Are you successfully using Roam Control app? - Motorola Photon 4G

I live in Puerto Rico where Sprint service is not too great. I recently purchased the Epic 4G Touch, but have recently learned that the Roam Control app does not work in some areas (Puerto Rico included) on Samsung phones because of the way that they roam.
The option to force roam is important for me, and I understand that root is required on the Photon. I read a few mixed reviews from Photon owners on the Market. A couple said it worked on their Photon and I think it was only one I saw that said it didn't work on their Photon.
Have you been successfully using the Roam Control app?
Thanks in advance for your input.
Edit: Now I'm not sure if this belongs in the development section. I apologize if it's in the wrong area. I initially though it would because it requires root, but maybe not.

It didn't work initially but the app developer got a hold of a photon and it works great for me now. Used it all last weekend in a fringe reception area.

Related

New Photon feedback and info about new sprint 4g LTE network

I just got mine today and so far im very happy. The pentile display isn't at all noticeable (and im pretty nit picky). The rep did say that it appears that they've improved the screen on newer stock. I timed my purchase so that if the epic 4g touch (galaxy s 2) comes out next month as is expected then i should still be in the 30 day return policy.
On another note, i found out today that apparently sprint is switching to or adding a 4g LTE network. Not sure if this will replace wimax or supplement it. So far I've heard this from three different sprint employees who i know and trust.
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
jdverley said:
On another note, i found out today that apparently sprint is switching to or adding a 4g LTE network. Not sure if this will replace wimax or supplement it. So far I've heard this from three different sprint employees who i know and trust.
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
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Sorry not trying to be mean or anything but that's not news. It's been reported for a while now.
Sent from my PHOTON blaster!
+1
inimitableac said:
Sorry not trying to be mean or anything but that's not news. It's been reported for a while now.
Sent from my PHOTON blaster!
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Click to collapse
Sent from my gingerbreaded delight using XDA App
Yeah Sprint signed a deal to install LTE, and since Sprint has stopped with their Wimax installs I would say that they are switching gears and going to LTE instead of Wimax. From what the network engineers have told me, its a simple software upgrade so I'm hoping my new Photon will not be obsolete.
I'm not 100% on a simple software upgrade but after LTE is put up wimax will still be around for a year or 2 after the fact so we won't be obsolete for that time frame...
If you are close to upgrading now, you shouldn't wait it will be awhile before they start releasing phones for LTE,
I work for sprint and we have got newsletters that Dan Hesse will announce our 4g lte plans in october.
Lightsquare is the company sprint signed the deal with
And more than that it will be a while before there is a wide LTE deployment anywhere but a major city. LTE isn't going to be a serious factor for most sprint customers for two years at least.
(I live in a city with one million people in the metro area and we still don't have WiMAX... I'm not holding my breath for 4g service anytime soon.)
One thing to keep in mind, is that Sprint could very well continue to make use of WiMAX alongside of LTE technology. WiMAX is PURELY for data, whereas LTE is used for both. There is no reason why LTE has to necessarily replace WiMAX.
predwing said:
Yeah Sprint signed a deal to install LTE, and since Sprint has stopped with their Wimax installs I would say that they are switching gears and going to LTE instead of Wimax. From what the network engineers have told me, its a simple software upgrade so I'm hoping my new Photon will not be obsolete.
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From my understanding it's not just a simple sofware upgrade for phones. The Photon doesn't have the LTE radios installed to receive the signal.
VDub2174 said:
From my understanding it's not just a simple sofware upgrade for phones. The Photon doesn't have the LTE radios installed to receive the signal.
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Click to collapse
But from what I have read and have been corrected in another thread the LTE will be on 3 different spectrum's not just one like Verizon. There is some website that shows the hardware differences and stuff and in there is info on how they will implement LTE.
Snippet from http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=219837
Currently, Sprint/Nextel/Clear has three different protocols on three different spectrum bands distibuted on 82,000 towers. By comparison, Verizon and AT&T have about 40,000 towers each. Network Vision will reduce the number of towers to around 45,000 to 50,000 towers, while setting up the remaining towers to handle all three spectrum bands (800 MHz, 1.9 GHz, and 2.5 GHz) and any protocol (CDMA, Wimax, LTE, etc). This will provide Sprint with substantial savings in maintenance costs.
No WiMax yet
In Omaha we don't even have WiMax yet, does this mean we never will and the Photon will never be more than a 3G phone?
I'm a.happy e3d owner but knowing that the photon is a world phone with gsm radios on top of cdma I have a question..now that you guys have an unlocked bootloader (congratulations) do you think its possible that the photon will be able to run on t mobile or at&t LTE bands or at least hspa+ That would be pretty sick knowing that Wimax on sprint is.pretty useless at least for me...
I'm a Sprint Product Launch Ambassador for the Photon 4G and a corporate Sprint Technician.
The Network is upgradable, but the phones are not. Choose to upgrade today and I'll bet you a fiver you'll be up for upgrade again by the time LTE is actually flipped on.
The Network Vision equipment is so modular, that multiple technologies can be run in one single Base Station. Easy to upgrade, switch out, and plenty of slots to run LTE + Wimax concurrently.
I highly doubt our network engineers are going to get a mandate that states shut down Wimax on X day, and leave all users out in the cold with those devices. That doesn't make any sense whatsoever. It will be just like the current migration of Iden, those who choose to move over to CDMA on their next upgrade can do so, those who choose not to (that NEED PTT as a requirement) will have the option to use the new Direct Connect Network when they are ready to upgrade phones later...as it's easier to just drop the Iden line of Phones and carry the next gen CDMA Nextel line in it's place for upgraders to choose from. Something that will give us a 2 year buffer for those clinging to the PTT service as a must before it's shut down completely...but by then, no one will have not had the opportunity during an upgrade to choose CDMA totally or the new CDMA PTT services.
So, that means those cities that don't already have WiMax will still get it on schedule in spite of the move to LTE?
Theoretically isn't going to work, I don't want to be stuck with a 3G phone for two years. I REALLY like this phone, but I am seriously considering taking it back and switching to Verizon for the similar Bionic. I don't want a monster phone crippled by 3G slowness.......
dustbuckets said:
Theoretically isn't going to work, I don't want to be stuck with a 3G phone for two years. I REALLY like this phone, but I am seriously considering taking it back and switching to Verizon for the similar Bionic. I don't want a monster phone crippled by 3G slowness.......
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You really shouldn't let 4g be the deciding factor. I have 4g where I live and I don't even use it once a month. 4g is a battery hog. Besides even if it wasn't and you were putting 4g to good use on Verizon your bill would be through the roof.
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
Switch to verizon if you want to pay $80 a month for 10 gigs of data.
dustbuckets said:
Theoretically isn't going to work, I don't want to be stuck with a 3G phone for two years. I REALLY like this phone, but I am seriously considering taking it back and switching to Verizon for the similar Bionic. I don't want a monster phone crippled by 3G slowness.......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
dustbuckets said:
Theoretically isn't going to work, I don't want to be stuck with a 3G phone for two years. I REALLY like this phone, but I am seriously considering taking it back and switching to Verizon for the similar Bionic. I don't want a monster phone crippled by 3G slowness.......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can count on my thumb how many times I have switched on 4G on my Photon the last two weeks.

Best sprint phone right now?

I'm gonna switch to sprint and I'm not sure what to buy. Right now I'm probably going to get the white evo 3d, I'm not sure though.
Sent from my DROID X2 using xda premium
If I were you I'd stay with whatever provider you currently have, you'll regret it believe me I did. Don't get me wrong they have probably the best phones, but the service SUCKS don't know how else to put it.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
Sucks as in....no reception, fickle reception, or slow connection?
Sent from my DROID X2 using xda premium
I whole heatedly disagree!!!! I have excellent service whether I am. I think I've dropped two or three calls in the last 7 years with sprint. Plus I'm getting 1-2.5mb/s on 3G. Moreover I think the Evo 3D is probably the best phone out right now (some will argue the GS2 but we have more features). Join us!
either the evo 3d, galaxy s ii, or the iphone 4s...imo the 3 best phones available on sprint right now
iphone 4s .... lol no I'm kidding. I would go with Samsung galaxy 2 or Evo 3d . However it really matters what you are looking for as the user. Are you wanting alot of apps on your phone? Great battery life? Small size? So I would say their really isn't a best phone out their. Just wants best for the user.
My Honest opinion would be to wait. The iPhone 4S, EVO 3D & Epic 4G Touch would be the best now.
BUT
I honestly would recommend waiting until Sprint gets LTE capable models, which will be before you know it.
You could buy the Sprint iPhone 4S (It will have a high re-sale value) now & resell it for an Sprint LTE phone when one becomes available.
Personally, I say get the EVO 3D (see if you have good 4G within 14 days) and rock with us. I love this phone.
Seeing as you have the X2 Im going to assume you have Verizon . With that being said you are gonna see two camps on this forum . The Samsung Galaxy S 4G Touch and the Evo 3D . Me personally I will be leaving Sprint in the near future due to coverage issues that Verizon has no problem in providing . Under Sprint's service we are provided roaming on Verizon towers . Heres the kicker that I found out , you dont roam on all verizon towers , just certain ones . In my travels in verizon territory I will have access to some of their towers while other towers will not provide voice or data but show full signal strength . I have had my phone tested twice and settings checked several times everything comes out fine . So either there is a gap in verizon's roaming agreement or Sprint hasnt updated their PRL list for me to contact these towers . Second , the speeds of 3G in my area are laughable to say the least , yes we have unlimited data but due to data speeds in my area I dont even use have a gig mainly due to the fact I am on wifi most of the time (This might not apply to your situation I would speak to a sprint user in your area and get their honest opinion of how they feel about data speeds for your area) . Also mentioned earlier Sprint is moving from Wimax to LTE in the near future . This is also something to consider before getting a new phone . Depending on your are and how they excute the roll out of LTE you might be the first city to get it you might be waiting a year or more . Look at all the factors before you make your decision .
envioustitan08 said:
If I were you I'd stay with whatever provider you currently have, you'll regret it believe me I did. Don't get me wrong they have probably the best phones, but the service SUCKS don't know how else to put it.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
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This guy is a minority. Deciding on a Service Provider for your cell phone should mostly be considered on what kind of coverage and speed you get where you use your phone the most. I get great speeds and service at both my home and work. You might not get the same result and should look somewhere else. First question that anybody should be asking you is "why are you switching?".
On your questions about phones, it all depends on how you use your phone. Do you want something that always works, easy to use, don't really care about the development of a phone and ways of changing it? Get the iPhone4S. If you want to play with your phone, root and flash ROMS, get the EVO3D. These are my opinions and should be taken as such.
SouthernEvo said:
Me personally I will be leaving Sprint in the near future due to coverage issues that Verizon has no problem in providing . Under Sprint's service we are provided roaming on Verizon towers . Heres the kicker that I found out , you dont roam on all verizon towers , just certain ones . In my travels in verizon territory I will have access to some of their towers while other towers will not provide voice or data but show full signal strength . I have had my phone tested twice and settings checked several times everything comes out fine . So either there is a gap in verizon's roaming agreement or Sprint hasnt updated their PRL list for me to contact these towers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Prl 11115 (Sprint owned PRL) will connect to all VZW towers & 3G roam, however too much roaming will get you punted off of Sprint, ETF free.
So there is an possible smoother exit.
You can also gage how fast VZW will be beforehand.

[Q] LTE Service

Anyone in the San Antonio area? we are supposed to have LTE service but I have been driving around town and I cant get it to connect to 4G LTE, I called sprint customer care and they said that according to their system everything is ok that there are still expanding the network BUT that it should connect...
San Antonio here as well. No luck finding any LTE. Like you, I've been told it should be up. No idea what could be wrong. I've checked my data settings and it's set appropriately.
I would say if your still stock just drop by a sprint corporate store and double check with them. If sprint says it's on and you can't connect at all... I would cover my bases. Ya know? Just in case
Shifted from Outer Space
And I'm in San Antonio and I know of no one using LTE yet
Shifted from Outer Space
I checked my EPST settings and it says 'CDMA HDR LTE Only', so it should connect... hopefully they turn on the the LTE antennas soon....
Did this...yeah.... Almost like they purposely pull the worst resumes out of the bunch and put em on the payroll. Like they're punking us or something!!!! They knew nothing. GRRRRR!!!!!
EDIT: Spoke to another TECH rep on phone... Apparently work was supposed to be completed on 18th according to the last work order in system. Order is still open so he told me should be any day now. So...that said...we're no closer to definitive date. Thought I would share what I just heard.
thronnos said:
I would say if your still stock just drop by a sprint corporate store and double check with them. If sprint says it's on and you can't connect at all... I would cover my bases. Ya know? Just in case
Shifted from Outer Space
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chrisfales said:
Did this...yeah.... Almost like they purposely pull the worst resumes out of the bunch and put em on the payroll. Like they're punking us or something!!!! They knew nothing. GRRRRR!!!!!
EDIT: Spoke to another TECH rep on phone... Apparently work was supposed to be completed on 18th according to the last work order in system. Order is still open so he told me should be any day now. So...that said...we're no closer to definitive date. Thought I would share what I just heard.
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AWESOME!!! thanks bro!
I'm in San Antonio as well and have been wondering the same thing. Hopefully it'll be on soon!
I am in Dallas, also one of the first to get LTE service. Ummmm I hate to be so sarcastic, but it calls for it. IDK wth them Sprint reps are talking about. Proof positive customer care suuuuuucks. Just making up stuff. Ummmm LTE is not even active on Sprint yet. Due to be this summer!
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
I just spend 30 min on the phone with the sprint rep and we did a number of "tests" and "resets" he reset my profile, my data profile, my PRL they re provisioned my phone, they did a ##72786# + MSL and that basically reset EVERYTHING... and still nothing... they said that the next step is to get it to the store... I don't know what else and different they can do there....
he kept saying "well you have excellent 4G coverage in the area that you are in..." and I asked "are you talking about wimax coverage or LTE?" and he was evasive and didn't answer that question... he said "you have excellent 4G coverage for the phone you have..." I asked again and nothing.... LOL
anyways... I guess in gonna take in to the store and see what other BS they give me...
LTE is not turned on in any market at all that I'm aware of. Everyone you're talking to at Sprint is just an idiot. They think 4g is 4g and they don't even know there are two types.
Sure you have great 4g Wimax coverage in your area. That won't do you any good.
regalpimpin said:
LTE is not turned on in any market at all that I'm aware of. Everyone you're talking to at Sprint is just an idiot. They think 4g is 4g and they don't even know there are two types.
Sure you have great 4g Wimax coverage in your area. That won't do you any good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup, they have all the lte sites blocked right now. the tower that services my house out in helotes had it live for about a week but now its blocked.
I think I read somewhere had LTE live right now? Well regardless when San Antonio gets LTE please let us all know! I'm on my EVO 3D for WiMax till LTE goes live
there were several but not many tests sites in houston, san antonio, dallas, and probably other cities that some people have picked up on. However, it must have been testing as they have blocked access to those towers again. awaiting for a official launch date?
http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/212-network-visionlte-deployment-running-list/
This link should help some....not showing the markets complete yet...I would suspect that they have not turned on the switch yet to allow everyone on....who knows for sure though except for Sprint.
I read on another post that LTE was up and running in Dallas, drove to Dallas for the weekend and unless I got a broken EVO I did not get LTE service in Dallas, has anyone gotten LTE service yet?

Anyone else have their LTE on Verizon Prepaid?

Just wondering if you do, what prl you may be using or radio. I just got mine yesterday and put it on Verizon and I love the phone. I lose 3G at my house sometimes but for some reason Verizon has always been that spotty for me so there may be no cure....Sprint isn't the best either at my house. The best believe it or not is AT&T. Everywhere else though usually Verizon has the best service around my town. I live in Virginia. Input would be greatly appreciated.
alnova1 said:
Just wondering if you do, what prl you may be using or radio. I just got mine yesterday and put it on Verizon and I love the phone. I lose 3G at my house sometimes but for some reason Verizon has always been that spotty for me so there may be no cure....Sprint isn't the best either at my house. The best believe it or not is AT&T. Everywhere else though usually Verizon has the best service around my town. I live in Virginia. Input would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did u flash it your self?? or have it done???
evo401 said:
did u flash it your self?? or have it done???
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Click to collapse
I did it myself. I have done many. When I had Verizon postpaid I had a bad signal where I lived but having a signal in the sticks outweighed the cons. I live in the city thats the weird thing but I did a lot of work that was in rural areas so having a signal was needed.
alnova1 said:
I did it myself. I have done many. When I had Verizon postpaid I had a bad signal where I lived but having a signal in the sticks outweighed the cons. I live in the city thats the weird thing but I did a lot of work that was in rural areas so having a signal was needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so say i have my lte flashed to verizon prepaid will data work for me like 3g it works fine and everything else?? cause im really thinking about having it done.. i hate paying 100 a month..
evo401 said:
so say i have my lte flashed to verizon prepaid will data work for me like 3g it works fine and everything else?? cause im really thinking about having it done.. i hate paying 100 a month..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes if it's done right you will have 3G and everything working. In my area Verizon is also much faster than Boost Mobile.
alnova1 said:
Yes if it's done right you will have 3G and everything working. In my area Verizon is also much faster than Boost Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I flashed mine today this sh!t is lightning fast 2mbs download and a processor that can handle it (orlando florida prl 000001) I have everything working but I'm wondering if anyone was able to get mms to work naitively. I'm using the verizon messages app from verizon. I don't have a problem with it except how ugly the icon and ui is. Plus I wanna be able to use the native app.
Can you help me
alnova1 said:
Just wondering if you do, what prl you may be using or radio. I just got mine yesterday and put it on Verizon and I love the phone. I lose 3G at my house sometimes but for some reason Verizon has always been that spotty for me so there may be no cure....Sprint isn't the best either at my house. The best believe it or not is AT&T. Everywhere else though usually Verizon has the best service around my town. I live in Virginia. Input would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello I have a sprint htc evo 4g that i want to put on the verizon prepaid. I have the CDMA worshop. I just would really appreciate maybe a guide of how to do this?? If you know anyone you could point me in the right direction that would be great. I have done this before with this phone but we are outta the metro pcs home area and i have a vanity number for my business so i have to keep this number. I have flashed this phone once but i couldnt get the mms and internet to work. If would help me that would be greatly appreciated
thanks
Hey guys,
Quick thought and a question:
1. I have the LTE rocking on Page Plus, also a Verizon service. For those considering the Verizon network over Sprint's, consider Page Plus over Verizon PP for two reasons:
A. Avoid illegality of ESN cloning
B. Being kicked off the network for data abuse, cause they know those tiny, dumbphones aren't capable of such data usage
2. For those rocking these LTEs on VZW networks, even with the right MMS settings, can you guys confirm that when you get an MMS, you have to MANUALLY hit the download button to download the images? Instead of the phone automatically engaging the data to download the image, and then shutting the data off, much like all the native Verizon phones like the Rezound, for example?
Thanks for your help!
ProFragger said:
Hey guys,
Quick thought and a question:
1. I have the LTE rocking on Page Plus, also a Verizon service. For those considering the Verizon network over Sprint's, consider Page Plus over Verizon PP for two reasons:
A. Avoid illegality of ESN cloning
B. Being kicked off the network for data abuse, cause they know those tiny, dumbphones aren't capable of such data usage
2. For those rocking these LTEs on VZW networks, even with the right MMS settings, can you guys confirm that when you get an MMS, you have to MANUALLY hit the download button to download the images? Instead of the phone automatically engaging the data to download the image, and then shutting the data off, much like all the native Verizon phones like the Rezound, for example?
Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
whats page plus?? never heard of it before?
evo401 said:
whats page plus?? never heard of it before?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not trying to be a smarta$$ at all here, bud, but Google is your friend on that one . So much you can find out about it, if you Google it.
But simply stated, it's an MVNO that runs on the Verizon network... Decent support, and service for reasonable price...
can i flash it to metro? if so how
VZW prepay on a 4g?
I keep hearing how some ppl have their Verizon 4g phone on the Verizon prepaid service and I need to know how I get that to happen for me. I have a droid bionic with a 4g sim but I use the VZW prepay bc I don't use my cell but about 1/2 the month (dead area for cell phone coverage in the sticks where I live) so I don't want contract pricing. I've been using one of the Verizon prepay phones but they just aren't up to par for me and I love the droids. Somebody please tell me how I get this to work?!?! I've tried transferring my service myself online to the 4g sim but of course that doesn't work and you can't even get a Verizon rep to even discuss it. Is it a matter of getting a different kind of sim for the phone, i.e. a 3g sim if they even exist in the VZW world. Is there such a thing as a prepaid sim versus a contract sim? I'm lost!

How is the radio?

Hey guys! Please excuse my noobish ignorance as I'm usually over in the Epic Touch threads, but I'm looking into getting my pops a OG Photon & I have a few questions.
My Dad needs a Sprint smartphone with an exceptional radio because one area he will be using it often is up in the mountains, roaming in a fringe coverage area on Verizon. And lemme just say now, switching over to Big Red ain't gonna happen, lol.
Now, I've heard rumors that out of all the smartphones in the Sprint stable, the Photon kicks everything else's backside when it comes to radio reception.
So that brings me back to my question: I'm looking for some first hand input on how the radio(s) perform on this puppy to help me determine if this is the right phone for him.
Also, I need to make sure he can wirelessly tether with the Photon without losing 4G capability. I've been reading about how if you unlock the bootloader you lose 4G. If I just root his phone & NOT unlock the bootloader, can I just install a tethering app and still retain the 4G capability? Also, curious if anyone has tried Foxfi (wireless tether w/o root) on the Photon & if/how that worked out.
Any input coming from my fellow XDA peeps would be most welcome & appreciated.
TIA guys!
chconser said:
Hey guys! Please excuse my noobish ignorance as I'm usually over in the Epic Touch threads, but I'm looking into getting my pops a OG Photon & I have a few questions.
My Dad needs a Sprint smartphone with an exceptional radio because one area he will be using it often is up in the mountains, roaming in a fringe coverage area on Verizon. And lemme just say now, switching over to Big Red ain't gonna happen, lol.
Now, I've heard rumors that out of all the smartphones in the Sprint stable, the Photon kicks everything else's backside when it comes to radio reception.
So that brings me back to my question: I'm looking for some first hand input on how the radio(s) perform on this puppy to help me determine if this is the right phone for him.
Also, I need to make sure he can wirelessly tether with the Photon without losing 4G capability. I've been reading about how if you unlock the bootloader you lose 4G. If I just root his phone & NOT unlock the bootloader, can I just install a tethering app and still retain the 4G capability? Also, curious if anyone has tried Foxfi (wireless tether w/o root) on the Photon & if/how that worked out.
Any input coming from my fellow XDA peeps would be most welcome & appreciated.
TIA guys!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, the photon has a ridiculously good radio. But such is true with the majority of Motos newer devices. Because the photon is super cheap now, you really can't go wrong. Yes, you can root and not unlock to keep 4g. And yes, foxfi works great.
Thanks for the reply, sounds promising! Does the same reception quality apply to the 3G & 4G radios as well?
Anyone? Bueller? Lol
chconser said:
Thanks for the reply, sounds promising! Does the same reception quality apply to the 3G & 4G radios as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cant speak for 4g as i dont use it. But i get sprint 3g nearly everywhere i get call reception. Data speeds have always been slow as hell for me though.

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