Looking for any insight to using the SGS2 on TMo and getting anything better than EDGE speeds.
As I understand it (via wikipedia) TMo has these bands:
[TMobile USA] owns licenses to operate a 1900 MHz GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) PCS (Personal Communications Service) digital cellular network and a 1700 MHz/2100 MHz UMTS AWS (Advanced Wireless Services) digital cellular network that cover areas of the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It provides coverage in areas in which it does not own radio frequency spectrum licenses via roaming agreements with other operators of compatible networks.
And then from Samsung's website:
Network
HSPA+ 21Mbps/ HSUPA 5.76Mbps
EDGE/ GPRS Class 12
Quad band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Quad band UMTS 850/900/1900/2100
So, what gives? Seems like the 2100 UMTS service should match up between the two. Is this an issue because TMo is somehow blocking the use of the unbranded phone on their system? If so, and on a much more advanced level, I'd think there'd be a way to make TMo think I'm using the PoS smartphone they gave me to use on their system... or am I smokin' that crackberry?
Needs both 1700 and 2100 if I remember correctly.
gmstrollo said:
Looking for any insight to using the SGS2 on TMo and getting anything better than EDGE speeds.
As I understand it (via wikipedia) TMo has these bands:
[TMobile USA] owns licenses to operate a 1900 MHz GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) PCS (Personal Communications Service) digital cellular network and a 1700 MHz/2100 MHz UMTS AWS (Advanced Wireless Services) digital cellular network that cover areas of the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It provides coverage in areas in which it does not own radio frequency spectrum licenses via roaming agreements with other operators of compatible networks.
And then from Samsung's website:
Network
HSPA+ 21Mbps/ HSUPA 5.76Mbps
EDGE/ GPRS Class 12
Quad band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Quad band UMTS 850/900/1900/2100
So, what gives? Seems like the 2100 UMTS service should match up between the two. Is this an issue because TMo is somehow blocking the use of the unbranded phone on their system? If so, and on a much more advanced level, I'd think there'd be a way to make TMo think I'm using the PoS smartphone they gave me to use on their system... or am I smokin' that crackberry?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One is up and the other is down so you need both 1700 and 2100 to use T-Mobile's data network. No version of the SGS2 any where in the world supports T-Mobile's AWS bands. T-Mobile's getting a dual-core version of the Infuse in September that supports their bands.
BarryH_GEG said:
One is up and the other is down so you need both 1700 and 2100 to use T-Mobile's data network. No version of the SGS2 any where in the world supports T-Mobile's AWS bands. T-Mobile's getting a dual-core version of the Infuse in September that supports their bands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HERCULES..
pachi72 said:
HERCULES..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the chance of one of those "Hercules"...SGS2 by another name apparently...having an antenna board that will drop into another SGS2?
I see a lot of brilliant software hacks and tweaks around here. Don't see a lot in the hardware realm, tho (like a new antenna board, for instance.) Is this not the place for that or is that at a completely unrealistic level of development?
gmstrollo said:
What's the chance of one of those "Hercules"...SGS2 by another name apparently...having an antenna board that will drop into another SGS2?
I see a lot of brilliant software hacks and tweaks around here. Don't see a lot in the hardware realm, tho (like a new antenna board, for instance.) Is this not the place for that or is that at a completely unrealistic level of development?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll need an antenna engineer with a test chamber to tune the antenna. A lot of factors play into more than just fitting into it. You might have to play with different patterns depending on how much different the overall phone mechanics and materials are from Hercules to the SGS2.
Related
Hey,
The T9193 version of the HD2 has the radio bands 850/2100 in it for HSDPA 3G speeds, but just the 850 band is needed to support AT&T's 3G service in the US.
Would it be possible to create a new radio ROM that disables/turns-off the 2100 band for U.S. users, since this band is useless anyway, and it may help extend the battery life of our HD2 by not having to power the 2100 section of the radio, especially if it makes any transmit attempts by the phone on the 2100 band (transmitting uses a lot more power then receiving).
Any chance of this?
JohnCody said:
Hey,
The T9193 version of the HD2 has the radio bands 850/2100 in it for HSDPA 3G speeds, but just the 850 band is needed to support AT&T's 3G service in the US.
Would it be possible to create a new radio ROM that disables/turns-off the 2100 band for U.S. users, since this band is useless anyway, and it may help extend the battery life of our HD2 by not having to power the 2100 section of the radio, especially if it makes any transmit attempts by the phone on the 2100 band (transmitting uses a lot more power then receiving).
Any chance of this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-mobile is also using HSPDA/3G @ 850 also and nowhere else? I hope so because pretty much half or better of the users of these forums are T-Mobile and *not* AT&T subscribers. Jus sayin.
JohnCody said:
Hey,
The T9193 version of the HD2 has the radio bands 850/2100 in it for HSDPA 3G speeds, but just the 850 band is needed to support AT&T's 3G service in the US.
Would it be possible to create a new radio ROM that disables/turns-off the 2100 band for U.S. users, since this band is useless anyway, and it may help extend the battery life of our HD2 by not having to power the 2100 section of the radio, especially if it makes any transmit attempts by the phone on the 2100 band (transmitting uses a lot more power then receiving).
Any chance of this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROM cooks do not have such fine grain control over radio bands.... Sorry.
I don't believe the T9193's radio has the 2100 Mhz band, otherwize I'd be able to use it in my area to get 3G coverage. (We only have Edge on the 850 Mhz band here)
Hopefully someone who knows for sure can answer this.
JohnCody said:
Hey,
The T9193 version of the HD2 has the radio bands 850/2100 in it for HSDPA 3G speeds, but just the 850 band is needed to support AT&T's 3G service in the US.
Would it be possible to create a new radio ROM that disables/turns-off the 2100 band for U.S. users, since this band is useless anyway, and it may help extend the battery life of our HD2 by not having to power the 2100 section of the radio, especially if it makes any transmit attempts by the phone on the 2100 band (transmitting uses a lot more power then receiving).
Any chance of this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mate,
you already tried this?
In Dialer > Menu (right soft-buttom) > Baseband > Band Frequency
or
Start > Settings > Personal Settings > Phone
But 850 Mhz is just for GSM not WCDMA... it's right?
2udCrRAZdK said:
I don't believe the T9193's radio has the 2100 Mhz band, otherwize I'd be able to use it in my area to get 3G coverage. (We only have Edge on the 850 Mhz band here)
Hopefully someone who knows for sure can answer this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure the T9193 has the 2100 band, but 2100 is useless in the US because AT&T uses 850/1900 for 3G. The T9193 is an Australian phone made for Telstar (their cell phone company). The 3G bands used over there are 850/2100. So, because AT&T also uses the 850 band, thats why we are able to use this phone with AT&T's 3G here over in the US.
However, the 2100 band of the phone is useless in the US because is was intended to be used for 3G in australia.
The good news is that AT&T is phasing out the 1900 band for 3G and switching everything over to 850, so the HD2 will just get more and more 3G coverage as time goes on and then even the 1900 band won't be used anymore so it would be irrelevant if the HD2 has a 1900 band or a 2100 band because both would be useless.
NRGZ28 said:
ROM cooks do not have such fine grain control over radio bands.... Sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha - thanks for the info.
2udCrRAZdK said:
I don't believe the T9193's radio has the 2100 Mhz band, otherwize I'd be able to use it in my area to get 3G coverage. (We only have Edge on the 850 Mhz band here)
Hopefully someone who knows for sure can answer this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you neglected to say where "here" is
The best available combination for world-wide 3G access is 850/2100 Mhz. This is because:
1) 850Mhz is used in Canada, US, S Americas, Aus, S Africa for 3G broadcasting in regional areas (and in some city areas)
2) 2100Mhz is used in Asia, EU, Aus cities for 3G broadcasting
This is due to the actual physics of velocity = frequency x wavelength
Some telcos use 1900Mhz in the cities, but also broadcast in 850Mhz
Other telcos use 900Mhz in the regional areas, but also broadcast in 2100Mhz in the cities
ATT in the US uses 850mhz in the regionals and 1900Mhz in the cities. This ensures that "their" PDA's cannot use other SIM's - I have no idea why the dumbed-down US market meekly accepts that
The perfect combo is tri-frequency hardware, such as PDA manufacturers used to provide but do not any more (no excuses, it's just straight cost-cutting and sleight-of-hand marketing BS to suit the greedy telcos)
The HD2 released in Aus through Telstra is hardware-filtered for 2100/850 Mhz, the best available combo for world-wide use (not perfect, of course)
The HD2 released in EU/Asia is 2100/900 Mhz. This will access 3G in most cities world-wide (note that China uses 2100/850) but has limited coverage in regional areas - yes, I know there many 900 Mhz deployments but these are very limited geographically
The HD2 released in the US is 1900/850 Mhz. This is very limited for world-wide cities and excludes 3G coverage for those countries that use 2100/900 Mhz
None of this has any relation to GSM coverage, so please do not confuse them
Is the hardware actually different?
I live in NZ and unfortunately bought a T-Mobile unit which is set up for 1700/2100mHz which means that when in the cities I get full broadband, but in the regions I only get dial up speeds through GSM.
My question is does anyone know if the hardware could actually use the 900mhz broadband - or is it a pipe dream on my part that hopefully someone will release a ROM to access some previously hidden hardware?
I do recall with my Touch that there was a GPS built into the hardware that no-one was aware of for a year or two!
mikey555 said:
I live in NZ and unfortunately bought a T-Mobile unit which is set up for 1700/2100mHz which means that when in the cities I get full broadband, but in the regions I only get dial up speeds through GSM.
My question is does anyone know if the hardware could actually use the 900mhz broadband - or is it a pipe dream on my part that hopefully someone will release a ROM to access some previously hidden hardware?
I do recall with my Touch that there was a GPS built into the hardware that no-one was aware of for a year or two!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The hardware is definitely different...
JohnCody said:
The T9193 is an Australian phone made for Telstar (their cell phone company).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Phone company in Australia is Telstra (just in case you are goggling it and wonder why you cant find it)
t9193 vodafone
i can use 900/2100 bands on t9193
i use Vodafone australia on Telstra hd2 with quick 3g data everywhere
what are the hardware differences?????
am i alone?
is there anyone else in this community that has
T9193 + Vodafone AUS + Custom ROM/Radio
Everyone keeps pasting crap about incompatibility but it seems to be fine
Hello,
I currently have US Cellular and i have great service in my area. My girlfriend wants to switch to US Cellular also due to the fact that in our area T-Mobile sucks. She currently has a Vibrant and wants to switch but doesnt want to pay big bucks for another android phone similar to the vibrant. So i suggested unlocking the phone and putting the service on the vibrant. The only problem is i dont think US Cellular uses sim cards. I currently have a samsung acclaim and it does not haev a sim card. So what i was wondering is if i am able to switch my services over to her phone even tho i dont have a sim card?
Thanks in advance,
Jacob
T-Mobile = GSM (digital Antenna digital frequency)
US Cellular = CDMA (Analog frequency with simulated digital properties) TDMA (straight up old school analog, Think... Radio)
CDMA networks keep all your information sever side, whereis a GSM network uses your SIM Card to Identify you.
You should be able to get a phone from any of the following Carriers (as long as it is not imei Locked (reported as stolen)
Sprint CDMA/PCS 1900, 2100
Verizon CDMA 800, 1900, 2100
Alltel CDMA 800, 1900
Regional Carriers Technology Bands
Metro PCS CDMA 800, 1900
U.S. Cellular CDMA 800, 1900
Edge Wireless CDMA 800, 1900
more information
U.S. Cellular is a large multi-regional carrier offering service in 155 markets - in 26 states - across the country. The company primarily uses CDMA technology, and also provides legacy TDMA service. Most coverage is cellular-band (800 MHz), with some PCS (1900 MHz) areas in the Central region.
(so what this means is check your local area for Coverage and make sure the CDMA phone you purchase supports BOTH 800/1900 Frequencies.
Ok guys I have an atrix 4g running on t-mobile. My question is why cant I get 4g/3g on this phone ? T-mobile runs on the 2100 band and the phone does support that band so why no 4g or 3g? common sense would tell me that if t-mo runs 4g on 2100 and the phone is capable of running on 2100 that it would work. have searched for a total of about 4 hours or so over the past couple days and cant find a straight answer only thing i can find is that att doesnt run on 2100 band yet the phone does. thanks in advance to anybody that can answer and taking the time to read.
are you getting H+ or H? (This is "3.5g") The Atrix 4g is not a true 4g phone.
Because the 2100 spectrum that you're using the phone on now is part of the quad-band gsm which is edge/2g. The difference lies in the bands used for 3g/4g, in which case AT&T only uses 850/1900 and tmobile only uses 1700/2100.
There is also a bunch of things that include HSPA, AWS, WCDMA, and so on and so on but I don't know enough about that to comment.
EDIT: Also, the only phones I know that can be used on both AT&T and Tmobile 3g/4g are "penta-band" phones like some European Nokia phones and the unlocked Galaxy Nexus that needs to be imported as well.
shattar01 said:
Ok guys I have an atrix 4g running on t-mobile. My question is why cant I get 4g/3g on this phone ? T-mobile runs on the 2100 band and the phone does support that band so why no 4g or 3g? common sense would tell me that if t-mo runs 4g on 2100 and the phone is capable of running on 2100 that it would work. have searched for a total of about 4 hours or so over the past couple days and cant find a straight answer only thing i can find is that att doesnt run on 2100 band yet the phone does. thanks in advance to anybody that can answer and taking the time to read.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wcdma=utms=3g
Yes, WCDMA and AWS(1700), as far as I know, are both from UMTS and the differences in regards to 3G between AT&T and Tmobile lie in the spectrum use (850&1900 vs 1700&2100). And both AT&T and Tmobile use HSPA(+) based off their respected UMTS frequencies.
I just don't understand the "leap" in GSM technology that breaks the quad-band compatibility, that's all.
matthew5025 said:
Wcdma=utms=3g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also I've read 850 is att's main spectrum for large areas and 900 for T-Mobile. All higher spectrums are for smaller, rural areas.
If your looking for 3g maybe find a town or, buy a dual band amplifier? That's IF they have 2100 MHz band working where you are located.
Lower bands ie 850/900 are the download streams. 1700/1900/2100 are upload streams. If I'm not mistaken
Also a T-Mobile vibrant supports att, it also has our main band, 850mhz. Again which is the main large areas, like T-Mobile 900mhz. 1700-2100mhz for att/T-Mobile range is only as good as the towns that still has that band currently operating for hspa/3g data. I've seen alot of T-Mobile phones that have 850/1900/2100, and work on att. If they were 1600/1900/2100 did not for me.
You need that lower frequencies to ensure it to work. Then....
Also for regional based frequencies...
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Mobile_Telecommunications_System
That link will let you know what that all really means.
I think you are mixing up gsm and umts.
GSM = 2G/Edge
UMTS (HSPA, HSPA+, HSDPA/HSUPA, WCDMA, AWS) = 3G
Have a look here. You will see they label "3G" as "UMTS" which is HSPA/WCDMA. A little more down you can see they label their data as "HSDPA", which is download, and "HSUPA" which is upload. Further delineating the speeds they label either one as UMTS for down and Edge as up, which to me tells me they use gsm for the upload and only use UMTS for download. Either way, there is not a T-mobile phone available that can be unlocked and used on AT&T's 3G, just 2G and vice versa. As I have previously mentioned, you will need a penta-band phone for that.
Ciloteille said:
Also I've read 850 is att's main spectrum for large areas and 900 for T-Mobile. All higher spectrums are for smaller, rural areas.
If your looking for 3g maybe find a town or, buy a dual band amplifier? That's IF they have 2100 MHz band working where you are located.
Lower bands ie 850/900 are the download streams. 1700/1900/2100 are upload streams. If I'm not mistaken
Also a T-Mobile vibrant supports att, it also has our main band, 850mhz. Again which is the main large areas, like T-Mobile 900mhz. 1700-2100mhz for att/T-Mobile range is only as good as the towns that still has that band currently operating for hspa/3g data. I've seen alot of T-Mobile phones that have 850/1900/2100, and work on att. If they were 1600/1900/2100 did not for me.
You need that lower frequencies to ensure it to work. Then....
Also for regional based frequencies...
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Mobile_Telecommunications_System
That link will let you know what that all really means.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to give anyone a hard time but it's misinformation to tell anyone that a T-mobile phone can work on AT&T 3G.
And I'll say it again, I'm not an expert so if anyone can better explain then I'm all ears (eyes).
live4nyy said:
I think you are mixing up gsm and umts.
GSM = 2G/Edge
UMTS (HSPA, HSPA+, HSDPA/HSUPA, WCDMA, AWS) = 3G
Have a look here. You will see they label "3G" as "UMTS" which is HSPA/WCDMA. A little more down you can see they label their data as "HSDPA", which is download, and "HSUPA" which is upload. Further delineating the speeds they label either one as UMTS for down and Edge as up, which to me tells me they use gsm for the upload and only use UMTS for download. Either way, there is not a T-mobile phone available that can be unlocked and used on AT&T's 3G, just 2G and vice versa. As I have previously mentioned, you will need a penta-band phone for that.
And don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to give anyone a hard time but it's misinformation to tell anyone that a T-mobile phone can work on AT&T 3G.
And I'll say it again, I'm not an expert so if anyone can better explain then I'm all ears (eyes).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am just merely stating that I have a motorola defy on ATT, and it worked great for a long time with great speeds before I got a motorola atrix and infuse.
Im not saying that every tmobile phone will have working talk/text, or data for that matter. I have just posted an idea, or atleast what to look for when you are cruising for phones not labeled for your carrier.
I was getting my motorola defy with the att "grand fathered internet" for 10 dollars a month and it was about 160-420KB/s down, and 80-190KB/s up. but some phones are capable of this, others arent. I have a general idea, and have played with several different carrier cellphones and used them with att and att's 3g data.
Rogers HTC Dream (x2 of them)
Telus Milestone
Tmobile Defy
Rogers Atrix
ATT Atrix (x2 of them)
ATT Infuse
Rogers and Telus actually use the same 3G bands as AT&T so as long as those are unlocked they will work. And I'm not saying an unlocked T-mobile can't work on AT&T, because they can (they both use quad-band gsm) but you can not use an unlocked T-mobile phone an AT&T 3G. That's all I'm saying.
Now, they did make an European version of the Defy that uses the 850 3G band but not the T-mobile "branded" one.
I'm going to stick to my guns on this one because I don't want to give anyone the wrong idea about interchanging AT&T and T-mobile phones and expecting 3G service. I'm fairly certain about this and unless someone can prove otherwise that's how I will think.
Ciloteille said:
I am just merely stating that I have a motorola defy on ATT, and it worked great for a long time with great speeds before I got a motorola atrix and infuse.
Im not saying that every tmobile phone will have working talk/text, or data for that matter. I have just posted an idea, or atleast what to look for when you are cruising for phones not labeled for your carrier.
I was getting my motorola defy with the att "grand fathered internet" for 10 dollars a month and it was about 160-420KB/s down, and 80-190KB/s up. but some phones are capable of this, others arent. I have a general idea, and have played with several different carrier cellphones and used them with att and att's 3g data.
Rogers HTC Dream (x2 of them)
Telus Milestone
Tmobile Defy
Rogers Atrix
ATT Atrix (x2 of them)
ATT Infuse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---------- Post added at 08:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:36 AM ----------
Upon further research, I have found this article, where under certain circumstances, you can use an unlocked AT&T iPhone with T-mobile 3G:
http://www.gsmarena.com/tmobile_usa_running_1900mhz_3g_in_some_areas_iphones_invited-news-3537.php
Now, this shows that an AT&T phone can maybe use T-mobile 3G but not the other way around. Again, I'm always up for learning something new but I need references/proof.
Well I do get att 3g on the defy and vibrant. I am currently getting about 300ish KB/s on them and 600+KB/s on my attic, I'm just going with the facts. Those facts are that certain T-Mobile phones will work with Att, provided they have 850mhz band. That allows you in most towns (near me) to get 3g
False.
300KB/s is Edge speed, which is only 2G.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2G
http://www.phonescoop.com/glossary/term.php?gid=107
That's why you get faster speeds on the Atrix because it actually uses 3G.
Again, both AT&T and T-mobile use quad-band GSM. Which is why you can unlock a T-mobile phone and use it on AT&T, and vice versa, but it is only 2G/Edge and NOT 3G.
http://www.phonescoop.com/glossary/term.php?gid=139
http://www.phonescoop.com/glossary/term.php?gid=3
Furthermore, here are the wiki pages for AT&T and T-mobile which both inlcude frequency charts outlining the technology (2G or 3G) each one uses:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT&T_Wireless
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-Mobile_USA
Here are the charts:
AT&T:
Frequency Protocol Class
Frequencies used on the AT&T Network
850 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G
1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G
850 MHz UMTS/HSPA 3G
1900 MHz UMTS/HSPA 3G
700 MHz LTE 4G
T-mobile:
Frequency Band Protocol
850 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G
1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G
1700 MHz UMTS (W-CDMA)/HSPA/HSPA+ 4G (formerly 3G[34])
1900 MHz UMTS (W-CDMA)/HSPA/HSPA+ 4G
I check for facts and references, I'm only saying what I find in research.
Again, when unlocked, a T-mobile phone can use AT&T 2G/Edge, not 3G
Ciloteille said:
Well I do get att 3g on the defy and vibrant. I am currently getting about 300ish KB/s on them and 600+KB/s on my attic, I'm just going with the facts. Those facts are that certain T-Mobile phones will work with Att, provided they have 850mhz band. That allows you in most towns (near me) to get 3g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there an app or command to log the different frequency bands available in an area? I'm thinking of getting a Galaxy Note 2, but the Note 2 doesn't support the 1700MHz frequency band, and I'm on T-mobile. Any way to figure out if the new phone will get reception, other than just plonking down ~$650 and hoping for the best?
TheEyes said:
Is there an app or command to log the different frequency bands available in an area? I'm thinking of getting a Galaxy Note 2, but the Note 2 doesn't support the 1700MHz frequency band, and I'm on T-mobile. Any way to figure out if the new phone will get reception, other than just plonking down ~$650 and hoping for the best?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will have EDGE coverage anywhere, but I wouldn't buy an expensive new phone that doesn't support 3G for your carrier.
Why aren't you buying via T-Mobile, that does support their speeds?
https://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phone...ll-phone=Samsung-Galaxy-Note-II-Titanium-Gray
stevedebi said:
You will have EDGE coverage anywhere, but I wouldn't buy an expensive new phone that doesn't support 3G for your carrier.
Why aren't you buying via T-Mobile, that does support their speeds?
https://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phone...ll-phone=Samsung-Galaxy-Note-II-Titanium-Gray
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, because the phone is at least $70 more expensive on T-mobile's store.
Second, even that version of the phone does not do HSPA+ over 1700 MHz (it's actually the same N7100 you see everywhere). The trick is, T-mobile is supposedly switching all of their 1700-band HSPA+ towers to 1900 band, partly in preparation for their LTE rollout and partly because that's the only way they'll be able to get the iPhone to work with their network, but they haven't gotten it done everywhere and I'm concerned that I'll plop down ~$600 on a phone that only gets 2G speeds at work.
TheEyes said:
First, because the phone is at least $70 more expensive on T-mobile's store.
Second, even that version of the phone does not do HSPA+ over 1700 MHz (it's actually the same N7100 you see everywhere). The trick is, T-mobile is supposedly switching all of their 1700-band HSPA+ towers to 1900 band, partly in preparation for their LTE rollout and partly because that's the only way they'll be able to get the iPhone to work with their network, but they haven't gotten it done everywhere and I'm concerned that I'll plop down ~$600 on a phone that only gets 2G speeds at work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You had me worried so I looked it up. According to the news sources I found, T-Mobile is converting it's 1900 2g towers to support HSPA+. So for the present the current 3G network is not in danger. I suppose my Amaze will continue working for a while!
Where did you see a report that they are changing out the 1700 band HSPA+ towers?
-----
"In May, T-Mobile's chief technology officer Neville Ray said the company would be repurposing its existing 1900MHz 2G service with 4G HSPA+, in order to "provide customers with the ability to use a broader range of devices, including the iPhone, on T-Mobile's 4G network.""
http://appleinsider.com/articles/12...nvert_its_4g_network_to_support_apples_iphone
stevedebi said:
You had me worried so I looked it up. According to the news sources I found, T-Mobile is converting it's 1900 2g towers to support HSPA+. So for the present the current 3G network is not in danger. I suppose my Amaze will continue working for a while!
Where did you see a report that they are changing out the 1700 band HSPA+ towers?
-----
"In May, T-Mobile's chief technology officer Neville Ray said the company would be repurposing its existing 1900MHz 2G service with 4G HSPA+, in order to "provide customers with the ability to use a broader range of devices, including the iPhone, on T-Mobile's 4G network.""
http://appleinsider.com/articles/12...nvert_its_4g_network_to_support_apples_iphone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Almost every tech news site that discusses the 1900 band refarming mentions that the reason is to re-deploy 1700 for LTE (that, and to get the iPhone running on T-mobile because Apple outright refuses to make the iPhone pentaband for some reason). It's a fairly easy Google away.
TheEyes said:
Almost every tech news site that discusses the 1900 band refarming mentions that the reason is to re-deploy 1700 for LTE (that, and to get the iPhone running on T-mobile because Apple outright refuses to make the iPhone pentaband for some reason). It's a fairly easy Google away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The link I provided quoted a t-mobile representative. And I got it from a Google search...
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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