X1a in Other Countries - XPERIA X1 General

Hello everyone,
This is my first post. Anyways, I have searched the forum, for this answer, but could not find it.
I understand that the X1a will be best in the US, as I understand it, because the network I will be on, AT&T, will be expanding their network to the 850MHz band. OK, well what I need to know is what kind of connectivity I should be expecting outside the US.
My new extended international family is all over the world. I don't travel real often right now, but I will be traveling more frequently over the next few years.
As I understand it, in the major cities in the US, the X1i will do fine on AT&T, as they have 3G on 1900MHz, but again, only in the big cities. This would be fine with me, I just don't want to be screwed as I move beyond the cities when traveling in the US.
So, for my situation, what is recommended? I fully understand the differences between the models, I am just not as familiar with the networks across the world.
Thanks,
-Steve

You should be able to get GSM reception world wide (quad band GSM) on either phone.
If you want 3G reception in the US go for the X1a, it also has UMTS2100, so you will be able to get 3G reception in many other parts of the world too.

buzz83 said:
You should be able to get GSM reception world wide (quad band GSM) on either phone.
If you want 3G reception in the US go for the X1a, it also has UMTS2100, so you will be able to get 3G reception in many other parts of the world too.
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Is that a garaunteed 3G Freq in the rest of the world? Can you give examples of where it would be used? or is it like 1900 in the US, where only major cities will broadcast on that Freq?

bluespire said:
Is that a garaunteed 3G Freq in the rest of the world? Can you give examples of where it would be used? or is it like 1900 in the US, where only major cities will broadcast on that Freq?
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I haven't problems with my SEX1 on Russia (my country) 3G, EDGE, GPRS, and in Europe (UK, Germany, France)

AlexDem said:
I haven't problems with my SEX1 on Russia (my country) 3G, EDGE, GPRS, and in Europe (UK, Germany, France)
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Do you have the X1a or X1i? My question is specifically about the X1a Freqs.

bluespire said:
Do you have the X1a or X1i? My question is specifically about the X1a Freqs.
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Oops, sorry, my official russian SEX1 exactly X1i
But I think difference between X1a and X1i only in ROM, you can change it to worldwide edition.

AlexDem said:
Oops, sorry, my official russian SEX1 exactly X1i
But I think difference between X1a and X1i only in ROM, you can change it to worldwide edition.
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I know for a fact that what you just said is wrong, there is a hardware difference. Specifically, the radios are different.

bluespire said:
I know for a fact that what you just said is wrong, there is a hardware difference. Specifically, the radios are different.
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Sorry, I can't catch a problem.
You can compare spec from Russian and US official SE sites
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/specifications/x1?lc=en&cc=us
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/specifications/x1?lc=ru&cc=ru
Networks / Поддерживаемые стандарты
No difference

AlexDem said:
Sorry, I can't catch a problem.
You can compare spec from Russian and US official SE sites
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/specifications/x1?lc=en&cc=us
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/specifications/x1?lc=ru&cc=ru
Networks / Поддерживаемые стандарты
No difference
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The English version you linked to is indeed the X1i (900MHz), and not the X1a (850MHz).

Bump!!
Please, read my OP and let me know what you think.

Sorry to keeps asking this, but I really need a satisfactory answer before I choose which one to buy.

bluespire said:
My new extended international family is all over the world. I don't travel real often right now....
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I recently purchased an additional Xperia, an X1i, to test 1900 MHz 3G proliferation in my part of the world.
In most of the area that I live, work and travel, the X1a got a perfect 3G signal and the X1i would only get EDGE. The only place the X1i picked up a truly usable "H" signal was in DC itself. As soon as I got outside the DC metro area, the phone would start using EDGE. Even if it showed an "H" it would immediately move to EDGE when I started to make a voice call or when I started to use data.
I do not think that most users of the Xperia are going to be happy unless they have an X1a. If you live in a metro 1900 MHz area that was developed in part of the older AT&T 3G rollout and you will seldom leave that metro area, then perhaps the X1i will work for you. Otherwise, I think you should spend the extra money for the X1a.
As for your overseas travel, perhaps people could be of a little more use to you if you could tell us what countries or major metro areas you'll be travelling in.
Most of Europe is using the 2100 MHz WCDMA frequency, if that helps. Your US edition X1a would work fine on that frequency.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UMTS_frequency_bands <--If you scroll down you will see the UARFCN settings for the UMTS frequencies. If one of your friends overseas can use fieldtest.exe from a Windows Mobile phone, they can check to see what channel they are on. I know the UARFCN will show up in the "3G Neighbour" screen. Cannot remember if it shows up elsewhere.

Related

Can it be used worldwide?

Hi!Can i use an unlocked hermes,(apart from the tytn),in any country round the world?Anybody tried doing so??Thanks!
No mobile works in every country around the world.
I think that answer is a bit terse. A quad-band phone like the Hermes can be used in virtually any country. Take a look here, and you'll see that with the 850, 900, 1800 & 1900 MHz bands covered there's not many countries you can't get a signal in.
http://www.coveragemaps.com/gsmposter_freqbands.htm
I'm not familiar with Japanese requirements, but while it stands out as having a different set of requirements, I'm reasonably sure the Hermes works there too.
Testing it out in every single country could be a bit of a large proposition though.
totallytechie said:
I think that answer is a bit terse. A quad-band phone like the Hermes can be used in virtually any country. Take a look here, and you'll see that with the 850, 900, 1800 & 1900 MHz bands covered there's not many countries you can't get a signal in.
http://www.coveragemaps.com/gsmposter_freqbands.htm
I'm not familiar with Japanese requirements, but while it stands out as having a different set of requirements, I'm reasonably sure the Hermes works there too.
Testing it out in every single country could be a bit of a large proposition though.
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So add the countries with 850/1900/2100 UMTS to the GSM list, and you'll have a comprehensive list... and yes, Japan uses 2100 UMTS, so you can add that one, too.
That just leaves the wierd 1700 spectrum .. wonder if any country is running that ..
gravejoker said:
That just leaves the wierd 1700 spectrum .. wonder if any country is running that ..
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Not yet and probably not for a few years...
So in short,if i unlock the device,i may be able to use its phone capabilities on any carrier in the whole world,provided the carrier uses one of the 4 bands for communicating.The carrier may be anyone apart from the tmobile,o2,orange,cingular,vodafone?!
Yes ... you can use an unlocked TyTN on any carrier in the world that has one of the 7 bands that TyTN supports (4 GSM + 3 UMTS) ..
Ok thanks...the reason behind that question is that i'm going to Mauritius(a lost island situated in the indian ocean, beside reunion island) for a few weeks..And i wanted to be sure that my unlocked m3100 would work perfectly there...Anyway, thanks for ypur kind support..
Ahha .. Mauritius .. You are lucky my friend .. what a beautiful place from what I have heard .. enjoy your trip ..
Thanks,mauritius,the paradise on earth,here i come!
Thanks,mauritius,the paradise on earth,here i come!
gravejoker said:
That just leaves the wierd 1700 spectrum .. wonder if any country is running that ..
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goestoeleven said:
Not yet and probably not for a few years...
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Update: At the end of Nov 2006 T-Mobile won FCC auctions in 120 US markets for spectrum licenses in the 2100 and 1700 frequency bands. It is reported they will start rolling out service during 2007 (Sources: T-Mobile US Press Releases and Wikipedia). So the answer now appears to be, yes, the 1700 spectrum will be used extensively by T-Mobile USA.
I am not personally aware of any HTC phones which support 1700 yet. I am no engineer, but my assumption is that this could not be done through software upgrades on any existing devices. I imagine it will require different radio hardware. Clarification from the experts on this forum would be much appreciated.
Just a note of caution I've tried to use an unlocked VPA compact III in Barbados on the Bmobile network, but I can't geta signal. If I use a vodafone card I manage to get a signal, so I'm not sure all carriers support this phone.
flamingcrumb said:
I am not personally aware of any HTC phones which support 1700 yet. I am no engineer, but my assumption is that this could not be done through software upgrades on any existing devices. I imagine it will require different radio hardware. Clarification from the experts on this forum would be much appreciated.
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Yes, a software upgrade cannot physically synthesize circuitry to support the 1700Mhz frequency channel.
Looking at the hermes architecture, their LNA's have just enough frequency coverage to support the 7 bands. So the answer is a concrete no in re: 1700MHz.
It is possible to deisgn an LNA with a larger bandwidth, for example, to cover frequencies from 1500MHZ to 2300MHZ configurable via MEMS capacitors and inductors (I have a PhD student working on this atm, but he is facing the problem of keeping up the gain as well as linearity of the amplifier). Motivation for this: the fewer LNA's the less power a device will consuming yielding greater battery life.
HTC maybe should think about hardware re-configurability as well, but then again, they would like to make their devices obselete ASAP.
NO, you cannot use it worldwide
I could not receive a signal in Brazil with my 8525. Others reported the same problem with the Samsung Blackjack. Cingular has not provided a solution to our problem.
I hope the band select hack that I found on this great XDA forum will let me use my unlocked 8525 in Brazil next time I go in March.
Australia, if I recall, was also a problem for a Blackjack user. See the Blackjack thread on the Cingular forum for details on our tribulations.
Rgds
Ben
I have used my TyTN in the USA, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Philippines and Hong Kong all with no problems. All locations outside the USA were with pre-paid local SIM cards (except Japan and Taiwan, which were roaming on Cingular).
Are the people having problems using a Cingular SIM (and roaming), or using a local pre-paid card?
I got full coverage in the Geylang District in Singapore. full bars.
Am I right to understand that an 8525 purchased from Cingular is locked to Cingular and in order to use in another country it would need to be unlocked prior to inserting another sim card? Would I simply ask Cingular to provide the unlock code for such use?
I'm having a Problem using a local pre-paid SIM card in Barbados, if I Roam on Vodafone which is my original carrier then it's no problem at all

Universal and T-Mobile (US) 3G Network....

Are our Universals compatible with the new T-Mobile 3G network in the US? Ive searched the internet, some say no, others say yes....
ATLDON said:
Are our Universals compatible with the new T-Mobile 3G network in the US? Ive searched the internet, some say no, others say yes....
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Well I don´t know in USA, but in México with my Uni I can´t connect to any 3G network as Universal has only for Europe and Asia networks, I think is the same for your country, shame...
orb3000 said:
Well I don´t know in USA, but in México with my Uni I can´t connect to any 3G network as Universal has only for Europe and Asia networks, I think is the same for your country, shame...
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Interesting.......no tweaks?
Just have to see....3G won't be available in my area until the beginning of the year anyway
UPDATE:
T-Mobile 3G works on my I-Mate Jasjar in the Jacksonville Florida area. The only adjustments I had to make was a minor MMS settings change.
Anybody in the northwest US able to connect to T-Mobile's 3G network?
I try to force my band to WCDMA and specify the UMTS freq as 2100, but then it simply doesn't seem to want to register with the network. When I set it to auto, it appears to simply be using GPRS.
Somewhat related, anybody know of a way to force displaying an icon indicating EDGE vs default GPRS connection?
Edit: I just recalled that there's no EDGE support on the Uni, unless I'm mistaken, so disregard that...
Edit (again): So if I'm understanding this properly... The Uni only operates on UMTS/WCDMA/whatever 2100, not 1700, which T-Mobile US uses. It was designed for uk/other 3G usage, not future US 3G usage. So we've got 3G support outside the US, but as far as I can tell - we shouldn't be able to use 3G in the US, at least on T-Mobile's network, since they're using 1700 mhz band/AWS range, and the 2100 mhz band used elsewhere is not compatible. I THINK. I'm honestly just learning about this sort of thing now as I go, despite having had my Uni for a while and having known about T-Mobile rolling out 3G coverage for some time.
ATLDON said:
UPDATE:
T-Mobile 3G works on my I-Mate Jasjar in the Jacksonville Florida area. The only adjustments I had to make was a minor MMS settings change.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you give some more details on this?
Please correct me if I am wrong, but I think the deal is basically, as postulated by orb3000 - no 3G for US Universal users.
I was told by a T-Mobile rep on the phone that if I can connect to 1700 or 2100 mhz band, I should be able to use 3G... So I wonder... Huh.
GRiM_BoB said:
I was told by a T-Mobile rep on the phone that if I can connect to 1700 or 2100 mhz band, I should be able to use 3G... So I wonder... Huh.
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Ive heard not all areas have 3G on both bands. Probably your area doesnt have 2100 mhz yet.
ATLDON said:
Ive heard not all areas have 3G on both bands. Probably your area doesnt have 2100 mhz yet.
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So can you confirm if T-Mobile uses 1700/2100 as:
1700 down/2100 up
1700 voice/2100 data
1700 OR 2100?
Because I've seen a lot of different things saying different things. =/
Incidentally, please go to http://www.dslreports.com/mspeed and tell me what speed you get on your phone.
GRiM_BoB said:
So can you confirm if T-Mobile uses 1700/2100 as:
1700 down/2100 up
1700 voice/2100 data
1700 OR 2100?
Because I've seen a lot of different things saying different things. =/
Incidentally, please go to http://www.dslreports.com/mspeed and tell me what speed you get on your phone.
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T-Mobile uses 1700 AND 2100 mhz bands....sent and recieved data ARE NOT SPLIT between the two bands.....voice and data ARE NOT split between bands.
Ill check my speed tonight when I get off work....
I can see the difference between 3G and GPRS though. I have a HTC Wizard that supports EDGE, and my Imate JasJar is only slightly faster than my Wizard. My girlfriend has the new Mobile G1 and her 3G speed run rings around my Imate JasJar internet speed this is probably so because the age of our Universals.
3G Coverage U.S 2100 Frequency With The Univerisal
ATLDON said:
T-Mobile uses 1700 AND 2100 mhz bands....sent and recieved data ARE NOT SPLIT between the two bands.....voice and data ARE NOT split between bands.
Ill check my speed tonight when I get off work....
I can see the difference between 3G and GPRS though. I have a HTC Wizard that supports EDGE, and my Imate JasJar is only slightly faster than my Wizard. My girlfriend has the new Mobile G1 and her 3G speed run rings around my Imate JasJar internet speed this is probably so because the age of our Universals.
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I have a Qtek 9000 and am waiting for the 3G coverage for my area with T-Mobile which should be in the spring of 2009. Over the past few years I have done a great deal of research on this and have also spoken to very knowledgeable Tier 3 T-Mobile staff that are familiar with this and this is what they told me. The universal will work on the 2100 frequency with T-Mobile. T-Mobile will be using the 1700 & 2100 frequency bands in the U.S. for 3G frequency. I know when I visited my relatives in Germany in 2004 Year in the summer as I can speak, read & write German as good as English even though I am first generation in the U.S. which I visit my relatives every 5 years and due to visit them in the summer of 2009 year. The 2100 band was already released in the spring of 2004 year in Germany. But since T-Mobile has only certain cities available that have the 3G coverage in the U.S. which is spotty at this time. Since the T-Mobile G1 was deployed in October this should make the rollout faster in the U.S. for the 1700 & 2100 mhz frequency. Can you please confirm on your I-mate Jasjar on what your 3G speeds are? They should be at least 384 k.p.s. It is also nice to know that the send & receive data, voice & data are not slit between the two bands of 1700 & 2100 mhz frequency.
MobileSpeedTest.com
533.35 KB/sec
Park and ATLDON, thanks for all the info - this is all very good to know, and great news for US Universal users. I'll just have to wait for 3G 2100 to be active here in Portland, then.
Oh, and ATLDON - one more question. Under your Phone Settings, where you can select GSM and UMTS band and Network Type, did you set it to Auto, or force UMTs, or did you even change anything?
GRiM_BoB said:
Park and ATLDON, thanks for all the info - this is all very good to know, and great news for US Universal users. I'll just have to wait for 3G 2100 to be active here in Portland, then.
Oh, and ATLDON - one more question. Under your Phone Settings, where you can select GSM and UMTS band and Network Type, did you set it to Auto, or force UMTs, or did you even change anything?
Click to expand...
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I have it set on Auto.
this is interesting stuff, i just got my jasjar as an anniversary gift from my girlfriend and i love the device however anyone that has used HSDPA which i had on my kaiser before i sold it 500-900k going to GPRS has been something that would make one want to cry, and its good news to hear this because i need some form of high speed again, and i'd like to confirm this working because i am going to get a t-mobile prepaid or flex paid sim ASAP to get this going, i am in new york anyone from around here to confirm 2100Mhz?
also anyone able to do a screenshot ?
Funny, I was just trying to get an answer as to whether or not there was a delay in deploying 3G over 1700 vs 2100 mhz to a given area, and I ended up being told "definitively" that unless my handset is able to connect to both freqs, I would be unable to utilize 3G access. CONFUSION. I think there are some disconnects between staff at the T-Mobile customer support, and I haven't really gotten much further than what I would imagine to be tier-two tech support.
I trust in ATLDON's success story, so... Maybe I'll just have to wait and see.
Do you get a 3G indicator somewhere in the taskbar or system tray when you're connected? And what was the MMS setting you had to change? What server are you using for net access? Do you have the $6/mo T-MobileWeb access or one of the other plans?
Sorry for all the questions, just very curious and hopeful that I would soon be able to really use my Uni.
GRiM_BoB said:
Funny, I was just trying to get an answer as to whether or not there was a delay in deploying 3G over 1700 vs 2100 mhz to a given area, and I ended up being told "definitively" that unless my handset is able to connect to both freqs, I would be unable to utilize 3G access. CONFUSION. I think there are some disconnects between staff at the T-Mobile customer support, and I haven't really gotten much further than what I would imagine to be tier-two tech support.
I trust in ATLDON's success story, so... Maybe I'll just have to wait and see.
Do you get a 3G indicator somewhere in the taskbar or system tray when you're connected? And what was the MMS setting you had to change? What server are you using for net access? Do you have the $6/mo T-MobileWeb access or one of the other plans?
Sorry for all the questions, just very curious and hopeful that I would soon be able to really use my Uni.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 3G indicators don't work on the 6.1 Roms I use. I havent tried any of the WM 5 roms to see if their indicators work
The MMS connect, I had to change it from T-Mobile MMS to the Internet to send/receive multimedia.
I have the 19.99 unlimited data plan.
I use epc.tmobile.com
Are there any other US Uni users in different areas who can report 3G connectivity?
Thus far I've found my own interactions with T-Mobile tech support to be thoroughly useless in getting any sort of details on AWS/3G/2100mhz deployment (maybe I'm just not talking to the right people?)
So, a couple weeks later (and still impatient ) - anyone else in the US with a Universal able to access T-Mobile's 3G network?
ATLDON said:
MobileSpeedTest.com
533.35 KB/sec
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Interesting. 3G has a maximum of 384Kbs to get faster you need HSDPA which AFAIK the Uni does not have...
i would like to know as well i am going to be off of ATT by the 10th of January and i am in nyc i would really like to know so i can make the switch ASAP

January 22nd North American 850MHz HSPA 3G Blackstone...

Saw this news story, does anyone know if it is credible? The NextG Service is on the 850MHz band which is the same as Rogers/Fido in Canada and Cingular in the US...if all this is true then one of these unlocked would be 3G Compatible in North America...Thoughts?
http://apcmag.com/iphonelike_htc_touch_hd_set_for_aussie_launch.htm
http://www.expansys.com.au/d.aspx?i=173812
Well that would suck for me because about 3 hours ago I got an iPhone because I really needed 3g already I do ally of browsing and videos but I like the touch he better....
What is the exact issue with North America and the Touch HD? I thought HSDPA was fully supported in our continent under most major providers. Just curious as I'm looking at purchasing one in the future.
Lokosis said:
What is the exact issue with North America and the Touch HD? I thought HSDPA was fully supported in our continent under most major providers. Just curious as I'm looking at purchasing one in the future.
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The Touch HD that is out now operates on UMTS 900/2100. Telstra in Australia and the North American providers (except T-Mobile) use UMTS 850.
hopefully it is just some software that HTC did. cuz we do have that option to change it to 850MHz 3G in the phone but just nothing happens to it. If a flash can fix it then it should be ok. EDGE for me is pretty fast anyways in Toronto most of the time.
b-e-a-s-t said:
Saw this news story, does anyone know if it is credible? The NextG Service is on the 850MHz band which is the same as Rogers/Fido in Canada and Cingular in the US...if all this is true then one of these unlocked would be 3G Compatible in North America...Thoughts?
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850 mHz is just one of the 2 bands needed to work on US 3G. you also need 1900 . my understanding is one band is for upload the other for download. don't get me wrong, it would be fantastic if the Aussie version was fully capable on US networks. i'll believe it when i see it. heck, expansys even has a note saying they have to confirm the 850mHz 3G band.
850/1900Mhz....
could someone please explain the upload/download at different frequencies paradigm to me?
cortez.i said:
850 mHz is just one of the 2 bands needed to work on US 3G. you also need 1900 . my understanding is one band is for upload the other for download. don't get me wrong, it would be fantastic if the Aussie version was fully capable on US networks. i'll believe it when i see it. heck, expansys even has a note saying they have to confirm the 850mHz 3G band.
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This is incorrect. With at&t you do not need both. With just 850mHz you will be more than fine.
Now with T-Mobile you would need both 1700 and 2100 not just 2100 or just 1700 both. Just more reason to hate T-Mobile.
I am ready to take the plunge and drop the $ for an HD. I also will switch my number back to at&t from verizon. I guessi cna say almost ready. I really dont want to spend $800 for no 3G
Does anyone know how hspa in Canada with Rogers/Fido works? i.e. are dual frequencies required or is 850MHz enough to get top speeds? Thanks...
Has anyone brought one into the US and had any success getting a 3G signal ?
Some carriers in the US and Canada use 850mhz such as AT&T and Rogers but they also use 1900mhz. It really depends where you live... Whiich city, state etc
1900mhz is growing in popularity in the states.
tbfl said:
Has anyone brought one into the US and had any success getting a 3G signal ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesnt work
b-e-a-s-t said:
could someone please explain the upload/download at different frequencies paradigm to me?
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Click to collapse
I can't remember which but one is used for uploading and one is used for downloading.
cortez.i said:
850 mHz is just one of the 2 bands needed to work on US 3G. you also need 1900 . my understanding is one band is for upload the other for download. don't get me wrong, it would be fantastic if the Aussie version was fully capable on US networks. i'll believe it when i see it. heck, expansys even has a note saying they have to confirm the 850mHz 3G band.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are exactly right. YOu need both 1900 and 850mhz
tbfl said:
Has anyone brought one into the US and had any success getting a 3G signal ?
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Click to collapse
Sadly, no 3G for me.
You do not need both 1900 and 850. Its only tmobile that u need both frequenes but they use 1700 and 2100. As long as u have ether 850 or 1900 (depending on what freuency ur area uses) u will have 3g with at&t.
cortez.i said:
850 mHz is just one of the 2 bands needed to work on US 3G. you also need 1900 . my understanding is one band is for upload the other for download. don't get me wrong, it would be fantastic if the Aussie version was fully capable on US networks. i'll believe it when i see it. heck, expansys even has a note saying they have to confirm the 850mHz 3G band.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the *network* you use may be present on more than one frequency, but its not 850 being uplink and 1700 being the downlink.
When we talk about UMTS the downlink is around 850/1700/2100 but the uplink is always a few MHz below that. (to be pedantic, the UMTS specification specifies the exact downlink/uplink separation)
I can't imagine HTC producing a UMTS 850 phone that won't work on ATT/Rogers and Telstra . Telstra only needs the 850 band so HTC can add in whatever extra the US providers use. It will probably be the same bands supported by the HTC Hermes and other phones common to these providers.
for AT&T, you do NOT need both frequencies (850 and 1900) for 3G. They don't HAVE both frequencies in most areas. It's one or the other.
And yes, T-Mobile US sucks ass...
-Mc
Tremere said:
No, the *network* you use may be present on more than one frequency, but its not 850 being uplink and 1700 being the downlink.
When we talk about UMTS the downlink is around 850/1700/2100 but the uplink is always a few MHz below that. (to be pedantic, the UMTS specification specifies the exact downlink/uplink separation)
I can't imagine HTC producing a UMTS 850 phone that won't work on ATT/Rogers and Telstra . Telstra only needs the 850 band so HTC can add in whatever extra the US providers use. It will probably be the same bands supported by the HTC Hermes and other phones common to these providers.
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Click to collapse
McHale said:
for AT&T, you do NOT need both frequencies (850 and 1900) for 3G. They don't HAVE both frequencies in most areas. It's one or the other.
And yes, T-Mobile US sucks ass...
-Mc
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Click to collapse
Well I stand corrected then. This is good news then. Just need somebody in the US to buy a Telstra HD and see if it works. I guess it will be dependent on the area though. If you don't have 850mhz.
Lol i guess it took a senor member to say it for anyone to believe it. I only said it in the first page lol. Lets see what happens when the aus model comes out.
So it is decided then IF the Blackstone is introduced by Telstra and working on their 850MHz 3.5G Network THEN it has the opportunity to work in both the US on Att and Canada's Rogers/Fido...I will wait for this device, purchase it and let the board know if someone else doesn't beat me to it!
P.S. does someone think that this release may be with the Android OS for Telstra? It was the Telstra reps that were commenting at CES 2009 regarding Palm Pre and how the next Android phone that they were testing kicks it...who knows probably coincidence...

T-mobile's US HD2 works on 2100 MHz 3G in Europe?

Hi,
The official specs of T-mobile's HD2 says that the supported 3G bands are: WCDMA/HSPA: 1700 MHz (AWS) / 2100 MHz
Does it mean it will work on European 2100 MHz 3G too? Nexus one does so I suspect HD2 could too but as far as I could digg nobody had a straight answer to this question yet.
-AlefSin
actually i asked HTC CS before, and the answer is NO!
european countries WCDMA frequencies are the same with ASIAN countries. So no chance for European countries either.
hmmm I don't know JohnQ. In your attached email HTC is saying China's frequencies are different from the rest of the world so how do you say it's the same as Europe? I don't know much about 3G network in China though.
Just a few weeks back it was annoounced that the US operators had all signed up to migrating to the rest of the wold's GSM standards!
So in time we will all be singing from the same hymn sheet!
Accoridng to Wikipedia, while 3G in China is using the same frequencies as Europe in UMTS-I band, the air interface is different (TD-SCDMA vs TD-CDMA).
(sorry, cannot link to the docs since as junior member cannot embed links yet).
pa49 said:
Just a few weeks back it was annoounced that the US operators had all signed up to migrating to the rest of the wold's GSM standards!
So in time we will all be singing from the same hymn sheet!
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Click to collapse
Wow, that's... odd! It seems US operators cannot even agree whinin US and now they all want to use the rest of world's standards! That's so un-american!
At&T, rogers, etc are all using european 3G frequencies, which is why you can use device from europe on their networks.
T-mobile US uses 1700 & 2100 (one for up stream, one for downstream) which is why it won't work on at&t etc or european frequencies.
The t-mobile 3G phones use both 1700 and 2100 at the same time; and they cant use 2100 seperately on other networks.
erm att uses 850/1900,and very few operators use the same,none in Europe use these bands
alefsin said:
hmmm I don't know JohnQ. In your attached email HTC is saying China's frequencies are different from the rest of the world so how do you say it's the same as Europe? I don't know much about 3G network in China though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can check though. google it
Yes it does!
alefsin said:
Hi,
The official specs of T-mobile's HD2 says that the supported 3G bands are: WCDMA/HSPA: 1700 MHz (AWS) / 2100 MHz
Does it mean it will work on European 2100 MHz 3G too? Nexus one does so I suspect HD2 could too but as far as I could digg nobody had a straight answer to this question yet.
-AlefSin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tested mine on a 3G only network (2100mhz) and it works fine. What I mean by "only" is that the Digi Mobil in Romania works only on 2100Mhz.
I hope it helps!
GG
JohnQ said:
you can check though. google it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did, check post #5
Well, it seems the answer is negative. I asked HTC:
Hi, I'm very excited about HTC HD2 on T-Mobile USA. However there is a cruicial question taht I could not find an answer for yet: Should I get this phone, when I travel to Europe, can I use 3G? The specs say this phone will support AWS/2100 MHz UMTS. Since the 2100 MHz is the dominant frequency for western european 3G networks, does it mean this phone would work on their 3G networks? Nobody at T-mobile's support could answer me so I hope you could solve this mystery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And they answered:
Thank you for contacting HTC Technical Assistance Center. I understand the importance in researching a phone before you purchase it. This is a unusual situation and one T-mobile may not have been experienced with. For T-mobiles network the phone will be using the 1700 and 2100 bands. Although the 2100 band is common world wide. allowing the phone to pick up the edge network. T-mobile uses the 1700 for there 3G services. This band as far as we are aware is only used by T-mobile when it comes to major carriers world wide. More then likely the phone would not be able to pick up 3g if taken over seas.
However. T-mobile dose have a few branches in Europe. You may wish to check with them to see what bands they use for 3G, and if they have had any conflicts with American phones.
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Click to collapse
wmfreak said:
I've tested mine on a 3G only network (2100mhz) and it works fine. What I mean by "only" is that the Digi Mobil in Romania works only on 2100Mhz.
I hope it helps!
GG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But T-mobile's HD2 is not out yet! Are you sure you didn't test European HD2?
OK things are starting to get weird. I received a negative answer from HTC's customer support but then I found USA T-mobile G1 users that reported their phones were working on 2100 MHz 3G in Europe (G1 like US T-mobile version of HD2 only supports 1700/2100 MHz 3G). I need to buy a phone and these contradictory reports leave me confused
Here is what T-mobile says in the specs sheet of the new HD2:
Band (frequency): 850 MHz;900 MHz;1800 MHz;1900 MHz;UMTS: Band I (2100);UMTS: Band IV (AWS);UMTS: Band IV (1700/2100)
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Isn't it interesting that 2100 Mhz is listed both separately and in with combintaion with 1700 Mhz?
JohnQ said:
actually i asked HTC CS before, and the answer is NO!
european countries WCDMA frequencies are the same with ASIAN countries. So no chance for European countries either.
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Click to collapse
nice email address you have in that picture John
I tested my unlocked TMOUS HD2 in Sweden using 3's network and worked like a charm in 3G
Bit of a bump here as I'm trying to use my unlocked US T-Mobile HD2 with Orange in France and I can't do better than Edge (it went down to GPRS at one point...). I guess it could come down to spotty reception but I do get 3G speeds in my current location with an iPhone 3GS so I'm not so sure...
I'm using the AmericanAndroid ROM, maybe that's why my speed is throttled ;-)
I am using HD2 T-mobile in Serbia and i have no problem with conection or data speed.
I was on vacation and i didnt use Wifi ,and i used the phone all the time on 3G - the 3G network is incredibly fast, I even think that it is twice as fast as the EU HD2, which I used before..
Thanks, will check again then, maybe bad reception then!

3G international compatibility

Hi there guys! Now that the phones are finally shipping, can anyone please test the real band compatibility? I want to buy an unlocked G2 and use it here in Italy, but only if I can get at least a fully working 3G connection.
Please fellas, I badly need this info..
Thanks
Neuromansa said:
Hi there guys! Now that the phones are finally shipping, can anyone please test the real band compatibility? I want to buy an unlocked G2 and use it here in Italy, but only if I can get at least a fully working 3G connection.
Please fellas, I badly need this info..
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No such luck chief. The only 3G band on the G2 is AWS. It will only work on carriers like T-Mobile (USA), and Wind (Canada).
The stock Desire Z, however, has HSDPA 900 / 2100 and should work in most non-US countries on 3G, but check your carriers bands first. The downside, Desire Z has 1.5 GB storage, the G2 has 4 GB.
Neuromansa said:
Hi there guys! Now that the phones are finally shipping, can anyone please test the real band compatibility? I want to buy an unlocked G2 and use it here in Italy, but only if I can get at least a fully working 3G connection.
Please fellas, I badly need this info..
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I think you are going to be disappointed. I posted a buzz about this a while back. You can look at page 3 of the test report in the FCC submission. The nutshell summary is that the device will only support Band IV for 3G, or in other words T-Mo US' UMTS 1700. This is unfortunate since I used my unlocked G1 quite a lot overseas, thanks to its UMTS 900/2100.
You'll probably have to go with a Desire Z if you want this device with European radios.
Can't believe it's for real...I mean, the 2-year-old G1 does that...and what about people working overseas?
That's a MAJOR fault from T-Mobile, and it's totally weird to say the least.
Neuromansa said:
and what about people working overseas?
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Click to collapse
Perhaps tmo figures that frequent int'l travelers are a small enough percentage of their userbase that omitting the Band I poweramp was worth the cost savings?
Oh, it gets better. I only paid attention to the UMTS bands when I read the report, assuming that any modern smartphone would be a quad-band GSM device. Turns out the G2 is only GSM 850/1900, which means this device is truly unusable in Europe and Asia.
Wait a minute, what GSM bands are used in Asia?
The HTC site says otherwise : http://www.htc.com/us/products/t-mobile-g2#tech-specs
According to T-Mobile and HTC sites specs, the phone is GSM quad band (850, 900, 1800, 1900).
The HTC site says "UMTS: Yes"
Superfrag said:
Wait a minute, what GSM bands are used in Asia?
The HTC site says otherwise : http://www.htc.com/us/products/t-mobile-g2#tech-specs
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Click to collapse
Europe and Asia are GSM 900/1800, generally. What is interesting is that the HTC page claims the G2 is quadband, but the FCC testing documents don't show any 900/1800 data at all. The phone cannot legally operate in the U.S. in that band unless testing data has been submitted to the FCC. I'm wondering if HTC marketing just c&p from the Desire Z specs and forgot to edit the GSM infos. We'll see soon enough I suppose.
it doesn't make sense why they would release a phone that wasnt quad band. it must be a mistake. it is like power seats on a luxury car. it's just there lol.
So a unlocked G2 could be used on WINDs network here in Canada (because they use the same frequency), can some one confirm this please
PremiumReview said:
So a unlocked G2 could be used on WINDs network here in Canada (because they use the same frequency), can some one confirm this please
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Click to collapse
Wind uses AWS (UMTS Band IV)... So, yes. But if they do not have HSPA+ enhancements you won't get the famed and promised super speed. The phone should be able to be used on USA (T-Mobile, Cincinnati Bell Wireless), Canada (WIND Mobile, Mobilicity, Videotron)
Based on the G1 test reports...
... the bands listed in the FCC test reports are not at all definitive.
I pulled the FCC exhibits for the G1 and they listed:
GSM 850
GSM 1900
WCDMA Band IV
(plus 802.11 etc)
In other words, no Band I.
However, I've been successfully using my G1 on 3G in both Europe and Asia for over a year now, so it actually has Band I.
I suspect the FCC tests only cover the frequencies that the device is going to be used on *in the US*. Frequencies the device may or may not be capable of using outside the US just aren't relevant.
That being said, the more significant detail is that the T-mobile site lists the G2 as only having Band IV, even though it lists the Vibrant as having Bands I and IV. Looking at other phones, it seems that T-mobile isn't terribly consistent in how they list their frequencies, but that's a (relatively) slim thread to hang onto.
crr127 said:
it doesn't make sense why they would release a phone that wasnt quad band. it must be a mistake. it is like power seats on a luxury car. it's just there lol.
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Click to collapse
It is quad-band -- for GSM -- as all (most?) modern non-CDMA phones (and some of those) are. But the OP question is about 3G.
ravi_n said:
I suspect the FCC tests only cover the frequencies that the device is going to be used on *in the US*. Frequencies the device may or may not be capable of using outside the US just aren't relevant.
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Click to collapse
Good sleuthing. I didn't consider this possibility.
That being said, the more significant detail is that the T-mobile site lists the G2 as only having Band IV, even though it lists the Vibrant as having Bands I and IV. Looking at other phones, it seems that T-mobile isn't terribly consistent in how they list their frequencies, but that's a (relatively) slim thread to hang onto.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't put it past T-mo to have just messed up the detail.
I suppose the easiest way to determine would be for someone with an unlocked G2 (or even a locked unit) to take it to Europe or Asia and see if the system status shows UMTS signal or not.
Unlocked G2 Australian user
Hey Guys,
I actually received my G2 a few days ago. Yesterday i purchased an unlock code and entered this in to the phone which it advised was accepted.
The device then rebooted, however once the system loaded i noticed my signal bar had an "x" through it.
Browsed to Network Operators and tried selecting to search for networks and also to select automatically. Both of these selections returned an error "error searching for network" or every second try it would say "unable to connect to network".
I tried a factory reset of my phone but still the same issue.
I tried dialing *#*#4636#*#* which opens a testing screen. I noticed on this screen i can see i have a signal of -85 dBm which is similar to on my galaxy s.
Tried playing with the settings on this screen, i had the option to select network band to which i alternated between all options including auto and AUS, AUS2.
I can confirm this is a Vodafone simcard and it works perfectly in other phones.
I tried a Telstra, 3 and a friends Vodafone simacard all of which produced the same error.
I noticed there are several Australian sites selling unlocked Tmobile G2's.
At this point i would like to try flashing the stock rom on again however i am not sure on the button combo to access the recovery screen.
Last thing to note is yes i have spoke with Vodafone, HTC AU and HTC US, none of the techs were able to help me. =(
TheRiceKing said:
I tried dialing *#*#4636#*#* which opens a testing screen. I noticed on this screen i can see i have a signal of -85 dBm which is similar to on my galaxy s.
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Click to collapse
What was the network type when you saw the -85 dBm signal?
jashsu said:
What was the network type when you saw the -85 dBm signal?
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Click to collapse
Just checked right now and it says,
Signal stregth -91dBm 11 asu
Under Network Type it says unkown CID is also unkown.
Would a G2 work on Softbank (Japanese Carrier) They use the 2100 band IV I believe. I know my T-Mobile Nexus One worked fine on there 3G.
I could care less if the HSPA+ worked just 3G would be fine.
Okawa said:
Would a G2 work on Softbank (Japanese Carrier) They use the 2100 band IV I believe. I know my T-Mobile Nexus One worked fine on there 3G.
I could care less if the HSPA+ worked just 3G would be fine.
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Click to collapse
Band IV is commonly referred to as AWS 1700. From the gsmworld entry, it looks like Softbank is running on Band I ("UMTS 2100"). The G1 and Nexus One both had UMTS 900 & UMTS 2100 (the global bands) in addition to T-Mo specific AWS 1700. We're trying to determine if the G2 also has 900&2100 radios, but right now it's not looking very good.

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