Possibility of forcing UMTS/GSM to use 1900mhz over 850mhz? - XPERIA X1 General

Hey guys,
I have been waiting for this phone since February like many, and mine finally came just less than a week ago. I have been spending much time configuring it and tuning it for my needs, and I must say I think it is an amazing device. Coming from an HTC Universal (which wasn't too shabby in its day) to the X1 is still a big difference. Without getting into a mini-review here, I love the phone and am super happy with it.
That being said, what would make me UBER happy with it was if I was able to somehow force it to use GSM + UMTS 1900mhz instead of the 850mhz towers it seems to favour. I'm up on the Rogers/Fido network in Canada, and the phone always grabs the 850mhz band (verified via FieldTest.exe) even though I know 1900mhz is here (my Universal used it, had no 850mhz GSM or UMTS).
Due to this, I am unable to get 3G as the phone falls back to EDGE (which I'm sure you've seen many notes about this from other North American users of the X1i). This is why I'm asking if we can force the X1 to use 1900mhz towers only. I'm not even sure if it's possible, but if it was, I could at least maybe get 3G speeds for data.
Thanks in advance for any feedback you guys are able to offer!

scar45 said:
Hey guys,
I have been waiting for this phone since February like many, and mine finally came just less than a week ago. I have been spending much time configuring it and tuning it for my needs, and I must say I think it is an amazing device. Coming from an HTC Universal (which wasn't too shabby in its day) to the X1 is still a big difference. Without getting into a mini-review here, I love the phone and am super happy with it.
That being said, what would make me UBER happy with it was if I was able to somehow force it to use GSM + UMTS 1900mhz instead of the 850mhz towers it seems to favour. I'm up on the Rogers/Fido network in Canada, and the phone always grabs the 850mhz band (verified via FieldTest.exe) even though I know 1900mhz is here (my Universal used it, had no 850mhz GSM or UMTS).
Due to this, I am unable to get 3G as the phone falls back to EDGE (which I'm sure you've seen many notes about this from other North American users of the X1i). This is why I'm asking if we can force the X1 to use 1900mhz towers only. I'm not even sure if it's possible, but if it was, I could at least maybe get 3G speeds for data.
Thanks in advance for any feedback you guys are able to offer!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wouldnt the easiest way of doing that be to turn of gsm, and force umts only?

fards said:
wouldnt the easiest way of doing that be to turn of gsm, and force umts only?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasn't even aware that you could do such a thing with WM, however I would still like to have voice calls come in (something that UMTS is not responsible for)...

settings> phone> band > network type
is it worth trying?

fards said:
settings> phone> band > network type
is it worth trying?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tips fards, but i tried all possible settings in PHONE --> BAND and was unable to get on the 1900mhz band
Hopefully when the X1a comes out, someone can rip its radio ROM and allow us X1i users to flash it...I think we still need a good HardSPL too if my understanding is correct.

Related

Determined to shine some light on 3G "850" working on X1i

First, for anyone interested in the subject here is a little list of threads I found discussing the subject:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=565000
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=4579528
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=442144
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=2888831
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=530699
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=2843884
As you can see, there seems to be a lot of contradictory information from seemingly knowledgeable people.
My goal is to find a way to get the X1i on Rogers' 850 band they use in most places where they advertise 3G coverage. This might also be beneficial to some AT&T users as I believe they use the same bands.
I live in a suburb of Montreal. I never get anything better than EDGE and same goes when I am in class on the island of Montreal. However, when I go out once in a while and end up in downtown, in my drunken stupor I notice a little 3G symbol where the E used to be... Ha! My guess is that Rogers is using 850MHz all over the place and 1900MHz downtown. It would make more sense because '850' is better for covering vast areas that aren't so populated and '1900' is better at covering densely populated areas (downtown!).
My phone uses the Sony Ericsson supplied ROM for UK (OEM R3..) with a the 1.17 radio found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=565182 .
Here's something I discovered that triggered the spark:
-press the call button (get to the dialer)
-press menu (bottom right)
-options
-band
I am now presented with a box to chose my GSM/UMTS band:
"Auto"
"GSM(900+1800)+UMTS(2100+900)"
"GSM(1900+850)+UMTS(1900+850)"
"UMTS(2100)"
UMTS 1900 and 850?? Well well well...
Okay...still EDGE... Another phone (Samsung) supplied by Rogers has 3G right beside me.
Come on people, this really shows that the ROM is intended for a quad band phone. Plus there was a thread that I cannot find anymore with posted PDF's of the phone's chipset specs and it mentioned nothing of the phone being physically different between the X1i and X1a in terms of networking...
I really want to get the ball rolling on this because I have yet to see any solid proof that the X1i cannot do UMTS 850.
you sir, are my savior. thank you for posting and starting this thread. i myself have an X1i in the states and have been reading and reading about this for months on end with lots of conflicting information.
i can connect to HSDPA and Edge network, but never 3G. ONE TIME i saw the 3G logo for about 2 seconds, then it switched over to HSDPA...... i just can't stand the super duper slow edge network
but HSDPA is faster than 3g is it not??
Jonny4911 said:
but HSDPA is faster than 3g is it not??
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Click to collapse
correct, but HSDPA doesn't cover everywhere. in some deadspots i'm only on Edge, and i always wonder if i could get 3G instead.....
@ Jonny4911 : HSDPA IS TO 3G what EDGE is to GPRS...that's a good analogy I can think of. Yes, it is faster than regular 3G.
@ asayamalaka : If you have HSDPA, you shouldn't be worrying about 3G Or maybe you meant something else? This little utility should tell you about your connection speed (just type in the address in your phone's browser) : http://www.dslreports.com/mspeed
Until the devs / savvy guys and girls chime in, it would help a lot if anyone can contribute more interesting links to this thread. I am particularly looking for the those PDF's from Qualcomm but I can't find them anymore...
edit:
asayamalaka said:
correct, but HSDPA doesn't cover everywhere. in some deadspots i'm only on Edge, and i always wonder if i could get 3G instead.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh... I see. Have you tried what's in the first post with the phone setup? See if it helps...
Look with your eyes and not your mouth
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=4373262&postcount=12
Hannigan174 said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=4373262&postcount=12
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hannigan is right with this link, in that you cannot force the X1i to use HSDPA/HSPA+ on the 850mhz band, because it is not in the hardware. With all of the knowledgeable people out there, if it was possible to change it by flashing/hacking/etc., then it would have been done by now. I don't believe that we'll see 850mhz HSPA+ on our X1i's.
That being said, I myself have noticed my lil' ol' X1i receiving the "H" symbol while in the boonies (far away from the downtown core). I believe this is because there have been reports that Rogers is ramping up their support for HSPA+ on the 1900mhz band, in preparation for the Olympics out west. If this is the case, then the ODD time that your phone does not find the 850mhz band (or 1900mhz is more prevalent/strong), then it will hop on that frequency and you'll be able to use HSDPA.
What I was looking for, was not a hack to enable 3G on the X1i's 850mhz band, but rather some kind of "band preference" setting where you could force phone to look for and connect to the 1900mhz band over the 850mhz band (or even disable 850mhz all together, but that might give us less reception). As far as I know (and have been hunting the net), this isn't quite possible.
I am thinking that our (well, specifically mine because of where I live), only hope is that if Rogers continues to grow their 1900mhz network which supports HSDPA, and hopefully our X1i's will choose that network over the 850mhz one. My only worry with this is that the phone might see both frequencies, and pick the 850mhz one because it has more penetration in densely packed areas, making it the primary choice for the phone (since the 1900mhz signal would probably be weaker).
Anyways, I'm speculating a bit, as well as reporting the facts that I've heard from users on this forum and others (HowardForums has a topic open as well).
Let's hopefully continue to keep this thread going as a base reference for our issue here, because getting 3G/HSDPA on our X1i's would SIGNIFICANTLY improve our usability!
@andreitu just to clear one thing up for you, the X1i is a quad band phone, however the quad band is only in reference to GSM bands and does not apply to UMTS bands. The X1i is only Tri band UMTS...
To anyone getting the HSDPA in the US with an X1i, it's because the area you are in is served by a UMTS 1900 enabled cell. (i'm in dallas and am almost always on HSDPA on AT&T)...
Also to answer another point which was raised in both in this thread and in this one here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=4373262#post4373262
On AT&T you will almost neevr see just a 3G connection, since AT&T has performed an upgrade t all base stations that enables HSDPA for 3G - so that everyone gets the fast speed possible when connected to 3G...!
scar45 said:
Hannigan is right with this link
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Click to collapse
It wasn't just a link, I was quoting myself. It was a link to something I already said in another thread that covered the EXACT same thing.
Maybe I have been here too long, but I am starting to get irritated by seeing the same questions numerous times. I will at least give the thread starter some credit for showing an attempt to look at other threads first, but please do multiple google searches related to your subject before starting a thread.
This question was asked a lot when the phone was new. The 1900/850 option in Phone Settings is just a hardcoded dropdown. It does not magically enable WCDMA on 850MHz on the X1i, the hardware cannot do it.
You can receive 1900MHz signals because the X1i is tri-band 900/1800/2100 (even though the drop down does not indicate so).
In future, please, for the love of god, use search!
rwholden said:
On AT&T you will almost neevr see just a 3G connection, since AT&T has performed an upgrade t all base stations that enables HSDPA for 3G - so that everyone gets the fast speed possible when connected to 3G...!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i figured this much but wasn't 100% sure. good to know, thanks
I live in california, i also have the x1i, and i have sometimes seen the 3G for like two seconds too. From reading the threads i have noticed that in deed H is faster than 3G, and myself i get H the whole time while in my room but when i go to my friends house downtown i get a "full H reception signal" and oh man dat is even faster than my brothers HTC Fuze>
azteca85 said:
I live in california, i also have the x1i, and i have sometimes seen the 3G for like two seconds too. From reading the threads i have noticed that in deed H is faster than 3G, and myself i get H the whole time while in my room but when i go to my friends house downtown i get a "full H reception signal" and oh man dat is even faster than my brothers HTC Fuze>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh man, words can't even describe how fast full blown H is. i think i clocked it at 1mb/sec on a speedtest last week...makes my roommates iphone 3Gs look like a toy. i've always known it was faster than Edge and 3G, just wasn't sure about the 3G till now
asayamalaka said:
oh man, words can't even describe how fast full blown H is. i think i clocked it at 1mb/sec on a speedtest last week...makes my roommates iphone 3Gs look like a toy. i've always known it was faster than Edge and 3G, just wasn't sure about the 3G till now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is ironic since the iPhone 3GS is HSPA (7.2Mbps) capable...lol. HSPA is fast though. I regularly get between 1.5Mbps and 2.2Mbps here in Raleigh, NC.

Nexus One has hardware to work on AT&T 3G

I was looking at the Nexus One teardown here. http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus-One/1654/2
Interesting to note that the RTR6285 RF transceiver does indeed support Band 5 UMTS, which I think is AT&T, according to a cached press release here. http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cach...l+RTR6285+umts+bands&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
Note it says...
North American triple-band UMTS (bands 2, 4, 5)
Japanese triple-band UMTS (bands 1, 6, 9)
European, Chinese and rest-of-world triple-band UMTS (bands 1, 3, 8)
Also... the power amplifier SKY77336, according to this document... http://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.skyworksinc.com/uploads/documents/200780E.pdf
Does support the GSM850 band. Isn't that AT&T?
So what is really preventing the Nexus One from running on AT&T? Did they just not "bother" to certify it with the FCC because T-Mobile is their launch partner?
This could mean then the radio software, or some other configuration option in the firmware simply has AT&T 3G disabled.
I'll let you guys debate this, but I can't see any hardware reason why this phone couldn't work on AT&T 3G, with proper software/hacking of course.
-James
Actually the real question is, why didn't they certify with the FCC for AT&T 3G? My only idea is that T-Mobile was the launch partner, but the hardware can do AT&T 3G technically, it's just not certified and enabled.
No reason they couldn't certify and enable it later.
And I have to say, I would have no trouble going to T-Mobile, but in Salt Lake City, AT&T coverage is far superior and so are the 3G speed tests. There are many locations my T-Mobile friends can't get make calls to save their life. I hear T-Mobile is much better in other cities.
-James
Doesn't AT&T use both 850 and 1900 for 3G? Does this phone have 1900?
jimbo831 said:
Doesn't AT&T use both 850 and 1900 for 3G? Does this phone have 1900?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe the transceiver and amplifier support both.
I want to get people digging around on this.
-James
Very interesting stuff.
I bet a community could get a pot together and have a prize for whomever can get the n1 working on att first, assuming it actually will work
Thanks for digging up this info, I was actually in the process of starting to research this myself for when I grew tired of living on edge.
Does support the GSM850 band. Isn't that AT&T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've already answered your own question here, GSM is not UMTS.
I'm in the smae boat btw, Telstra in Aus use 850UMTS and I know how painful it can be to have 2G access in most places.
YorikR32 said:
You've already answered your own question here, GSM is not UMTS.
I'm in the smae boat btw, Telstra in Aus use 850UMTS and I know how painful it can be to have 2G access in most places.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well technically UMTS is a GSM standard, could be the same thing. Same frequencies certainly.
I was just checking the brochure for the http://www.rfmw.com/data/BRO254-08B.pdf
No where does it make mention of UMTS, like say... T-Mobile's AWS... but it does specifically have the correct frequencies listed for both T-Mobile AWS and AT&T 3G.
I'm going to make the assumption that this indicates it works with UMTS is both bands since it doesn't mention UMTS specifically at all, yet it does work on T-Mobile AWS.
James I love you man! tell me there's a way to "jailbreak" this thing.... what kind of people do we need? someone has to be willing to help with this. Oh why oh why am i only a MBA.... I need a tech degree of some kind!
I don't think it has to do with the FCC. Though we are all in love with the nexus one... remember that google and apple are nearly HALF of the same executive board. They don't want to compete with the golden goose that keeps thier stock portfolio's up that much.
We just need to find out how to activate/change which airwaves this thing is listening too and THEN we will have the first truely unlocked machine!
subscribing to this thread for an outcome.
I've been doing more reading and it seems this isn't the first phone with hardware disabled. I haven't found anything yet on if anyone has made the change yet :+\
Here we go, the Blackstone all over again .
~~Tito~~ said:
Here we go, the Blackstone all over again .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, maybe. The Blackstone has a hardware limitation for the US 3G frequencies. There have been phones in the past that had software limitations that were overcome with a hack. So if the Nexus has the hardware capabilities to do ATT 3G frequencies there is a good chance that someone will figure out how to unlock it.
uh...wow. Yeah, I'll be watching this thread.
Matterhorn said:
Well, maybe. The Blackstone has a hardware limitation for the US 3G frequencies. There have been phones in the past that had software limitations that were overcome with a hack. So if the Nexus has the hardware capabilities to do ATT 3G frequencies there is a good chance that someone will figure out how to unlock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which phones? Do you have any links we can read so we can start looking for similar solutions?
I found this link to the Diamond on XDA which they supposedly change to 3g at&t but I have read the whole thing it's long.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=432770
I'm still looking for answers! I'm just not smart enough to "create" the answer. I have hope that a future rom will help us but not for a while. For now I'll keep researching.
P.S. my phone comes tommorrow!!!!!!!!11 I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!111111
The radio chip supports all the UMTS bands it but unfortunately the UMTS power amplifiers (eg. http://www.skyworksinc.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=597) are NOT in the chip. Like the G1 it probably only has amplifiers for 900/1700/2100.
The quadband power amplifier only supports GPRS/EDGE: http://www.skyworksinc.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=437
Looking at the chip diagram here (http://s2.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/ZhrRALhPFhWyLGKC.large) the two chips next to the SKY77191 look awfully like power amplifiers as well.. if so, conveniently for 900/2100
coolbho3000 said:
The radio chip supports all the UMTS bands it but unfortunately the UMTS power amplifiers (eg. http://www.skyworksinc.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=597) are NOT in the chip. Like the G1 it probably only has amplifiers for 900/1700/2100.
The quadband power amplifier only supports GPRS/EDGE: http://www.skyworksinc.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=437
Looking at the chip diagram here (http://s2.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/ZhrRALhPFhWyLGKC.large) the two chips next to the SKY77191 look awfully like power amplifiers as well.. if so, conveniently for 900/2100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Killjoy
jk
Wii60 said:
Killjoy
jk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't get me wrong, I wish this worked on AT&T (points at logo). Guess I'm EDGE-only until my contract expires.
Just wish all carriers would have stuck to one standard
whoever helps figure this out will definitely be getting some donations from me!! i have att and no purpose of buying a N1 without 3g...

hd2 data sucks update needed

we need a update asap i can not keep 3g or even edge at all htc must know about this i will be calling them i hope others will follow
if you're using a old sim card you might want to get a new one. a rep told me that they got new sims that might help.
I have 2 new sim cards in both my HD2 phones. Same issue. I have installed s2u2 and on the slide unlock screen I see it switch from H to 3G over and over all day no matter where I am. I really do think something is seriously wrong with these phones and/or the nework. Does anyone else on T-Mobile with s2u2 installed see the same thing. We need to gather enough information to send to T-Mobile and HTC so they will see how serious this issue is. Thank You! )
kevev said:
I have 2 new sim cards in both my HD2 phones. Same issue. I have installed s2u2 and on the slide unlock screen I see it switch from H to 3G over and over all day no matter where I am. I really do think something is seriously wrong with these phones and/or the nework. Does anyone else on T-Mobile with s2u2 installed see the same thing. We need to gather enough information to send to T-Mobile and HTC so they will see how serious this issue is. Thank You! )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Switching from H to 3G is good... you're getting great speeds then. I can only get edge inside my house. It's not the HD2 that the problem... it's t-mobiles coverage. the 1700mhz band does not go through walls or barriers nearly as well as at&ts 850mhz band.
I've been email HTC about my issues with my phone and the only thing they really say is to remove any 3rd party application and soft reset.. And they also say to contact T-mobile with any further issues.. Like they know how to fix it?
zarathustrax said:
Switching from H to 3G is good... you're getting great speeds then. I can only get edge inside my house. It's not the HD2 that the problem... it's t-mobiles coverage. the 1700mhz band does not go through walls or barriers nearly as well as at&ts 850mhz band.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh that sucks. Do you at least have wifi @ home?
That is true about the 1700 Mhz, but AT&T 3G is mostly 1900Mhz and 850Mhz in very few places so I would expect them to have the same issue but they don't. I think T-Mobile may have the tower spread apart farther than ATT. But who knows.
calling tmobile is useless I tried that 3 times already and I only get excuses like the tower its down or im in a weird area so im just confused I know the network suck s but not this bad.
ihearttreo said:
if you're using a old sim card you might want to get a new one. a rep told me that they got new sims that might help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only idiot thinks it is related SIM.
TMO CSRs are famous dumbs!
My HTC Dream gets better reception than the HTC HD2 in areas of weak reception (1-3bars). The HTC Dream got a radio update a month ago that helped it improve reception. I'm hoping for a similar radio update to the HD2.
I don't care too much about poor reception, as long as it can maintain the 1-2bars and not drop the call. The HTC Dream is better than the HD2 at maintaining a weak reception. I get full bars and 3G outside, while indoors in my 'fortress' I only get 1-2 bars.
I called and told them about the bad reception on the HD2 (compared to the HTC Dream. I was to try to manually set the network to check. I wasn't at the same location so I couldn't try during the call. I tried later and the reception didn't seem to improve. I'll be calling back and seeing if a request/problem report could be submitted for their techs.
kevev said:
Oh that sucks. Do you at least have wifi @ home?
That is true about the 1700 Mhz, but AT&T 3G is mostly 1900Mhz and 850Mhz in very few places so I would expect them to have the same issue but they don't. I think T-Mobile may have the tower spread apart farther than ATT. But who knows.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually at&t have been moving all there 3g from 1900 to 850, and I beleive at this point they are mostly 850mhz. They plan to switch it all to 850 eventually.
zarathustrax said:
Switching from H to 3G is good... you're getting great speeds then. I can only get edge inside my house. It's not the HD2 that the problem... it's t-mobiles coverage. the 1700mhz band does not go through walls or barriers nearly as well as at&ts 850mhz band.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same issue here. Edge in the house. As soon as I go outside, I'm on 3G/H.

Arc not 3G compatible in US?

Hello,
Maybe you guys can help me clarify something for me. I want to buy this phone and get the unlocked version. Only problem is no matter which seller I'm looking at on Ebay they're all saying "3G Not compatible in the U.S" which means I'll be running at 2G and I actually considered this ok because i really want to this phone. But I want to know why it won't work? If it's a GSM phone and it would work with AT&T & T-Mobile my local carriers why wouldn't it give me 3G speeds?
I really want this phone because I wanted something different, something you won't see out here much. Plus I wanted to get back to Sony phones after playing with other manufactors. Can anyone help clear this is up for me?
Nishua said:
But I want to know why it won't work? If it's a GSM phone and it would work with AT&T & T-Mobile my local carriers why wouldn't it give me 3G speeds?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the same reason that a T-Mobile US GSM handset won't give you 3G on AT&T - it's the wrong frequency.
Most of the world uses the 2100MHz band for UMTS/HSDPA but AT&T are awkward and use 1900MHz and 850MHz and T-Mobile are even more awkward and use the extremely unusual 1700MHz band.
Nishua said:
Hello,
Maybe you guys can help me clarify something for me. I want to buy this phone and get the unlocked version. Only problem is no matter which seller I'm looking at on Ebay they're all saying "3G Not compatible in the U.S" which means I'll be running at 2G and I actually considered this ok because i really want to this phone. But I want to know why it won't work? If it's a GSM phone and it would work with AT&T & T-Mobile my local carriers why wouldn't it give me 3G speeds?
I really want this phone because I wanted something different, something you won't see out here much. Plus I wanted to get back to Sony phones after playing with other manufactors. Can anyone help clear this is up for me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LT15i = T-Mobile 3G bands
LT15a = AT&T 3G bands
augie7107 said:
LT15i = T-Mobile 3G bands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the LT15i doesn't support the AWS (1700MHz) band so it won't support T-Mobile US's 3G service.
Step666 said:
No, the LT15i doesn't support the AWS (1700MHz) band so it won't support T-Mobile US's 3G service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile also uses 2100
Hmm I thought that tmobile U. S used the same 3G bands as europe. So in theory it should work right?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
augie7107 said:
T-Mobile also uses 2100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No they don't.
T-Mobile's 3G uses a ~1700MHz frequency to upload and a ~2100MHz frequency to download, this is the '1700MHz band', also referred to as 'AWS' or 'UMTS band IV'.
Compare this to the '2100MHz band' ( or 'UMTS band I') which uses a frequency of ~1900MHz to upload and a frequency of ~2100MHz to download. The two are not cross-compatible.
The LT15i supports the 2100MHz band but not the 1700MHz band, so no 3G on T-Mobile.
If you don't believe me, feel free to read this thread on T-Mobile US's own site.
People with handsets that only support the 2100MHz band don't get 3G service.
Hero Yu said:
Hmm I thought that tmobile U. S used the same 3G bands as europe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They don't.
[No they don't.
T-Mobile's 3G uses a ~1700MHz frequency to upload and a ~2100MHz frequency to download, this is the '1700MHz band', also referred to as 'AWS' or 'UMTS band IV'.]
Thanks for the detailed explanation.
You obviously know more about this than I do.
I do believe your first two statements are contradictory.
You state "no they don't" and then go on to say "they use a 2100 to download"
All other SE "I" version phones work with T-Mobile 3G, correct?
augie7107 said:
[No they don't.
T-Mobile's 3G uses a ~1700MHz frequency to upload and a ~2100MHz frequency to download, this is the '1700MHz band', also referred to as 'AWS' or 'UMTS band IV'.]
Thanks for the detailed explanation.
You obviously know more about this than I do.
I do believe your first two statements are contradictory.
You state "no they don't" and then go on to say "they use a 2100 to download"
All other SE "I" version phones work with T-Mobile 3G, correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They never make anything the same. They may work or they may not. You should pay attention to every details of any product you are buying, no general rules existing with any product specially gadgets which they get a new technology everyday.
augie7107 said:
I do believe your first two statements are contradictory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can see why you might think that but it's not contradictory because band and frequency are not the same.
If we look at the specs for the Arc, it says says '3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100' (that's the LT15i, the line below is the frequencies supported by the LT15a).
Those numbers refer to UMTS bands I and VIII as listed here.
As you can see from the page on Wikipedia, every band operates on two different frequencies, one for uploading and one for downloading. This is to avoid interference.
So even though the download frequencies of the 1700 band and the 2100 band are the same, the two bands are not compatible as the upload frequencies are different (sorry for all the underlining, it just makes it easier to explain...).
It would be a lot simpler if each band's upload and download frequencies were distinct, it would be far less confusing but I guess there's some sort of reason why things are the way they are...
augie7107 said:
All other SE "I" version phones work with T-Mobile 3G, correct?
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I don't think so, not unless they say they support the 1700/AWS band.
Basically, unless a phone's specs say it supports 1700MHz for 3G (or mentions AWS support, which means the same thing), it should be assumed that it won't give you 3G on T-Mobile US.
Though this all starts to become even more confusing when local roaming agreements are factored in but I don't really know anything about that to be honest.
Nishua said:
Hello,
Maybe you guys can help me clarify something for me. I want to buy this phone and get the unlocked version. Only problem is no matter which seller I'm looking at on Ebay they're all saying "3G Not compatible in the U.S" which means I'll be running at 2G and I actually considered this ok because i really want to this phone. But I want to know why it won't work? If it's a GSM phone and it would work with AT&T & T-Mobile my local carriers why wouldn't it give me 3G speeds?
I really want this phone because I wanted something different, something you won't see out here much. Plus I wanted to get back to Sony phones after playing with other manufactors. Can anyone help clear this is up for me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In short:
LT15i: 2G will work just fine on both AT&T and T-Mobile. 3G will NOT work on either network.
LT15a: 2G will work just fine on both AT&T and T-Mobile. 3G will ONLY work with AT&T.
so my concerns is..if i am using T Mobile right now...it means I am doomed right? Even the new T mobile 4G(whatever they wanna call it) wont get me the right internet speed to blast the phone?
felixlaw11114 said:
so my concerns is..if i am using T Mobile right now...it means I am doomed right? Even the new T mobile 4G(whatever they wanna call it) wont get me the right internet speed to blast the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
att bought tmobile couple of weeks back , so ask if they are sharing the 3G frequencies now
alsaqr said:
att bought tmobile couple of weeks back , so ask if they are sharing the 3G frequencies now
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Click to collapse
I am not sure that went completely though. It is still hanging with no solution...
Nimche said:
I am not sure that went completely though. It is still hanging with no solution...
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Click to collapse
if i assume they are not sharing frequency..the only way for me to enjoy 3G/4G internet is to use AT&T?
felixlaw11114 said:
so my concerns is..if i am using T Mobile right now...it means I am doomed right? Even the new T mobile 4G(whatever they wanna call it) wont get me the right internet speed to blast the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
'4G' has nothing to do with any of this - that's just speed, it doesn't change which band T-Mobile use.
alsaqr said:
att bought tmobile couple of weeks back , so ask if they are sharing the 3G frequencies now
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Click to collapse
They're not.
The merger hasn't even been approved yet, let alone any sort of migration of customers.
If the merger is approved, you're talking anywhere from 1 year to 3 before you see any real-world differences like the ones you're suggesting.
...um...I am doom-ed then..
I read their press and their said the deal wont close until the end of the year
Assuming the regulators allow it to go ahead at all.
There are, rightly so, concerns about a single national GSM-based network and the knock-on effect that would have on competition.
seems like I got a smart phone that not gonna be that smart
augie7107 said:
T-Mobile also uses 2100
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Click to collapse
tmo uses 1700 downlink and 2100 uplink. phone must support both freqs to get 3G. LT15i does not support 1700, hence 3G will not work.

unlocking tmobile to use on att

i have a dvp on att, but the keyboard is broken. i also have a tmobile dvp. i got an unlock code and i am plannign to use it with my att sim.
im wondering tho, will my connection or signal be less than optimal on the att network?
anyone know?
I'm going to offer a preliminary response. Others please respond with more specifics.
Your new T-Mobile DVP's 3G band will be set to UMTS 1700/2100. AT&T's 3G band is UMTS 850/1900. Their highest shared standard is EDGE, which means you only get 2G speed
I've heard some buzzings that AT&T and T-Mobile DVP hardware is exactly the same, and possibly that changes made in the EM Engineering Mobile app, or a process or updating the phone using AT&T cabs will set the proper band selection. I would be interested to know more about this myself.
You may just want to swap the keyboard. Sounds easier to me.
Technosquid said:
I'm going to offer a preliminary response. Others please respond with more specifics.
Your new T-Mobile DVP's 3G band will be set to UMTS 1700/2100. AT&T's 3G band is UMTS 850/1900. Their highest shared standard is EDGE, which means you only get 2G speed
I've heard some buzzings that AT&T and T-Mobile DVP hardware is exactly the same, and possibly that changes made in the EM Engineering Mobile app, or a process or updating the phone using AT&T cabs will set the proper band selection. I would be interested to know more about this myself.
You may just want to swap the keyboard. Sounds easier to me.
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Click to collapse
yeah I think the buzzings were just all buzz peeps playing with the em app never could quite release them of their carrier frequency jail.. Seems like the dvp just cant dance the penta dance.
I second the keyboard swap! I posted the service manual just recently and the dvp shouldn't be too hard..
wow thanks for the guid3e!!! gonna try this asap.
asdffgjh said:
wow thanks for the guid3e!!! gonna try this asap.
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Click to collapse
It's not that much more work to get to the screen/glass... make sure to clean/seal it when you're in there too since the dust issue is so annoying. Ruins the sexiness of using it. And man I've never came across a DVP with no dust on the screen. Others might be luckier, but even my new DVP had (minor) dust after a couple of weeks. Sigh. Oh hey a cowboy emoticon
manual link again: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=27641407&postcount=25

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