[Q] Lumia 920 Pentaband? - Nokia Lumia 920

I'm confused in regards to conflicting information in regards to whether the 920 will run on both AT&T and T-Mobile's HSPA networks. I keep reading the phone is a pentaband and will run on both networks once the device is subsidy unlocked. Do we know for a fact that is the case? Finally, is what makes the Developer's Edition different the fact that it comes already factory subsidy unlocked to start with?

The ATT version of the Lumia 920, is not pentaband, the Rogers Canadian version IS though, it's pentaband for 3g and LTE, I can confirm as im currently running one on T-mobile and getting LTE and 4g HSPA

berrywr said:
I'm confused in regards to conflicting information in regards to whether the 920 will run on both AT&T and T-Mobile's HSPA networks. I keep reading the phone is a pentaband and will run on both networks once the device is subsidy unlocked. Do we know for a fact that is the case? Finally, is what makes the Developer's Edition different the fact that it comes already factory subsidy unlocked to start with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the at&t version of the 920, unlocked through their web request page. I'm not sure if it will answer your question, but in the Oklahoma City metro area where t-mobile has rolled out LTE, I get LTE and fall back on either 4G or edge. It usually stays in LTE unless I'm deep inside a building. Speeds are very nice at 15-20 down, 5-15 up.

Myst3ry said:
The ATT version of the Lumia 920, is not pentaband, the Rogers Canadian version IS though, it's pentaband for 3g and LTE, I can confirm as im currently running one on T-mobile and getting LTE and 4g HSPA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went to Canadagsm.ca and pulled up their Nokia phones and right out of the blocks the first phone pictured is the Lumia 920 "Pentaband" Unlocked for C$399 and the Rogers locked for C$375. But if the AT&T version is unlocked is it pentaband too?

dumeister said:
I have the at&t version of the 920, unlocked through their web request page. I'm not sure if it will answer your question, but in the Oklahoma City metro area where t-mobile has rolled out LTE, I get LTE and fall back on either 4G or edge. It usually stays in LTE unless I'm deep inside a building. Speeds are very nice at 15-20 down, 5-15 up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm trying to get a definitive answer in regards to whether if the 920 is unlocked it is in fact pentaband. I don't expect an AT&T subsidy locked 920 to be pentaband. Where we live we will never have 4G LTE but recently AT&T did upgrade PCS1900 from 2G to 3G HSPA+ and we also use Straight Talk which even if we had 4G LTE; 3G HSPA+ is all we'll get anyway. I do appreciate the reply; thank you!

Related

[Q] A question about AT&T / T-Mobile 4G

Hi, I'm in California and I have an Motorola Atrix with AT&T and I just unlocked my phone because I'm about to switch to T-mobile...
However, my friend told me that AT&T and T-Mobile has different 4G networks. He said the AT&T Atrix can not use 3G or 4G speed on a T-Mobile network, It can only go up to Edge speed.... Is that true? Does anyone know about this?
Hope some people can help me here ...
Thank you
tomcklam said:
Hi, I'm in California and I have an Motorola Atrix with AT&T and I just unlocked my phone because I'm about to switch to T-mobile...
However, my friend told me that AT&T and T-Mobile has different 4G networks. He said the AT&T Atrix can not use 3G or 4G speed on a T-Mobile network, It can only go up to Edge speed.... Is that true? Does anyone know about this?
Hope some people can help me here ...
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From everything I have read that is correct, but also know that it won't be much longer till you are back as an AT&T customer since they are acquiring T-Mobile.
tomcklam said:
Hi, I'm in California and I have an Motorola Atrix with AT&T and I just unlocked my phone because I'm about to switch to T-mobile...
However, my friend told me that AT&T and T-Mobile has different 4G networks. He said the AT&T Atrix can not use 3G or 4G speed on a T-Mobile network, It can only go up to Edge speed.... Is that true? Does anyone know about this?
Hope some people can help me here ...
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its true. While both AT&T and T-Mobile use HSPA+ for their "4G" speeds, they run on different bands. If you want 3G/4G, use a T-Mobile phone. Otherwise, enjoy EDGE. Opera Mini with images set to low will be a big help.
T-Mobile leases cellular space from AT&T which is why unlocked AT&T phones can use T-Mobile service. Not sure if it is the phone's software issue that is causing the 4G/3Gnot working. It's possible that T-mobile implemented their so called 4G first but it's still AT&T equipment.....I work for AT&T. Also 4G, is just higher speed 3G, 4G LTE won't be rolling out until next year.
Thank you for the quick reply... I need to get a T-Mobile phone then.
ernestdefoe said:
From everything I have read that is correct, but also know that it won't be much longer till you are back as an AT&T customer since they are acquiring T-Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, but sucks that they still charge minutes when I call a T-Mobile number. I'm switching it for my girlfriend, so I can get Unlimited mobile to mobile minutes... I might get a sensation when I switch to T-Mobile
Phoneguy589 said:
T-Mobile leases cellular space from AT&T which is why unlocked AT&T phones can use T-Mobile service. Not sure if it is the phone's software issue that is causing the 4G/3Gnot working. It's possible that T-mobile implemented their so called 4G first but it's still AT&T equipment.....I work for AT&T. Also 4G, is just higher speed 3G, 4G LTE won't be rolling out until next year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good job on the misinformation front.
And also not being helpful, I'm going to assume your in sales and don't actually know anything.
Now on to the OP's question.
T-Mobile uses the same type of technology as AT&T however they operate on different bands. As such most devices that are sold on AT&T will be able work on T-Mobile for phone and edge but don't get 3g or hspa+ due to the radio in the device only supporting some of the bands. Which is why as a general rule AT&T phones such as the iphone, will work on T-Mobile if unlocked but can't use 3g because it doesn't have the ability to operate in the correct MHZ range. Its the same going from T-Mobile to AT&T. My HD2 was awesome, other then the slow data. *Not that my atrix or inspire are much better.
There are exceptions to the rule though. You'll have to check to see which bands the Atrix is capable of using. I know some of the Samsung devices had all the GSM bands so they worked fine on all networks.
the answer is NO the atrix will not work on tmobile USA 3G or 4G network. there, done!
tomcklam said:
Thank you for the quick reply... I need to get a T-Mobile phone then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Problem is that if/when the AT&T/T-mobile merger goes through, AT&T will likely flip Tmobile's 3g towers to 4g. All tmobile 3G phones...sorry no more 3g unless you buy a new phone. yay....
linky
AT&T said Monday that it planned to convert T-Mobile's 3G towers to 4G service and move T-Mobile 3G subscribers to AT&T 3G phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gnahc79 said:
Problem is that if/when the AT&T/T-mobile merger goes through, AT&T will likely flip Tmobile's 3g towers to 4g. All tmobile 3G phones...sorry no more 3g unless you buy a new phone. yay....
linky
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They won't just flip a switch and everyone has to buy new phones. They will be phased out as people finish contracts and begin new ones. If they don't, they'll be buying T-Mobile customers all new phones or paying fatcat lawyers to defend them from all the lawsuits.
CaelanT said:
They won't just flip a switch and everyone has to buy new phones. They will be phased out as people finish contracts and begin new ones. If they don't, they'll be buying T-Mobile customers all new phones or paying fatcat lawyers to defend them from all the lawsuits.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, sorry I used the term 'flip', never meant to say it would happen instantly . The article I linked stated the switch would take several years. That's not written in stone though, AT&T could move up the timeline if they are losing too many customers to Verizon and Sprint.
This is only an issue if you plan on keeping your tmobile 3g phone for YEARS, which is not likely for anyone that frequents xda .

[Q] Titan on T-mobile US?

This may be stupid, but I can't find the answer in this forum.
I am drooling over the Titan, but am with T-mobile US and can't switch anytime soon.
If I buy a Titan 3rd party, can I use it for voice and data on T-mobile? Will I get full speed data?
Thanks.
You will get voice and data, but only 2G speeds. That goes for both the international version and att version.
Any info on some kind of quad band version that will work on both AT&T and T-Mobile?
pistol44 said:
Any info on some kind of quad band version that will work on both AT&T and T-Mobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titan is quad band according the htc.com
HSPA+/WCDMA 850/1900/2100MHz and Quad-band GSM/GPRS/Edge 850/900/1800/1900MHz
Shouldn't this work then? ATT's specs also say 850/1900/2100 MHz for HSPA/UMTS. T-mobile's HSPA/UMTS is on 1700/2100 MHz (according to Wikipedia). For the 2100 band, it should work, right? I am unsure as I am a simpleton and just comparing numbers and assuming that is all that has to match.
I would guess this would require an unlock.
T-Mobile uses both 1700 and 2100 bands for their 3G/HSPA+.
This is why it will not work.
I know because it pains me to not be able to get this device on T-Mobile.
wade_link said:
Shouldn't this work then? ATT's specs also say 850/1900/2100 MHz for HSPA/UMTS. T-mobile's HSPA/UMTS is on 1700/2100 MHz (according to Wikipedia). For the 2100 band, it should work, right? I am unsure as I am a simpleton and just comparing numbers and assuming that is all that has to match.
I would guess this would require an unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried, don't even think about it.
Go with AT&T GoPhone if you have Titan (Simfree), i am enjoying Unlimited All, (Call + Text + Web 4G ) with only $50 a month . Titan can get HSDPA+ (i think) on AT&T.
Im using the titan, unlocked on t-mobile and it does run on edge. honestly its not tooo terrible but edge sucks. and i cant get picture messages. idk i just might keep my hd7, sell this phone and wait for something better on t-mobile that i can actually use hahah but i love the giant screeen
Does this mean the Titan would get 3G or better on T-Mo US now?
http://www.phonearena.com/news/T-Mobiles-consolation-package-3-billion-7-year-3G-roaming-deal-128-AWS-markets_id24956
AT&T and T-Mobile UMTS Roaming Agreement
AT&T and T-Mobile agreed to roam on each other's UMTS bands for the next 7 years following the formal withdraw of AT&T's merger offer. As to when that becomes effective I do not know; I've yet to get an answer from either AT&T or T-Mobile on the subject and that's assuming they'll tell you; it takes an act of God to get through to AT&T's equivalent of T-Mobile's Tier 1,2 and 3 tech support. We have both AT&T and T-Mobile; and in the here and now, neither are compatible on each other's high speed bands; I have the Titan with AT&T and the Rhodium with T-Mobile; my Rhodium unlocked for use on AT&T and despite 3G in Columbus, GA and Auburn-Opelika, AL; I can only use Edge on AT&T. On my Titan it's either "E" or "4G", no 3G. What I have noticed is the Titan favors 4G and seeks those towers which is great if you're in the city, but rural; forget it. It's all Edge out here. It will hit the T-Mobile tower which is 4 bars in our Opelika location but immediately go to either no service or a 1 bar sometimes on 4G and others on Edge. We all know that "4G" isn't 4G and of course "Unlimited" isn't unlimited and politicians and marketing gurus think we're all stupid.

Confirmed: TMOUS Radar does 3G on AT&T

(Forking original thread)
I confirmed that the TMOUS Radar *is* capable of 3G on AT&T.
I unlocked it this morning and put in a prepaid AT&T SIM (GoPhone). HTC Connection Setup ran and a few minutes later I was on AT&T with 3G support. The phone recognizes the HSPA+ signal and lights up the indicators with the '4G' label.
The phone's box says it supports UMTS 1900 -- this fact is not listed in any other spec I've seen on-line for the device. That band is only one of the 2 AT&T use for UMTS, so if you are unlucky and have only 850 then 3G/4G probably won't work. Guess AT&T uses 1900 where I am.
Do you know of any way to tell which band at&t uses in various areas?
Sorry, I don't know of any way to know that. I am not an AT&T expert -- knowing whether the phone could be used w/ AT&T 3G was an academic exercise for me just to satisfy curiosity.
What did you use for unlock?
Wonder if it'll work, roaming on AT&T 3G, with a T-Mo US prepaid SIM...
- Sent from my HTC Radar 4G using the OMG XDA WTF WP7 BBQ App. =D
I got the unlock codes from T-Mobile.

[Q] AT&T 920 on T-Mobile with 3G?

I've had an HTC HD7 on T-Mobile for a good solid three years now, but it has become outdated and I need a new phone.
All the Windows Phones on T-Mobile are very crappy (in my opinion) and the phone I would love to have would be the Lumia 920.
My only problem is, it doesn't exist. My question is: If I were to buy a Lumia 920 locked to AT&T off of eBay, then get an unlock code, would it be possible to have it running with at least 3G speeds? All the radio frequencies point to yes, but I would like to check here first.
Thanks!
Bobsteriffic said:
I've had an HTC HD7 on T-Mobile for a good solid three years now, but it has become outdated and I need a new phone.
All the Windows Phones on T-Mobile are very crappy (in my opinion) and the phone I would love to have would be the Lumia 920.
My only problem is, it doesn't exist. My question is: If I were to buy a Lumia 920 locked to AT&T off of eBay, then get an unlock code, would it be possible to have it running with at least 3G speeds? All the radio frequencies point to yes, but I would like to check here first.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you read around, all at&t lumias 820 & 920 are locked. there is a rare rare chance of getting an unlock code from AT&T. All the sites in the web are scams. It would be better to buy a Rogers Unlocked 920 because: 1. they have the same antennas as AT&T, some say the phones are pentaband and 2. they are already unlocked.
or get an international unlocked. some reports stated you can flash the firmware from other countries and get AWS.
Long story short, unless you want straight talk which is powered by AT&T, you wont have a good chance of getting an AT&T lumia sim unlocked
hope i am wrong. working on getting a code or two time will tell
jhr said:
if you read around, all at&t lumias 820 & 920 are locked. there is a rare rare chance of getting an unlock code from AT&T. All the sites in the web are scams. It would be better to buy a Rogers Unlocked 920 because: 1. they have the same antennas as AT&T, some say the phones are pentaband and 2. they are already unlocked.
or get an international unlocked. some reports stated you can flash the firmware from other countries and get AWS.
Long story short, unless you want straight talk which is powered by AT&T, you wont have a good chance of getting an AT&T lumia sim unlocked
hope i am wrong. working on getting a code or two time will tell
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you point me towards the direction of the Rogers Lumia? I've heard about them but I have no idea where to find them.
Bobsteriffic said:
Can you point me towards the direction of the Rogers Lumia? I've heard about them but I have no idea where to find them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
eBay.
Bobsteriffic said:
Can you point me towards the direction of the Rogers Lumia? I've heard about them but I have no idea where to find them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://www.google.com/#hl=en&outpu...94,d.aWM&fp=e404425d9557a858&biw=1680&bih=834
google search my friend, anyways ebay is good, like other stated, craigslist but rare. negri electronics, expansys. there is a canadian retailer that sells them and ships them to the USA, but in the long run buying new and out of country will cost you a shinnier penny than at AT&T
go to http://forums.wpcentral.com/marketplace-buy-sell-trade/
Bobsteriffic said:
Can you point me towards the direction of the Rogers Lumia? I've heard about them but I have no idea where to find them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought mine at canadagsm.ca and had it in my hands 3 days later in Miami. And, so far is the best phone I've owned. It is a pentaband so it will work with T-MOBILE. Also, I have none of the problems others are mentionning on this forum (dust in front of the FFC, etc ...).
SO, I'm very satisfied !!!
Realized that there are two threads...I'm pasting my reply here and requesting the other to be deleted.
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I'm on T-Mobile as well. I ended up purchasing a Lumia 920 international unlocked (Polish variant). The international variant uses the same 3G frequency as the AT&T variant (1900 MHz 3G).
T-Mobile has been refarming their network and they are now running 3G on 1900 MHz as well, in addition to the original 1700 MHz.
If you're in the Mill Creek, WA area, I can't tell you how the 1900 MHz 3G network performs since I'm not in that area. However, I live in Bellevue, go to UW and work in Shoreline and 3G coverage on the 1900 MHz network has been pretty good. At UW, I can get anywhere between 7-15 Mbit/sec.
To answer your question, yes an AT&T version will have 3G on T-Mobile's network, but only if you're in an area that has received refarming.
Hope this helps. Feel free to send any more questions my way!
hawc1506 said:
Realized that there are two threads...I'm pasting my reply here and requesting the other to be deleted.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm on T-Mobile as well. I ended up purchasing a Lumia 920 international unlocked (Polish variant). The international variant uses the same 3G frequency as the AT&T variant (1900 MHz 3G).
T-Mobile has been refarming their network and they are now running 3G on 1900 MHz as well, in addition to the original 1700 MHz.
If you're in the Mill Creek, WA area, I can't tell you how the 1900 MHz 3G network performs since I'm not in that area. However, I live in Bellevue, go to UW and work in Shoreline and 3G coverage on the 1900 MHz network has been pretty good. At UW, I can get anywhere between 7-15 Mbit/sec.
To answer your question, yes an AT&T version will have 3G on T-Mobile's network, but only if you're in an area that has received refarming.
Hope this helps. Feel free to send any more questions my way!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now this here is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you! Now all I need to do is to find an unlock code for the AT&T Lumia 920
Bobsteriffic said:
Now this here is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you! Now all I need to do is to find an unlock code for the AT&T Lumia 920
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck as right now they don't exist. The sites claiming to have them are scams. Those claiming to have received one are most likely working for or being paid by those same scam sites.
Solarenemy68 said:
Good luck as right now they don't exist. The sites claiming to have them are scams. Those claiming to have received one are most likely working for or being paid by those same scam sites.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true. Do NOT give your money to any site claiming to unlock the AT&T 920. It will only be possible for those sites to do so after May 9th, and then still only buy it from reputable sites!
The ONLY way to unlock an AT&T 920 is if you're an AT&T customer and push really hard with the customer support. It might also be only customers with accounts on business discounts (tied to your work email) that are able to get it. I get premier business customer support when I call in to AT&T and I even had to argue on the phone for 60 minutes in total with all the reps I talked to before I was able to get them to submit an unlock request.

[Q] Tmobile US LTE APN for 920 from Singapore

Hi guys,
I am on T-Mobile prepaid plan. I bought a Lumia 920 from Singapore few months ago in anticipation of the 1900 refarm from T-Mobile. But while the default APN profile has been updated to "T-Mobile LTE" from the carrier from months ago, the max speed I see now is 3G in Chicago. I've done some research and tried a couple of the following:
1 Added new APN under epc.tmobile.com
2 Enable ENS
3 Limit the connection speed to 3G instead of 4G
But none seems to bring me to the LTE speed. I thought maybe because LTE has not arrived in Chicago yet, but few days ago I went to one of the T-Mobile store and found that their demo Lumia 925 showed LTE. The stuff from the store said because I am using an unlocked 920, LTE is not supported. I don't think this is the right answer.
Does anyone has the same issue with your international 920 under T-Mobile in the US?
t_huankiat said:
Hi guys,
I am on T-Mobile prepaid plan. I bought a Lumia 920 from Singapore few months ago in anticipation of the 1900 refarm from T-Mobile. But while the default APN profile has been updated to "T-Mobile LTE" from the carrier from months ago, the max speed I see now is 3G in Chicago. I've done some research and tried a couple of the following:
1 Added new APN under epc.tmobile.com
2 Enable ENS
3 Limit the connection speed to 3G instead of 4G
But none seems to bring me to the LTE speed. I thought maybe because LTE has not arrived in Chicago yet, but few days ago I went to one of the T-Mobile store and found that their demo Lumia 925 showed LTE. The stuff from the store said because I am using an unlocked 920, LTE is not supported. I don't think this is the right answer.
Does anyone has the same issue with your international 920 under T-Mobile in the US?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What version you bough RM-820, 821 or 822 from Singapore. I think you have not supported LTE bands, so probably you got 821 / 822
boril said:
What version you bough RM-820, 821 or 822 from Singapore. I think you have not supported LTE bands, so probably you got 821 / 822
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow I just checked, it's indeed a RM 821! I did a search and found the following info from WP Central forum:
RM820 is the North American variant. Has pentaband UMTS (850/900/1700/1900/2100) and North American LTE bands.
RM821 is rest-of-world (except China). Has quadband UMTS (850/900/1900/2100) and European LTE bands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My understanding is as long as it supports 1900 band it can access the LTE speed on T-Mobile. That's not the case then?
t_huankiat said:
Wow I just checked, it's indeed a RM 821! I did a search and found the following info from WP Central forum:
My understanding is as long as it supports 1900 band it can access the LTE speed on T-Mobile. That's not the case then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just because it supports the 1900 band, does not mean that the ROM and hardware are setup to support LTE. The market the 821 was released for does not have LTE so the protocols where never implemented in that model. The 3G you see the phone operating at is the highest speed the market it came from supports. So that is the highest protocol that was installed into that model. You may want to sell it and get one of the other models.
Incompatible Bands
t_huankiat said:
Wow I just checked, it's indeed a RM 821! I did a search and found the following info from WP Central forum:
My understanding is as long as it supports 1900 band it can access the LTE speed on T-Mobile. That's not the case then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi t_huankiat,
To the extent of my knowledge, T-Mobile has only deployed LTE on the 1700/2100MHz frequency band (different from 2100MHz, that is IMT) commonly known as AWS spectrum or Band 4. The only variants of the 920 that contains these are RM-820 models. The good news is, an unlocked AT&T Nokia Lumia 920 can be used on T-Mobile's LTE network because they both use AWS spectrum to deliver LTE service. The downside is that in areas without LTE or refarmed HSPA+, your service will drop to 2G. In order to prevent these shortfalls, the only RM-820 variants that run on AWS HSPA+ are the Canadian and Developer Edition, given out at Microsoft BUILD 2012.
You may be thinking, what is with this confusion. Previously, T-Mobile USA rolled out their 3G HSPA network on AWS spectrum, because they hadn't won any PCS spectrum (1900MHz). In the Americas, AWS spectrum was not deployed as prevalent as PCS. The result, T-Mobile required special handsets to access 3G. When they transitioned over to HSPA+ and DC-HSPA+, they continued to use AWS widening the compatibility gap. After the AT&T/T-Mobile buyout fell through, T-Mobile gained PCS licenses as part of the deal. T-Mobile, shortly after, announced the jump to LTE and the refarm of HSPA+ (current 3G/4G service) to the PCS spectrum. As of now, the refarm isn't fully complete so some areas still broadcast 3G/4G on on the AWS spectrum. To add insult to injury, these areas do not have have LTE deployed either. Summing up what has been said, the best options for a seamless wireless experience is to use a Nokia Lumia 925 or find a non-AT&T RM-820. If you look on eBay, you will find a few for sale right now. I really hope this helps!
-Arekusandaa
Solarenemy68 said:
Just because it supports the 1900 band, does not mean that the ROM and hardware are setup to support LTE. The market the 821 was released for does not have LTE so the protocols where never implemented in that model. The 3G you see the phone operating at is the highest speed the market it came from supports. So that is the highest protocol that was installed into that model. You may want to sell it and get one of the other models.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should have done more research before I bought the phone! I did not realize 920 has so many variation even in Singapore! While I will miss the LTE, I can live with 3G speed since I don't use the phone for streaming or anything bandwidth intensive.
Arekusandaa said:
Hi t_huankiat,
To the extent of my knowledge, T-Mobile has only deployed LTE on the 1700/2100MHz frequency band (different from 2100MHz, that is IMT) commonly known as AWS spectrum or Band 4. The only variants of the 920 that contains these are RM-820 models. The good news is, an unlocked AT&T Nokia Lumia 920 can be used on T-Mobile's LTE network because they both use AWS spectrum to deliver LTE service. The downside is that in areas without LTE or refarmed HSPA+, your service will drop to 2G. In order to prevent these shortfalls, the only RM-820 variants that run on AWS HSPA+ are the Canadian and Developer Edition, given out at Microsoft BUILD 2012.
You may be thinking, what is with this confusion. Previously, T-Mobile USA rolled out their 3G HSPA network on AWS spectrum, because they hadn't won any PCS spectrum (1900MHz). In the Americas, AWS spectrum was not deployed as prevalent as PCS. The result, T-Mobile required special handsets to access 3G. When they transitioned over to HSPA+ and DC-HSPA+, they continued to use AWS widening the compatibility gap. After the AT&T/T-Mobile buyout fell through, T-Mobile gained PCS licenses as part of the deal. T-Mobile, shortly after, announced the jump to LTE and the refarm of HSPA+ (current 3G/4G service) to the PCS spectrum. As of now, the refarm isn't fully complete so some areas still broadcast 3G/4G on on the AWS spectrum. To add insult to injury, these areas do not have have LTE deployed either. Summing up what has been said, the best options for a seamless wireless experience is to use a Nokia Lumia 925 or find a non-AT&T RM-820. If you look on eBay, you will find a few for sale right now. I really hope this helps!
-Arekusandaa
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main reason I got the phone from Singapore was because it supports 1900MHz and it's in Chicago now. But I overlooked the fact that the ROM matters too. So now I am pretty much stuck with 3G speed. It's a lesson learned, I will have to be extra careful next time when I get an unlocked phone. Thanks for your insight!
It's Not The End of the World
t_huankiat said:
The main reason I got the phone from Singapore was because it supports 1900MHz and it's in Chicago now. But I overlooked the fact that the ROM matters too. So now I am pretty much stuck with 3G speed. It's a lesson learned, I will have to be extra careful next time when I get an unlocked phone. Thanks for your insight!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't worry, you will still be able to use their DC-HSPA+ network, where available. This technology is capable of up to 42.1Mbps theoretically. Even before T-Mobile began deploying LTE, their DC-HSPA+ network was usually testing faster than Verizon's LTE network. While you may not see LTE until you upgrade to an AWS capable handset, their "fallback" 4G should suffice.
-arekusandaa

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