and Nexus S on KT).
Would it be possible for him to dump both the Incredible and Nexus S phones and use only Verizon Galaxy S3 on both of the carriers (if unlocked), by just swapping out the SIM card when traveling between Korea and the US? He will be keeping KT as his cell provider in Korea and from what I've heard, KT does allow foreign phones to be registered on their network, as long as they're unlocked. Both Verizon and KT support CDMA & LTE, but I'm not sure if their frequency bands overlap and if the Verizon S3 would be able to hook onto both without having to flash the radio.
I see that there's already a Voodoo S3 SIM Unlock app on Google Play (probably not compatible with Verizon S3 yet, but maybe eventually possible?).
Either way, it'd be awesome to be able to use the S3 as his main phone on both carriers with a simple SIM card swap! Does anyone have any insight on this, whether it would be possible or not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I understand it, the Verizon S3 needs a software update to unlock the GSM bands within the radio, which currently is not available...Also the LTE Bands are Not Compatible, according to my research Verizon uses 700/750 KT uses 1800. The Verizon S3 has 700/750 LTE Support...Also note while the Verizon S3 likely will have GSM support via a software update it will be Edge bands not WCDMA/HSPA+...as for the CDMA side out of luck there too according to KT they use the 1800 band and the Verizon S3 only has 850/1900 band for CDMA...in short getting the Verizon S3 will in no way help your father ditch his second phone...If your father is an international traveler he would be better suited to using a GSM carrier then buying a phone like the Galaxy Nexus which is pentaband WCDMA, this will work in any country that has WCDMA, I can vouch personally that my GNex (GSM Unlocked) works in S. Korea with HSPA+ Data Speeds as I was just there this past February.
So though the GS3 would most likely not be able to use 4G (through HSPA+, I may also be misunderstanding...) would it be able to have 3G overseas? I ask since I will be traveling to China later this year and being able to use 3G over there would be more convenient than getting another phone...
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?
Hi I am interested in the note edge exynos version for use on t-mobile's HSPA+42 network. I know this variant will not have USA lte support. Which model should I be looking at? The exynos processor is better for low level hardware coding from what I've been reading. Basically it's better for emulators like ppsspp. Or maybe you guys should convince me to use a snapdragon. I don't know. Lte never seemed like a big deal to me with t-mobile's HSPA+42 network. I actually use straight talk, which in turn uses t-mobile's network. At first straight talk didn't even use lte. Now it does and I never thought it much of an upgrade and understood why the nexus 4 didn't support lte.
I didn't realize until after I received it that the KB2000 was the Chinese variant. The one I bought said it was was GSM unlocked. I switched over to T-Mobile but have abysmal service where I'm at. The most I've seen from my house all the way to work (which is admittedly, in the boonies) is 1 bar, and most of the time it's just an "x." I had Sprint before which was pretty bad, but at least actually worked. I figured T-Mobile would be the best bet, as they're merging, but that was a failure.
Anyway, the listing says the phone is GSM unlocked and not for Sprint or Verizon, so is there no hope for getting this phone on one of the CDMA networks? I love the phone, but if I can't use it as a phone, I can't do much...
Ugh,
Doesn't look so great my friend.
OnePlus 8T 5G Standard Edition Dual SIM TD-LTE CN 128GB KB2000 (BBK Kebab) Compatibility in United States
Wireless frequency band information for networks, devices, and countries - Stay connected anywhere in the world
www.frequencycheck.com
Dang, that's not great. Thanks a ton for the help! I've somehow never seen that site, I've been using willmyphonework.net, which is.. meh.
It won't work on Verizon well (if at all) since it's missing band 13. So Verizon is out.
Theoretically it could work okay on T-Mobile since it supports bands 2/4/12 but "boonies" coverage for T-Mobile is trash in my experience. It's also lacking band 71 which travels furthest from the tower (realistically this probably won't make a difference if you already have super poor signal). Some phones on T-Mobile will get native Sprint signal now too- I noticed this behavior on my Pixel 3a XL but not on my OnePlus 8T KB2005. Certainly the KB2000 will only connnect to native T-Mobile. This is reserved for iPhones, Samsungs, Pixels I think.
AT&T might be worth a shot. It supports bands 2/4/5/17 and KB2000 is on AT&T approved device list https://www.att.com/idpassets/images/support/wireless/Devices-Working-on-ATT-Network.pdf 17 is the low band coverage (700MHz) just like Verizon B13 and T-Mobile B12. AT&T has better rural deployments too in my experience. It won't get 5G and you're missing bands 14,30,66 but 2/4/5/17 is enough to have a decent network experience.
First of all, wow, thanks a bunch for the help!
Yeah, I was trying to get *away from* the big guys like Samsung and Google. I've had LG phones for a while and liked them (don't care for updates, so it doesn't bother me), but now that's a no go..
Saved up for the nice OnePlus, and I know people have said they're kind of "selling out," but they're still super root friendly and very open, so I was excited. I also knew I wanted to switch to GSM (been on Boost/Sprint forever, now), and I figured going to T-Mobile from Sprint would be my best bet, as I figured I'd have T-Mobile's coverage PLUS Sprint's, because of the buyout.
Then I read Sprint users can all fallback on T-Mobile, but not the other way around? Except for your listed "premium" models. And I also didn't figure the "boonies" service would be quite this bad; it's awful.
Other people around me say ATT is awful as well, pretty much only Sprint and Verizon are serviceable. Looking at the frequencies, it has no Sprint CDMA bands and with Verizon it only has one: BC0 (no BC1). I've read that 13 is Verizon's "main" LTE band, but how do we know this information? Is BC0 (800) better than BC1 (1900)? I know that *overall* with Verizon the service wouldn't be fantastic, but as long as there's connection in the boonies, that all I need, really.