[Q] Unlocked Nexus S with 3G network - Nexus S General

I want to get a Nexus S for myself, the unlocked without contract one, because I would like to use it in my home country (Malaysia).
So I would like to confirm one thing before I proceed:
I saw this from BestBuy forum FAQs:
Will an unlocked Nexus S work with carriers other than T-Mobile?
Yes, but it won’t run on 3G with all carriers. Speed and power will be reduced on non-3G networks.
Is that means that even though Nexus S did support the 3G band of my home country, it won't run on the 3G network?! Means that I can't use the 3G in my home country?

Anyone have answer for this? Anyone tried buy N1 and got the 3G working in country outside US?

gotta be 1700/2100 MHz i believe

Wont' work. Malaysia uses 2100mhz band for 3G.
The Nexus S on T-Mobile uses BOTH 1700/2100mhz AT THE SAME TIME for 3G.

It will work fine since the 3G band in Malaysia is 2100MHz and the Nexus S supports those bands.
I had the Nexus One (T-Mobile Version) in Thailand and it worked perfectly fine on 2100MHz 3G. My N900 worked as well.
Don't listen to nxt or slowz3r they have no idea of what they are talking about.

CooKies37 said:
Anyone have answer for this? Anyone tried buy N1 and got the 3G working in country outside US?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You wont have a problem with most 3g phones in Malaysia - most of the rest of the world uses standard frequencies and the nexus s and nexus 1 work just fine.
If a phone works in Europe then it'll be fine in malaysia, and indeed most of the rest of the world.
Most of the noise on here is from people in the US where there are some weird frequencies being used... you can only use 3g on T-Mobile there -at+t uses different frequencies, and sprint and Verizon use a completely different technology.

Thank you for all the useful replies!
Got the answer. Thread Closed.

Related

will athena work on u.s. t mobile 3g network?

anybody in new york or been to new york with your athena to see if it works with the new upcomming t mobile 3g network? they say its running on 1700 freq.
anybody have luck or an answer for this one?
cuba3377 said:
anybody in new york or been to new york with your athena to see if it works with the new upcomming t mobile 3g network? they say its running on 1700 freq.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that would be a no then, 2100Mhz is what the athena is capable of AFAIK
I have used the Athena on both T-Mobile and AT&T Networks in the US without issues.
I also have had no problems with T-mo in my area (central NJ) using 3g. I'm using an x7501...TJ
TrekkerJmm said:
I also have had no problems with T-mo in my area (central NJ) using 3g. I'm using an x7501...TJ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that seems odd, Current roms do not have the T-Mobile US band included, nor is the current radio capable of running the t-mobile 1700 band in the USA. ATT band is 3g/UTMS 850/1900 and Europe is 3g/UTMS 800/2100
T-Mobile Edge would work fine though
Hi, sometimes the 3g pop's up on my x7501 its not all the time but next time it does I will take a screen shot of it. Maybe its an error I have no idea...TJ
some roms incorrectly show that instead of edge !
Ok thanks...TJ
So is it possible to get T-mo 3g on athena?
T-mo finally rooled out 3g in my area, I thought my athena was 3g capable and could fly through the internet and never deal with slate Flinstone tablets and EDGE again! Sadly we do?
Their 3g is rolled out on 1700/2100 band only, so to exit the EDGE stone age, we must buy the G1 (not even close to x7501) or ask a crazy question to those in the know. Is the frequency band offered on a phone limited and fixed by the ROM / hardware, or is it software driven where a patch / upgrade could expand it's operantional band to include 1700/2100 UMTS alongside the voice 850/1900 band?
I can connect easily to TMobile. I get the "E" sign showing on the antennae.
anx7501 said:
T-mo finally rooled out 3g in my area, I thought my athena was 3g capable and could fly through the internet and never deal with slate Flinstone tablets and EDGE again! Sadly we do?
Their 3g is rolled out on 1700/2100 band only, so to exit the EDGE stone age, we must buy the G1 (not even close to x7501) or ask a crazy question to those in the know. Is the frequency band offered on a phone limited and fixed by the ROM / hardware, or is it software driven where a patch / upgrade could expand it's operantional band to include 1700/2100 UMTS alongside the voice 850/1900 band?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is hardware driven. Unfortunately this is why I'm going to switch over to AT & T because of the downgrade to get 3g service from a phone that NO OTHER Networks in the world uses is pointless IMHO. I don't know what T Mo was drinking or smoking, and when I asked the level 1 techs they said no future talks or expectations of using the NORMAL 1900/2100 Frequency like other 3g networks. Sux if you ask me.
Thanks for the note on hardware capability
I got similar responses from the techs at T-mo except I also got a moment of false hope when one incorrectly told me that their 3g is on 1900, I went nuts trying, then called back & someone else told me that it was in fact on 1700/2100. As I've been reading, their reason (though a huge pain in the ass for us) was to separate voice and data so one wouldn't steal bandwith from the other. Makes sense, though it would be easier to deal with if I had some REAL options other than G1 and crappy kids phones.
Since T-Mo has the best price for some pretty decent service (except EDGE that is), I've heard of some T-Mo users getting just an AT&T data plan alongside T-Mo voice, I'm not sure how it's done, do you need 1/2 simms, or what. If you find yourself doing this, I would like to hear your feedback.
Otherwise, I'll keep my fingers crossed that HTC will use some common sense, and use 1700/2100 in future US versions.

Nexus One and Telus

I currently have an old HTC Diamond and am ready for an upgrade.
Telus' new 3.5G network runs HSDPA / WCDMA 1900/850.
I read that ATT runs on 1900/850? Or at least 850? If I got an unlocked ATT Nexus one would it have both the 1900 and the 850 band?
DeadShawn said:
I currently have an old HTC Diamond and am ready for an upgrade.
Telus' new 3.5G network runs HSDPA / WCDMA 1900/850.
I read that ATT runs on 1900/850? Or at least 850? If I got an unlocked ATT Nexus one would it have both the 1900 and the 850 band?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And what, might I ask, is an "ATT Nexus one"? Nexus one is sold and branded by GOOGLE. It has UMTS 900/1700/2100. This is NOT the same as ATT frequencies, which are, as you mention, 850/1900.
The difference is that ATT has an EDGE network and GN1 supports EDGE at 850/900/1800/1900. BELUS does NOT.
If you want to use GN1 in Canada, I recommend you switch providers to WIND. Their rates are WAY better, and they run on UMTS 1700/2100, which is compatible with GN1.
I get a really *really* good deal with Telus. Unlimited data, more txt and minuets then ill ever use, all the extras (caller id, voice mail) and all for under $45. I make good use of the unlimited data via tethering.
Switching from telus isn't an option.
Oh, and sorry for calling it an ATT Nexus One, I was simply implying it was available on the ATT network, my mistake.
The version of the nexus one that works on ATT's 3g has not been released yet. It recently passed through the FCC, but AFAIK the only one available now is the T-mobile version.
You should be good though buying an ATT 3g version when they come out. Who knows maybe sales to Canada will be open by then.
altarity said:
The version of the nexus one that works on ATT's 3g has not been released yet. It recently passed through the FCC, but AFAIK the only one available now is the T-mobile version.
You should be good though buying an ATT 3g version when they come out. Who knows maybe sales to Canada will be open by then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's pretty much the information I was looking for, thank you.

Does Tmobile (US) HD2 work in China?

Hi, all,
I travel between China and US often. I am thinking about buying TMO(US) HD2, since it is a lot cheaper than anywhere else I have seen. Also, It comes with other goodies and full warranty. My concern is that will the phone work in China under 3G? I know there is iPhone in China (China Unicom). I think it operates on AT&T 3G (WCDMA). China Mobile uses TD-SCDMA. 3G on that is out of the question. If I don't get 3G, I guess EDGE is ok, I don't even think I get that speed on China Mobile. Don't really want to put close to $500 for an experiment.
Any answers would be greatly appreciated...
Perry
The USA T Mobile radio uses quad band (850/900/1800/1900) for the GSM freq. The 3G freq is 1700/2100.
China GSM uses 900/1800 for GSM and 3G. So, you will get EDGE speed but not 3G.
On a different note, you would be able to get 3G in Korea and Japan because they use 2100. You have to make sure that Auto is selected for you Network Type and Band Freq on the Band page for that to happen.
I'm thinking about getting an HD2 to use here in Japan.
It feels like a gamble. I have a SoftBank X01T and I've been using custom English roms. (I know the AP and password) (The Sim is with SoftBank).
I'm hoping it's possible to just get an HD2, pop the sim card in - set the AP and password as usual and it should be ok?
Any thoughts please.
Plus anything to backup the 3G working in Japan.
Thanks if you can advise.

Nexus One - AT&T vs T-Mobile versions

I am not an expert on the whole 3G frequency, etc. so hopefully this doesn't sound dumb but... I am just curious to know which version of the phone (900/AWS/2100 or 850/1900/2100) is most preferable to own if we were to (someday) use the phone internationally.
For example, for Canada, it looks like the AT&T Nexus One works on most major Canadian carriers for 3G, while the T-Mobile version only works on WIND.
What about the rest of the world? Because I believe the majority use 900/1800??? I'm so confused!
Thanks!
most of the world actually uses 2100mhz for 3g so it doesnt matter too much but some of europe also uses the 900mhz band so the tmo version might be a little better. but if you are going to south america/australia/canada i think they use 850mhz there
Ah, okay. I was just curious.

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?
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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?
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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.

Categories

Resources