Hi, I hope this is the right place to post this. Recently I decided to order an unlocked S III from Tiger Direct and utilize prepaid service. I ordered a Straight Talk T-Mobile SIM and cut it down to micro size, inserted it, activated my account. The reason I went with this prepaid idea, is because I read many articles saying that T-Mobile aggressively expanded their HSPA+ network and the Washington DC region (where I live) was one of the areas. They also had a speed test where the HSPA+ averaged something like 12 Mbps while Verizon 3G was under 1.
However, I am receiving incredibly slow speeds, that at most times are as slow or slower than my Verizon 3G! Google Maps and Navigation are unusable now. Most of the time I see the E in the top bar which I assume is referring to EVDO. Only once, for probably a minute or less, did I see the H+ in the header bar, then it changed to H, then back to E.
I contacted ST via email and told them all my details and threatened to leave to try another prepaid service and they just responded with some canned email saying speeds depend on a number of parameters, blah, blah.
So I had a couple questions...
1) Is there anything different I can do to get the faster speeds? How come I do not get HSPA+?
2) If I went to prepaid T-Mobile, would I have faster speeds? Does T-Mobile allot their entire network to ST?
3) Any other ideas, or comments?
Thanks from a first time poster!
-Kevin
Of all the service operators I know give false info about their data services.
I am sure they are able to achieve 12Mbps, but this is done in an almost laboratory-like environment: a very specific firmware that only they have, a near a very specific base station, with a very specific type of data, and when nobody else is using the service.
So, are THEY (and only they) able to reach the advertised speeds? YES. But what they don't tell you is that it is a nominal speed, not the effective speed.
Your phone is fine, you have the best phone there is in the world, but there aren't any operators that make it justice.
Yeah often you have to take their speeds with a pinch of salt but i wouldn't expect that large a drop. F.E i would expect if they advertised 12 to get about 5
Simonetti2011 said:
Of all the service operators I know give false info about their data services.
I am sure they are able to achieve 12Mbps, but this is done in an almost laboratory-like environment: a very specific firmware that only they have, a near a very specific base station, with a very specific type of data, and when nobody else is using the service.
So, are THEY (and only they) able to reach the advertised speeds? YES. But what they don't tell you is that it is a nominal speed, not the effective speed.
Your phone is fine, you have the best phone there is in the world, but there aren't any operators that make it justice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mrboxfacetramp13 said:
Yeah often you have to take their speeds with a pinch of salt but i wouldn't expect that large a drop. F.E i would expect if they advertised 12 to get about 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks guys...I actually wouldn't trust any provider's claims ...I was actually referring to these tests I found which seemed unbiased: pcworld/article/253808/3g_and_4g_wireless_speed_showdown_which_networks_are_fastest_.html (can't post links yet)
images.pcworld/images/article/2012/04/wireless_washington_dc_slide2-11347959.jpg
"Washington, D.C.
Washington's results follow the New York City pattern: wins for T-Mobile in average 3G download speed (4.14 mbps) and upload speed (1.34 mbps), for AT&T in average 4G download speed (8.52 mbps), and for Verizon in average 4G upload speed (5.46 mbps).
Unlike our New York results, however, our Washington results show a relatively close finish in 4G download speeds among the top three contenders: only 3.16 mbps separates third-place T-Mobile from first-place AT&T. However, T-Mobile didn't keep pace with AT&T and Verizon in 4G upload speeds.
Our results for Washington also indicate that AT&T's 3G service in the area could use some work. The average 3G download rate of 1.58 mbps for the District of Columbia was AT&T's worst among the 13 cities in our study, and the gap of 2.56 mbps between that average and first-place T-Mobile's 4.14 mbps was the second-widest in our study."
And this one: pcmag/article2/0,2817,2405632,00.asp
pcmag/media/images/348427-fmn-chart-washdc-500.jpg
I am near Washington, D.C., a huge metro area, which is why I felt going with this prepaid service was a good idea. Why am I not getting these speeds?? I am getting ready to just pay the extra $15 for Tmobile's prepaid, where I would surely expect to get the HSPA+ coverage.
'E' is for Edge, which is an old GSM data mode. From what I understand, T-Mobile uses 1700 mhz. on 3g. I have heard there are certain cities that it will work in. As an example, las vegas I have seen mentioned as using 1900, but the better part of the country uses 1700 from my understanding.
The Galaxy S3 uses the folowing for 2/3g bands.
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
I found this on the internet. It appears they are EOL'ing Edge to get 1900 mhz spectrum for HSDPA.
-------------------------------------------
For the guy who keeps crying that he doesn't have 3G yet and that T-Mobile isn't speaking about their deployment, earlier this week T-Mobile just announced that they are almost 95% done with the refarming. No this does not mean that 95% of the 1900mhz areas are seeing 3G already. An informed posted this to clarify what 95% means
http://www.tmonews.com/2012/11/t-mobile-cto-neville-ray-says-hurricane-sandy-will-delay-some-1900mhz-hspa-deployments/
"95% refarm means that we have carved out the frequencies from the 2G layer and are ready to deploy the 1900Mhz UMTS. It needs to be understood that there are 37,000 sites being modified and it takes about a week to complete each site. There are thousands of crews around the country working tirelessly to install the new equipment, antennas cabinets and hybrid fiber optic from the ground to the top of the tower. This takes a lot of time and hard work. It is way more than just re-configuring the existing network."
Related
I have upgraded my vibrant plan to 4g and I was wondering if anyone can make a zip for the 4g signal that will match the frobuntu donate theme I asked the developer for frobuntu if he could he hasn't yet so post it on that page if possible I hope he doesn't mind
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
It has been posted: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...48#post9576448
The link is down..
Sorry Here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=846285&page=4
or
http://www.multiupload.com/1TXL90R4T2
Vibrant 4g plan?
4g plan?
Vibrant + sXe V3.1 + OCLF
The Web plans were renamed they are still the same at T-Mobile you will only recieve full 4g speeds in 4g areas and on 4g phones.
How do you get a 4g plan on a 3g phone? I did notice in the Flashable Stock JK6 rom sombionix posted has both 3g and 4g icons. I thought you had to have a 4g phone to get 4g service.
reksp13 said:
How do you get a 4g plan on a 3g phone? I did notice in the Flashable Stock JK6 rom sombionix posted has both 3g and 4g icons. I thought you had to have a 4g phone to get 4g service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm thinking the samething. 4g would be based on hardware radio and 4g connection.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA APP
www.goteamfriday.com
You could change the icon to say 10g and you would still never get 4g speeds. Vibrant doesn't support that speed.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Vibrant hardware only supports up to 7mb/s
Fear the beard...
Technicly Speaking Vibrant does support so Called "4G" speed, since its not 4g on Tmobile, 4G its either Wimax (sprint has it) or LTE , T-Mobile has only HSPA+ , so whats HSPA+ its the Same HSDPA network which is Considered to be 3.5G, and since its HSDPA I got speed on Vibrant in Alabama 4.7MBit Per second on speed test, 3G Doesnt support that speed because 3G is UMTS its max 3.6MBit per second, New HTC G2 and HTC Evo 4g or whatever tmobile has at the moment calling "4G" phone doesnt Support LTE or WiMax, it supports HSDPA with 14.4MBit per second speeds, Vibrant works on same Frequency and same HSDPA with 7.2Mbit per second which is Twice less. So Basicly if lets say you live in city where VIbrant can get 3MBit per second , you 4G phone will get 3Mbit as well, but if you live in city where you can get 7Mbits per second on your G2 or 4G phone you will get same speed on Vibrant too. Just icon will not be changed. The trick Tmobile using to let you think you are on 4G instead of 3.5G is by Setting HSDPA network icon as H or 4G instead of regular icon 3G , when phone goes to UMTS it shows 3G, when it goes to GSM it gets to E and so on . So its just Icon nothing more, stop worrying about Icons , what really matters that Tmobile doesnt offer speeds of more than 5Mbit anywhere yet. Maybe maximum 6Mbits if you live close enough to HSDPA Tower. (like 10 feet away). And this speed Vibrant will hold on ease. So Main Point and Bottom Line is ANY Phone that supports HSDPA Network with up to 7.2Mbit per second will be receiving Maximum Tmobile Speed which is avarage 3-5Mbit per second depends on your location and dont mind if it says 3G and not 4G speed on your phone will be Exacly the same since its Same Network HSDPA. Hope it clears everything since its Just Marketing Trick nothing else.
Oh forgot to mention if you have 2 phones in your hand both Vibrant (or any other 3.5g phone) and 4G phone from tmobile , both on same tmobile, sometimes difference can be in speed because it also depends on Antena strenght on your phone, some phones have better antena thats why they get more singnal but difference is not big at all. And if you ll stand next to HSPA+ (HSDPA) Tower with both Phones in your hands , Speed will be IDENTICAL. But on NEW phone it will show 4G even if its on same 3.5G (HSDPA or so Called HSPA+ how tmobile likes to call it) So 4G phone is basicly has overclocked Icon and Vibrant downclocked icon which Displays 3G , I think both phones would be correct if they will show H or 3.5G icon. But if they both will show H or 3.5G who will buy 4g phone ? and why the hell Tmobile then shows comercial of 4g ? Tmobile doesnt want you to know the truth, they want you to believe that by Buying 4G phone (which costs more) you will get better speed which is a big fat lie. Otherwise you will not fall for it and stick with your 7.2MBit/s HSDPA phone and it doesnt matter if its Vibrant or G1 or anyother phone. If you want to check which phones support 7.2MBit on HSDPA or 14.4 and see phones that have Wimax or upcoming LTE check gsmarena.com
these are all 3.5G Phone available for all carriers at the moment notice MyTouch 4G on tmobile in the list ) http://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?sName=&idMaker=0&chkHSDPA2100=selected&idAvailability=0&YearAnnounced=0&nPriceLow=0&nPriceHigh=0&idCurrency=0&idFormFactor=0&idDualSIM=0&idQwerty=0&HeightMax=0&WidthMax=0&ThicknessMax=0&WeightMax=0&idOS=11&idDisplay=0&idDisplayRes=0&fDisplaySize=0&idDisplayTech=0&idTouchscreen=0&idAccelerometer=0&id35mm=0&idCamera=0&idCameraFlash=0&idVideoRecorder=0&idSecondaryCamera=0&idExpansionCard=0&idGPS=0&bWLAN=0&bEDGE=0&bGPRS=0&idBluetooth=0&bIR=0&bEmail=0&bWAP=0&bJava=0&idRadio=0&bMMS=0&idRingtones=0&sColor=&StandBy=0&TalkTime=0&sFreeText=
Abriviation of HSPA is High Speed Packet Access, Which has 2 types, HSDPA (High Speed "download" Packet Access) and HSUPA (Upload speed)
Niether WiMax nor LTE are 4G, apparently.
They're just faster than what has gone before, but still slower than HSPA+, if memory serves.
Regardless of all that, 'upgrading' your plan to "4G" is stupid with a Vibrant, b/c it doesn't support anything resembling said *G.
-bZj
dima25 said:
Oh forgot to mention if you have 2 phones in your hand both Vibrant (or any other 3.5g phone) and 4G phone from tmobile , both on same tmobile, sometimes difference can be in speed because it also depends on Antena strenght on your phone, some phones have better antena thats why they get more singnal but difference is not big at all. And if you ll stand next to HSPA+ (HSDPA) Tower with both Phones in your hands , Speed will be IDENTICAL. But on NEW phone it will show 4G even if its on same 3.5G (HSDPA or so Called HSPA+ how tmobile likes to call it) So 4G phone is basicly has overclocked Icon and Vibrant downclocked icon which Displays 3G , I think both phones would be correct if they will show H or 3.5G icon. But if they both will show H or 3.5G who will buy 4g phone ? and why the hell Tmobile then shows comercial of 4g ? Tmobile doesnt want you to know the truth, they want you to believe that by Buying 4G phone (which costs more) you will get better speed which is a big fat lie. Otherwise you will not fall for it and stick with your 7.2MBit/s HSDPA phone and it doesnt matter if its Vibrant or G1 or anyother phone. If you want to check which phones support 7.2MBit on HSDPA or 14.4 and see phones that have Wimax or upcoming LTE check gsmarena.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the mytouch 4g gets better speeds. Side by side with my friend's mt4g i get 1.5mb max he gets 2.7mb max.
Ok WiMax is slightly Faster than HSDPA for sure (dont mind spint since they USE 3g not WIMAX Network) LTE Can hold Speeds up to 60MBit per second in most countries Minimum speed is 20MBit per second, WiMax can hold up to 20Mbit as well in Most european countries it gets 9-10Mbit Per second. And 3MBit in bad locations. So Officially... 4G its LTE 2 or Wimax 2 which are next generations of Wimax and LTE. But here how it goes, GSM first Geneneration is GPRS, then second Generation is EDGE , then goes UMTS network for phones with Sim Cards, And EDVO-A (same 3g) for CDMA phones. Now Next generation which is 3.5G Its HSPA (HSPA+ its not a special network its still HSPA ) So with Maximum Download Speeds HSDPA 14.4Mbit per second, and upload HSUPA 5.72MBit. Now lets get to 4G , or I preffer to call it PRE-4G But after 3.5G. Main Candidate is LTE! Since I never saw Speed on LTE Network anywhere in europe Less than 14Mbit per second and Maximum speed I saw was 68mbit per second or so with some Europe Mobile Provider. Now lets go to WIMAX. Its not even Mobile network such as GSM or UMTS or HSPA or LTE. Its more of Next generation of WIFI. It works and acts as wifi more than Mobile network but with Big difference. Wifi N Routers for example can work up to 300feet range maybe even little more. While Wimax can work up to like 30-50mile RANGE! So basicly Internet Providers just Use those Special Routers with Huge Antena so you will get signal in your city And trasmit very big download and upload speeds. So thats Wimax. its like Extended range WiFi nothing else. So basicly if Sprint even has WiMax they are acting more like Att or Verizon DSL with speeds up to 3mbit per second plan and just trasmit it over WiMax to you if you are in range ofcourse. If not you will use just EDVO-A (3g)
So Basicly 2g is GSM or CDMA, 3g is UMTS or EDVO-A, 3.5G is HSPA, Pre4G or 4G Candidate is LTE at the moment. And real 4G will be LTE2. Wimax is just Next generation of WiFi.
nacron said:
the mytouch 4g gets better speeds. Side by side with my friend's mt4g i get 1.5mb max he gets 2.7mb max.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well try to run tests like 10 times , and calculate avarage speed. I had problem with my Vibrant that I got 2.8Mbit one time on 1 spot. Its called Latency (lag) then I reran speedtest and it showed 4.5mbit per second. So does it Mean my "3g" phone faster than his 4g ? No since his phone capable of holding 14.4mbit per second on HSDPA while my only 7.2Mbit, But it could mean one of two things, 1 your phone is deffective antena or software for antena or HTC has better Antena and or better Firmware which makes antenna signal is better. Tmobile just doesnt provide good speed in your area. And when you ll run same test on same spot (do not hold sides of your since it can lose signal Antena is on the side of the phone you are blocking it) The proper way to test you and your friends phone is. Put both phones on table make sure distance will be at least few feet from each other so they will not block frequencies of each other. And press SPEEDTEST app same time. And run test about 5-10 times, if your phone will still show slower speed, try to change places put your phone on his place and his on yours. And if still you will get slower speed I suggest you go replace phone since you got it with deffective antena or firmware. But I bet his phone works with Froyo and Vibrant doesnt even have official froyo yet that may fix antena signal. I think vibrant has same problem as Iphone 4 had. But iphone 4 fixed it with 4.1 Firmware which updated baseband and Vibrant didnt have any fix. Anyway I got 4.7Mbit per second driving my car on Highway in Alabama using Stock Android 2.1 JK6. I didnt test speeds in that place anymore sitting on Axura 2.0.6 but in Miami, FL I get mostly 2.5-3.6mbit per second. But im sure if you ll go with your friend to T-Mobile HSPA tower (if you know the location) and put your phones to test you will get same speed. Tmobile doesnt offer bigger speeds than 6mbit Im sure of it. So the phones are equal at the moment.
If you don't like the option for the 4g keep it to yourself but for you idiots I have 4g coverage on my vibrant I upgraded it a few weeks ago and it shows up on my bill as unlimited 4g web so call t-mobile and ask them to upgrade your plan, making statements that you fail to research is ignorant and you just look stupid
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- You've seen the 4G advertisements from T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon, bragging about a much-better wireless network with blazing fast speeds.
Here's the secret the carriers don't advertise: 4G is a myth. Like the unicorn, it hasn't been spotted anywhere in the wild just yet -- and won't be any time in the near future.
The International Telecommunication Union, the global wireless standards-setting organization, determined last month that 4G is defined as a network capable of download speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps). That's fast enough to download an average high-definition movie in about three minutes.
None of the new networks the carriers are rolling out meet that standard.
Sprint (S, Fortune 500) was the first to launch a network called 4G, going live with it earlier this year. Then, T-Mobile launched its 4G network, claiming to be "America's largest 4G network." Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500) plans to launch its 4G network by the end of the year, which it claims will be the nation's largest and the fastest. AT&T (T, Fortune 500) is expected to unveil its 4G network next year.
Those networks have theoretical speeds of a fifth to a half that of the official 4G standard. The actual speeds the carriers say they'll achieve are just a tenth of "real" 4G.
So why are the carriers calling these networks 4G?
It's mostly a matter of PR, industry experts say. Explaining what the wireless carriers' new networks should be called, and what they'll be capable of, is a confusing mess.
To illustrate: Sprint bought a majority stake in Clearwire (CLWR), which uses a new network technology called WiMAX that's capable of speeds ranging from 3 Mbps to 10 Mbps. That's a different technology from Verizon's new network, based on a standard called Long Term Evolution (LTE), which will average 5 Mbps to 12 Mbps.
Seeing what its competitors were up to, T-Mobile opted to increase the speed capabilities of its existing 3G-HSPA+ network instead of pursuing a new technology. Its expanded network -- now called 4G -- will reach speeds of 5 Mbps to 12 Mbps.
No matter what they're called, all of these upgrades are clear improvements -- and the carriers shelled out billions to make them. Current "3G" networks offer actual speeds that range from between 500 kilobits per second to 1.5 Mbps.
So Sprint and Verizon have new, faster networks that are still technically not 4G, while T-Mobile has an old, though still faster network that is actually based on 3G technology.
Confused yet? That's why they all just opted to call themselves "4G."
The carriers get defensive about the topic.
"It's very misleading to make a decision about what's 4G based on speed alone," said Stephanie Vinge-Walsh, spokeswoman for Sprint Nextel. "It is a challenge we face in an extremely competitive industry."
T-Mobile did not respond to a request for comment.
One network representative, who asked not to be identified, claimed that ITU's 4G line-in-the-sand is being misconstrued. The organization previously approved the use of the term "4G" for Sprint's WiMAX and Verizon's LTE networks, he said -- though not for T-Mobile's HSPA+ network.
ITU's PR department ignored that approval in its recent statement about how future wireless technologies would be measured, the representative said. ITU representatives were not immediately available for comment.
"I'm not getting into a technical debate," said Jeffrey Nelson, spokesman for Verizon Wireless. "Consumers will quickly realize that there's really a difference between the capabilities of various wireless data networks. All '4G' is not the same."
And that's what's so difficult. The term 4G has become meaningless and confusing as hell for wireless customers.
For instance, T-Mobile's 4G network, which is technically 3G, will have speeds that are at least equal to -- and possibly faster -- than Verizon's 4G-LTE network at launch. At the same time, AT&T's 3G network, which is also being scaled up like T-Mobile's, is not being labeled "4G."
That's why some industry experts predict that the term "4G" will soon vanish.
"The labeling of wireless broadband based on technical jargon is likely to fade away in 2011," said Dan Hays, partner at industry consultancy PRTM. "That will be good news for the consumer. Comparing carriers based on their network coverage and speed will give them more facts to make more informed decisions."
Hays expects that independent researchers -- or the Federal Communications Commission -- will step in next year to perform speed and coverage tests.
Meanwhile, don't expect anyone to hold the carriers' feet to the fire.
"Historically, ITU's classification system has not held a great degree of water and has not been used to enforce branding," Hays said. "Everyone started off declaring themselves to be 4G long before the official decision on labeling was made. The ITU was three to four years too late to make an meaningful impact on the industry's use of the term."
I got 4g speed on mine after my upgrade and my signal went from 3g to now says H.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
According to the Carphone Warehouse website, one of the features for the GalaxyS2 is quoted as HSDPA+. Is this an oversite on carphone warehouses part or will HSDPA+ actually be available to us in the uk?
http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/news/coming-soon/samsung_galaxy_s_2
The Samsung Galaxy S 2 is coming soon to The Carphone Warehouse! Just 8.49mm at its thinnest point, Galaxy S 2 is officially the World's slimmest smartphone. It comes with the latest version of Android and a brilliant NEW Super Amoled + display.
Dual core processor, for superb performance
Super fast web browsing with NEW HSDPA+ technology
Full 1080p HD video recording and onscreen playback
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Optimised for entertainment:
Internet
NEW HSDPA+ technology makes your 3G mobile network connection faster, so you can download more content, load online videos more easily and enjoy the web more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the phone has HSPDA+ (4G)
the question is if your phone company supports 4G or not
even if 4G is not an option for your cell company, you can still get 3G with the phone
yeh the question is whether uk phone companies will support hspa+ as it is an extension of 3g really?
because if not they shouldnt be advertising a feature that is disabled.
or due to the recently announced 4g spectrum auction, they are just meaning it will be compatible once the 4g network is set up.
its just hsdpa+ enabled and thats that... what carrier the consumer will be using and if the carrier supports it, is none of their business. they sell internationally just because uk carriers dont support this yet doesnt mean that they arent supposed to describe exactly what they are selling...
no, you guys aren't understanding me. it is a uk website, not an international website of samsung, it is a uk seller selling to the uk, we have tranding standards laws so products arent missold.
do any uk people know if this is possible in this country?
I'm not quite sure you actually know what HSPA+ is - the phone does support this wireless standard, but for it to be useful to you your cell provider needs to have HSPA+ capable stations in your area. They are selling you a capable phone, not cell phone service - and the maximum speed this phone can attain is higher than other phones maximum speed.
And, of course, UK providers do support this standard. You are most likely to get a HSPA+ signal in metropolitan regions. If you absolutely have to know if your area is covered, you need to research further - but this will change over time, as more and more regions are upgraded.
But even if no cell phone provider in your area had capable stations it wouldn't be mislabeling as the seller is only describing the capabilities of the phone - you could be buying it for use outside the UK.
You really need to research before asking pointless questions.
walk.away said:
no, you guys aren't understanding me. it is a uk website, not an international website of samsung, it is a uk seller selling to the uk, we have tranding standards laws so products arent missold.
do any uk people know if this is possible in this country?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
carphone warehouse ships INTERNATIONALLY this means its shipping to countries that do have hsdpa+ carriers...
why make a big deal out of this? even if the uk doesnt have it right now they will in a few months. if they have it already, great...
Carphone Warehouse is an international company, does not mean Carphone warehouse UK ships internationally.
http://selfhelp.carphonewarehouse.com/SelfHelp/request.do?view()=c{a37ba1a0-bc8e-11de-e56d-000000000000}
I am sorry if I wasn't clear with the question, I was wanting an answer/debate as to whether the UK will or already has HSPA+. I was unaware it does as we haven't sold off the old analogue wireless spectrum yet. When this is sold off (sometime mid next year at the earliest) then the networks have to implement it, so more delay.
Having worked previously for many years in electrical retail, if I told someone that their new HD tv made everything HD, that would be misselling, and breaking the law. Same logic applies to the website
NEW HSDPA+ technology makes your 3G mobile network connection faster, so you can download more content, load online videos more easily and enjoy the web more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this then true that HSPA+ is compatible with the existing 3G networks? There is no need for upgrading the wireless transmitters? I know that Vodafone has done trials but I do not know how these would be done.
Also I don't really think this is a pointless question as for UK users the SGS2 seems to be the first HSPA+ phone available. Again I know that Vodafone has done trials but no phones that have HSPA+ that are available internationally have been sold in the UK with this technology.
Also PartyMango, they are selling you a "cell phone" service as they are a 3rd party seller of Orange/T-Mobile/3/Vodafone services, CW take responsibility for the contract. CW do not sell phones this expensive unlocked or payg.
But thankyou for telling me that there is HSPA+ service already in the UK, as my phone doesn't support it I would never know and having tried to research it I couldn't find anything so asked here, and tried to let potential UK buyers know that a "4G" phone is coming soon fully capable.
Edit: Btw, I don't think locked phones on UK contracts would have cheap rates for being able to use HSPA+ data abroad.
walk.away said:
Is this then true that HSPA+ is compatible with the existing 3G networks? There is no need for upgrading the wireless transmitters? I know that Vodafone has done trials but I do not know how these would be done
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HSPA+ is the next revision of current 3g technology. Providers do need to upgrade their transmitters, but that doesn't necessarily mean replacing the hardware. Almost all recent transmitter hardware sold by equipment manufacturers to cell providers is firmware-upgradeable. Most equipment installed now is even prepared to carry LTE signals at a later time.
walk.away said:
Is this then true that HSPA+ is compatible with the existing 3G networks? There is no need for upgrading the wireless transmitters? I know that Vodafone has done trials but I do not know how these would be done.
Also I don't really think this is a pointless question as for UK users the SGS2 seems to be the first HSPA+ phone available. Again I know that Vodafone has done trials but no phones that have HSPA+ that are available internationally have been sold in the UK with this technology.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure about HSDPA+ but I've had HSDPA on my HTC Hero for the past 18 months with T-Mobile UK, and I know Three UK have HSDPA capability too.
According to GSMArena:
The Hero has HSDPA 900 / 2100
The original SGS has HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100 (And when I played with a SGS in a Three store it had a H, so it definitely worked with Three's HSDPA network)
SGSII has HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
So I think it's just similar but with more frequencies? Not sure, but hope it helps somewhat!
EDIT: I looked it up on Wikipedia and HSPA+ is a much faster connection, I'm sure we don't have that in the UK yet, perhaps it's just a misprint on the website?
Ayrlupine said:
EDIT: I looked it up on Wikipedia and HSPA+ is a much faster connection, I'm sure we don't have that in the UK yet, perhaps it's just a misprint on the website?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HSPA+ does feature different speed levels, on the phone side as well as on the network side - many cell providers all around the world do have it, UK providers too. It would be very odd for the UK networks not to feature this technology, as opposed to most domestic european cell networks. But rural areas most often won't have HSPA+ coverage.
And it is no misprint as the website is advertising the phones capabilities, not a specific cell providers network features.
4G like 3G they are all shared bandwidth
so don't expect to see full speed in heavily populated area
if 200 people happened to be connected to the same cell phone tower pumping out 4G, then all 200 people are sharing the same 21 Mbps bandwidth
that means each one will probably be getting in reality 2.1 Mbps at best
of course that's like a worse case scenario, and only if all 200 people are actually downloading heavy content off the network
Sorry about the double post T.T
Three UK are supposedly rolling out HSPA+ this year, they've just announced a HSPA+ capable mobile broadband dongle. (I have no source, I'm lazy, just google HSPA+ UK or HSPA+ Three.)
So that's pretty neat, I'm thinking of getting SGSII with Three, hopefully I'll be able to hop on the HSPA+ when it rolls out!
AllGamer said:
if 200 people happened to be connected to the same cell phone tower pumping out 4G, then all 200 people are sharing the same 21 Mbps bandwidth
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Number of frequencies that can be used simultaneously on a cell tower has gradually increased from 1 upto 4 today and maybe more later.
So upto 4 frequencies can be used in the same area and each frequency can handle 21 Mbps.
Later there will be phones that can handle several frequencies simultaneously
to get higher speed.
so with this being a hsdpa+ device is it safe to assume that if I were to buy a British sim free version that I can pop in my tmobile sim card would only have 3G speeds?
the fact that is says hsdpa+ and not hspa+ kinda makes me worried that the s2 cant achieve "4G" speeds. (at least the british version)
someone correct me if im wrong but hsdpa+ is the technical term for what tmobile calls 3g and hspa+ is supposed 4G.
Your phone will be able to achieve the highest speed its standards and the implemented network standard allow - the Galaxy S II supports 21 Mbps down (HSPA+) and 5,76 Mbps up (HSUPA). These are the maximum supported speeds/standard, of course the phone can utilize older standards like HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE or even GPRS as well if the local network won't support anything better. If this were a HSDPA+ phone, the maximum achievable speed would be 14,4 Mbps.
4G is nothing more than a marketing term, used by different cell providers for different standards. At this point, it has lost its meaning. (But, yes, by your definition, the Galaxy S2 is going to be a "4g device")
PartyMango said:
Your phone will be able to achieve the highest speed its standards and the implemented network standard allow - the Galaxy S II supports 21 Mbps down (HSPA+) and 5,76 Mbps up (HSUPA). These are the maximum supported speeds/standard, of course the phone can utilize older standards like HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE or even GPRS as well if the local network won't support anything better. If this were a HSDPA+ phone, the maximum achievable speed would be 14,4 Mbps.
4G is nothing more than a marketing term, used by different cell providers for different standards. At this point, it has lost its meaning. (But, yes, by your definition, the Galaxy S2 is going to be a "4g device")
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right I could care less about the 4g wars because none of these network technologies are true 4g. BUT with that being said there is a big difference is real world speed levels between the 2. The GS4G is advertised as a hspa+ and hsdpa+ capable device that is capable of 21mbps. Of course I've never seen anything over 10 but the SGS2 is only being advertised as hsdpa+. So with that being said I guess its safe to say that the SGS2 does not have a hspa+ radio in it. Only an hsdpa+ radio. Correct? None of the docs I've seen show that it is a hspa+ capable device
Sent from my DAMN Galaxy 4G¡!
walk.away said:
no, you guys aren't understanding me. it is a uk website, not an international website of samsung, it is a uk seller selling to the uk, we have tranding standards laws so products arent missold.
do any uk people know if this is possible in this country?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am from the UK and can't see how this breaks any trading standard laws. Listing what features the phone actually has does not break TS if the carrier you use it with does not support it. It's no different to listing the phone has quad band even though some of those frequencies are not used in UK. It is fine for Carphone warehouse to list features they know are not supported in UK because:
1. They may be supported in UK in future.
2. Some customers may go overseas and roam to other carriers that do support those features.
But, to answer your direct question. I have not heard about any UK carriers who support HSPA+. This wiki lists worldwide carriers that do support it but UK is not listed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSPA%2B.
I live in the Chicago Suburbs, and I got my brand-spanking new International Galaxy S3 [GT I-9300] delivered by Expansys today ($778.97 plus taxes). Color is "marble white", and it's a thing of beauty; I just love the phone!
However, when I added the "Straight Talk" (AT&T) SIM card and completed the setup process as described, I wasn't even able to download Apps from the Play store... because my connection is too slow!
I verified twice that all my APN settings are correct, but all the speed I seem to get is "Edge" (phone is displaying a tiny 'E' in the status bar) with max speeds of 212 kbps UP, and 140 kbps DOWN... - WHAT A JOKE!!!
My question: what am I doing wrong?
I did my due diligence before buying the phone; making sure that AT&T delivers decent speeds on the frequencies that the I-9300 can pick up.
Just for comparison's sake, the GT I-9300 covers the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz bands for 2G GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz for 3G UMTS/HSPA+.
According to AT&T's website, they primarily use the 850 and 1900 MHz bands here in the US - which means, I should be able to get HSPA/HSPA+ speeds around here.
No such thing, I'm afraid.
Any idea what the problem may be?? I have searched for answers in this Forum already, but came up empty...
Sounds like you could be in a 3G black area like where a few metres either way could give a 3G signal, so just try your network in another phone and you'll know.
Maybe you got the T-Mobile version of the sin card by mistake
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Thanks for the input!
I'm pretty sure it's an AT&T card, as all the APN setup instructions that came with it are for Cingular/AT&T..
Looks like I have to give Straight Talk a call tomorrow; hoping that this can be figured out...
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
The APN setting were correct, but -apparently- I wasn't familiar enough with the "Mobile Network" setting... since there was no indication of it in Straight Talk's setup instructions and I never had to mess with it before on my previous phones...
Anyways...
Go to SETTINGS > MORE SETTINGS > MOBILE NETWORKS > NETWORK MODE:
Select select "GSM/WCDMA (Auto mode)"
In "Network Operators" (right below) press "Select Automatically"
I also made another change that I read about when searching for a solution. And even though it is believed that it does not solve the problem, it helps to "speed up" things... by whatever margin that may be:
In "ACCESS POINT NAMES" (part of "MOBILE NETWORK" menu):
Change the "PROXY" from proxy.mvno.tracfone.com to 66.209.11.33
As a matter of fact, 66.209.11.33 is the same address as proxy.mvno.tracfone.com, but the phone/service does not have to resolve it anymore - as it already is 'translated'. This is believed to make things a bit snappier and get you better/faster service.
No idea if it really does anything at all... but since my phone is working just fine - and finally at HSPA and HSPA+ speeds(!!!) - I am not going to change it back anymore....
I have to say, the $45/month all-unlimited Straight Talk & Data SIM (AT&T service) really works well on my GT I-9300! It is not giving me LTE speeds, but it's just 35% of the price I used to pay Verizon before (month-to-month service w/ 450 talk minutes + 5 [upped to 10GB as part of their promo] Data plan) for LTE, which was sucking my REZOUND's battery dry in no time flat. And HSPA+ is certainly fast enough for what I need my phone for...
What's not to like??!
As for me, I like it much better now!!!
Glad you got it fixed quick.
androidarmin said:
I did my due diligence before buying the phone; making sure that AT&T delivers decent speeds on the frequencies that the I-9300 can pick up.
Just for comparison's sake, the GT I-9300 covers the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz bands for 2G GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz for 3G UMTS/HSPA+.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just for clarification though, I see you mentioned the I9300 using 1700 and 2100Mhz. Where'd you get that info? Those are Tmobile HSPA+ bands. I'd love for the phone to support that, but don't think that's correct
farfromovin said:
Glad you got it fixed quick.
Just for clarification though, I see you mentioned the I9300 using 1700 and 2100Mhz. Where'd you get that info? Those are Tmobile HSPA+ bands. I'd love for the phone to support that, but don't think that's correct
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, farfromovin!
You may have a point there, buddy... Those are supposedly the bands that the International Galaxy S3 can pick up in general, according to Wikipedia. Here in the US, however, you're out of luck if picking T-mobile as your carrier for the I-9300, because they broadcast 3G on a different band, which the S3/I-9300 does not pick up by default... so I had verified by a bunch of folks in the Forums.
I was looking into exactly the same thing before I made the decision to go with a prepaid "Straight Talk" (AT&T) SIM card. ST also offers an T-mo version, but with that - as I had stated before - you'll only get 2G in the US; at least for now (note: this may change by end of the year/early in 2013, so I've read, as Tmo is making adjustments/improvements to their network and 3G/4G frequencies..).
Hope this helps.
If you happen to live in the US and haven't heard yet, all major carriers here will come out with the S3 in just a few weeks. Carrier-branded only, and "just" with the 2-core Snapdragon S4 CPU inside (due to LTE).
But, this phone is so awesome, I wouldn't even mind having only 2 cores if I were not able to run the International/Unlocked version on HSPA+ here in the US... But, 4 cores kick some serious butt, dude!!
Cheers,
Armin
androidarmin said:
Thanks, farfromovin!
You may have a point there, buddy... Those are supposedly the bands that the International Galaxy S3 can pick up in general, according to Wikipedia. Here in the US, however, you're out of luck if picking T-mobile as your carrier for the I-9300, because they broadcast 3G on a different band, which the S3/I-9300 does not pick up by default... so I had verified by a bunch of folks in the Forums.
I was looking into exactly the same thing before I made the decision to go with a prepaid "Straight Talk" (AT&T) SIM card. ST also offers an T-mo version, but with that - as I had stated before - you'll only get 2G in the US; at least for now (note: this may change by end of the year/early in 2013, so I've read, as Tmo is making adjustments/improvements to their network and 3G/4G frequencies..).
Hope this helps.
If you happen to live in the US and haven't heard yet, all major carriers here will come out with the S3 in just a few weeks. Carrier-branded only, and "just" with the 2-core Snapdragon S4 CPU inside (due to LTE).
But, this phone is so awesome, I wouldn't even mind having only 2 cores if I were not able to run the International/Unlocked version on HSPA+ here in the US... But, 4 cores kick some serious butt, dude!!
Cheers,
Armin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is wrong info..anyone can put info on wikipedia. It matters what's on the box and on the box it's the standard quad band for umts. There is no 1700 band on the box and so no hspa speed for tmobile.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Try leaving the Straight Talk Proxy setting blank. I think you will see much better data speeds.
I'm having the same problem, but your solution didn't work for me. I cant seem to shake edge connection. I had hspda last night
S_Dot said:
I'm having the same problem, but your solution didn't work for me. I cant seem to shake edge connection. I had hspda last night
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah same prob. GS2 GT-I9100T Only Edge network :/
SGS3 i9300
kirdroid said:
That is wrong info..anyone can put info on wikipedia. It matters what's on the box and on the box it's the standard quad band for umts. There is no 1700 band on the box and so no hspa speed for tmobile.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree kirdroid, you can't trust Wikipedia to be 100% truth. However, in this case the Wiki page is correct.
/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S_III
The page is for all models of the Galaxy SIII. There is a graphic on the right side with specs under it for ALL models. Then there is a table in the middle of the page that shows the specs for each model. If you look at the all models specs it looks like one hell of a phone. You have to look at the table with specs for each model to see that I9300 supports:
2G: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz GSM / GPRS / EDGE
3G: 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz UMTS / HSPA+
T-Mobile H+ (2.75G) not working for me in Salt Lake City, UT. Customer support said 1900 MHz is supported for H+, but I'm guessing she didn't check for Utah. As of December 20, 2012 it is not available in Utah. You can search Google to see what markets it's available in: "t-mobile-closes-the-year-by-enhancing-coverage-in-14-new-metro-areas"
I'd post links, but I'm not allowed.
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...
Sent from my IdeaTabA2109A using xda premium
[I'm cross-posting this in the Sprint HTC One forum as well]
My situation:
1. I've been with Sprint since the OG Evo, but after getting the One, I was really frustrated with the slow LTE speeds especially after years of Network Vision promises and paying an extra $10 a month (per phone) for "high speed data" that was anything but. I was also irked at all the crap I had to go through to get the SIM unlocked.
2. The area I live in has refarmed HSPA+ to the 1900Mhz band.
3. The area I live in has AWS LTE.
4. I currently have a Sprint, T-Mobile, and Developer Edition One.
My original plan was to use the DE to test the TMO network to see if it was faster than Sprint and available in all the places I frequent. If so, then I'd sell my (now SIM unlocked) Sprint model and keep the DE, otherwise, I'd return the DE for a refund.
But over the last week and a half I've noticed that, while LTE speeds were frequently pretty high (15-20Mbps) there were still plenty of times when I was only seeing an H or an E. I couldn't even tell if the H was HSPA or HSPA+. So then I began to wonder if I was missing out because of the lack of the 1700Mhz band, thus I bought the TMO version to see if I was missing anything.
Turns out, I wasn't. The H I've been seeing is indeed HSPA+ but nowhere near the advertised 42Mbps. Granted, I wasn't naive enough to think I would pull 42Mbps even with the TMO version, but I expected to get at least in the 20-30Mbps range, instead I've been seeing 5-9Mbps. (Thanks to the Sensorly app, I can now tell which H I'm seeing).
After running around with TMO version, I'm seeing the exact same speeds in the same places. So, I'm not missing anything by not having 1700Mhz. In the meantime, TMO is still refarming more areas so the 1700Mhz is becoming less and less important.
So what about Sprint? At their lowest, the TMO speeds are equal to or a little above the Sprint speeds I've been seeing (my wife inherited the Sprint version during this trial run), and at their highest, Sprint can't touch them (in this area--I've gotten up to 20Mbps in PA).
So T-Mobile it is. When the wife's contract is up at the end of the month, the Sprint model is going up on Swappa. Meanwhile, the TMO version is going back to the store tomorrow.
What about AT&T you ask? Way faster, but way more expensive. Truth is, I spend most of my time on wifi anyway, so I'm not willing to pay AT&T prices for cable internet speeds for the times in between.
Hope this helps anyone else facing the same dilemma.
What are your apns for t-mobile. The LTE apn settings are slower than the HSPA apn. Unless you're in a LTE T-Mobile area.
magicriggs said:
What are your apns for t-mobile. The LTE apn settings are slower than the HSPA apn. Unless you're in a LTE T-Mobile area.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My area is actually pretty saturated with LTE, but I still I tried both fast and epc. The speeds were the same.
Dang thats crazy.
KiamatDusk said:
My area is actually pretty saturated with LTE, but I still I tried both fast and epc. The speeds were the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have different result with comparing a Dev edtion and T-Mobile edition One. NY is a refarmed market but there would be times I would still get EDGE in some spots. In the same area the T-Mo One would have a constant 4G/LTE connection while the Dev One would fluctuate between 2G/4G/LTE. I would recommend stick with the T-Mo One just in case you go into area that is not refarmed. I had faster 4G speed on the T-Mo one as well. (Single digits with PCS 4G compared to double digit AWS 4G)
Just popping in to say congrats on leaving Sprint.
I had them for about 8 months and could not stand them anymore. Paid $350 ETF and been happy ever since.