Develop Bugs

Help! 3G is not working after Hard-SPL and unlocked TP2

I'm new here and I enjoyed this site very much. I have one problem with my TP2. Somehow, 3G network is not working after I installed Hard-SPL and unlocked T-Mobile TP2 switch to AT&T sim card. Everything is working fine with AT&T's sim card I was able to made phone calls, received, SMS, and web browsing. ATT 's 3G network is available around my home, but I can not get 3G on TP2 instead a EDGE network. Can unlocked TP2 handle AT&T's 3G network? or a .cab file I can download to fix this?

idk for sure but i think t mobile uses a different frequency for 3g from at&t so if they are you are stuck with edge speeds on at&t man sorry

I have the tmobile TP2 and i can confirm from talking with ATT that the phone does support ATT BUT i was unable to use the phone on 3g. The phone DOES support the signals for 3g but am still unable to access the towers in my area. I think the phone may be hard set to look at tmobile towers, is there any way i could reset the device to open up its tower usage? Hopefully i can get an answer but no tmobile TP2 users arent screwed in the US we just need to find a fix

It was my understanding that the tmobile tp2 does NOT have 850/1900mhz 3g on it. It does have aws 1700 for sure. Not sure about 2100mhz though for overseas.

This issue has been covered many times in the numerous AT&T threads on this board.
I'm sorry to tell you that the T-Mobile TP2 hardware radio was limited to using 3G over the 1700/900Hz frequencies, while AT&T currently uses 1900/850Hz only. It's unlikely that any change can be made to the radio software wise to fix this issue.
Just to make things clear the issue has nothing to do with Hard SPL or custom roms.

T-Mobile UMTS 1700/2100 Mhz
T-Mobile 3G runs on UMTS 1700 up and 2100 down. Unless you have a device that runs on those specific frequencies, EDGE is the best you can do with T-Mobile if you opt to run on their service.

ATT offers UMTS or 3G using 850mhz(the old TDMA band) and 1900mhz. While T-mobile offers HSDPA (technically 3.5g part of the UMTS specification) using 1700MHz for uplink and 2100MHz downlink.
Because HSDPA is part of the UMTS spec, it’s backward compatable. However, you have the limiting factor beging that the frequencies the individual carriers use to transmit the data.
Europe and Asia’s 3G runs on 1900/2100mhz. North and south America is supposed to use the (AWS) 3G spec using 1700/2100mhz
ATT didn’t want to wait, like T-mobile is doing, for homeland security to vacate those frequencies and launched on 850/1900mhz instead

ace.app said:
ATT didn’t want to wait, like T-mobile is doing, for homeland security to vacate those frequencies and launched on 850/1900mhz instead
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I heard that t-mobile did not have enough spectrum in many areas to launch 3g in its existing 1900mhz. At&t doesn't have that issue, or as bad.

Im gonna make this real easy for u. The tmobile tp2 will not work on at&t 3g. The 3g bands are different

Read this before you ask questions about phone versions/ supported fequencies.

So basically I got fed-up with seeing so many questions about TP2 models and their supported frequencies.
I'm an American so most of this information is geared towards helping other Americans- but it may also be of use to people in other parts of the world.
If you aren't a big tech-wiz, READ THIS before you buy your Touch Pro 2.
Here is the low down:
There are two different prominent cell phone technology standards in the world today: GSM and CDMA.
Most of the world runs their 3G cellular networks on GSM. However some carriers such as Verizon, Sprint, Bell, and Telus work on CDMA.
GSM= Sim Card
CDMA= No sim card
-Note however that CDMA "world phones" have sim cards because they also include GSM tuners.
Here are the Mobile Telecommunications Standards that matter to you:
GENERATIONS:
1st Generation (1G):
~don't worry about it, only primitive cell phones operated on this standard.
2nd Generation (2G):
~here we go this is GSM!!! This is what matters
~this is also where current CDMA networks really started rolling out.
2.5G:
~EDGE, this is the GSM that you use if you aren't on 3G. EDGE is important, memorize the name!!!
3rd Generation 3G):
~now we are talking, UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System). In Europe UMTS may also be called "W-CDMA" although it is GSM (sim cards!!!) This is 3G that the Iphone was named after. It is GSM.
~EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized), this is the 3G of CDMA. this has revisions such as EVDO rev "A" or "B" that can be considered 3.5G
3.5G:
~HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access)= HSDPA/HSUPA. The "D" in HSDPA stands for downlink, the additional "U" in HSUPA stands for uplink.
~ EV-DO revisions.
4G:
~LTE, blazing mobile broadband. This is GSM and what most of the world is migrating to, EVEN CDMA carriers.
~WiMAX. No sim card, because it is not a GSM technology. Think of it like Wi-Fi on steroids. Compare it to LTE like we can compare HSPA to EV-DO today. Understand WiMAX now?
Whew, now that we have all the standards explained, lets talk about what this means.....
DON'T BUY a phone and expect to get 3G on it UNLESS it SPECIFICALLY states that you can get 3G for your carrier on it.
Some common hints:
"European Version"= 3G for many carriers in Europe, EDGE everywhere else, nothing at all for CDMA.
"World Phone"= a CDMA phone that is also capable of GSM. Only capable of 3G (EV-DO) on the carrier that the phone is branded for. Will work on EDGE everywhere else for GSM carriers.
"US Version"= a GSM phone that works on AT&T's 3G network but NOT T-mobiles.
~~Phones that you buy from your carrier will work on your carrier's 3G bands. (Unless your carrier doesn't have 3G yet in your area)
JUST BECAUSE A PHONE SUPPORTS THE SAME BAND DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU CAN GET 3G ON IT.
MANY 3G BANDS ARE SHARED, BUT ARE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT. This means that even though carriers such as T-Mobile and AT&T share bands, the phones that support 3G on each are not interchangeable with carriers. EDGE, on the other hand, works interchangeably.
Lastly, 3G support and other wireless standard compatibilities have nothing to do with the software of your phone. You will never find a magic ROM that will enable 3G on a carrier that does not support the phone. It is all HARDWARE DEPENDENT.
Questions?
Also if you need more information, read the posts after this one. There are lots of smart people on xda-developers. I'm sure some will write additional information, clarify, or even correct something that I wrote.

somebody should sticky this, its useful for newcomers

skyler17 said:
2.5G:
~EDGE, this is the GSM that you use if you aren't on 3G. EDGE is important, memorize the name!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not necessarily true. EDGE can actually technically be classed as 3G (though it almost always sits in the higher end of the 2.5G tier). 2.5G would more correctly refer to GPRS rather than EDGE, with EDGE being more of an enhancement to GPRS.

skyler17 said:
. . . .
Most of the world runs their 3G cellular networks on GSM. However some carriers such as Verizon, Sprint, Bell, and Telus work on CDMA.
GSM= Sim Card
CDMA No sim card
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When it comes to PDA/WinMo phones "CDMA = No SIM card is false". There are actually a couple of CDMA phones with SIM cards including the Touchpro2.

HSPA is a catch all name for HSDPA and HSUPA, 3.5G techs.
The 3G implementation is UMTS.
If you are talking about worldwide use, EDGE is pretty much not used in the UK... O2 have it on a couple of base stations but its extremely rare, so here you just get:
1G - Analogue phones, Vodafone and O2 had analogue networks but they are now shut down.
2G - GSM with CSD (Circuit Switched Data - make a phone call for data) and HSCSD (High Speed Circuit Switched Data - basically make multiple phone calls and bond them, was only availible on Orange). O2 and Voda use both 900MHz and 1800MHz. Orange and Tmobile have no 900MHz license and use just 1800MHz. 3 Do not operate a 2G network and these days use Orange for coverage where they don't have their own network, they used to use O2...
2.5G - GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) This is the lowest speed you'll get on any network now, up to about 115kbps, on all four 2G networks, indicated by a G on the screen near the signal metre.
2.75G - EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) initially capable of 236kbps, only O2 ever did anything with it, and they did very little with it, for all intents and purposes it is unused in the UK.
3G - UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service). This is what is known as 3G in the UK. It uses WCDMA - yes, it is CDMA based, not TDMA as 2G GSM is. Capable of 384kbps, this is needed for video calls (which all UK networks support). Indicated by a 3 onscreen, all UK towns and cities are covered by this or better these days by all networks (advantage of a small country with dense population). All 5 big operators have 3G licenses. At the moment 3G means 2100MHz, Ofcom want to have some of Voda and O2's 900MHz allocation back and allow 3G on it. High frequencies mean short range, making the current band good for getting alot of transmitters (and hence capacity) in cities, but crap for covering rural areas with 3G, you need too many transmitters for cost effectiveness. If Ofcom reallocate some of the 900MHz band and allow 3G on it, it could massively improve 3G reception in rural areas.
3.5G - HSPA (HSDPA and HSUPA). Up to 14.4mbps down (Voda in trial at this speed) other networks 7.2mbps and 3.6mbps. Indicated by a H on screen. Will see this in most major towns and cities.

Say you have an European TP2, which, as we know, does not support AT&T's 3G. Will it support US HSDPA?

dementio said:
Say you have an European TP2, which, as we know, does not support AT&T's 3G. Will it support US HSDPA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, its all or nothing. Even though it supports the downlink band, since it is missing the uplink band it will not support US 3G.
It will give you EDGE however.

Let me get this straight - So TP2 is not a true "world phone"?

I'm a little green when it comes to 3G stuff, but please correct me if I am wrong...
Yes, you can put foreign SIM cards in US TP2's but not get 3G coverage in Europe. On the other hand from what I have read, European TP2's (even the unbranded ones) will not work with 3G is the US.
And if I am wrong... can someone please point me to a TP2 that will work on 3G networks in most of the world?
Or does one have to have two TP2's to enjoy 3G.. one for the US, and one for Europe, etc.?

quid246 said:
I'm a little green when it comes to 3G stuff, but please correct me if I am wrong...
Yes, you can put foreign SIM cards in US TP2's but not get 3G coverage in Europe. On the other hand from what I have read, European TP2's (even the unbranded ones) will not work with 3G is the US.
And if I am wrong... can someone please point me to a TP2 that will work on 3G networks in most of the world?
Or does one have to have two TP2's to enjoy 3G.. one for the US, and one for Europe, etc.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where have you heard that a NA TP2 won't work with 3G in EU?
The only limitation I'm aware of is a NA TP2 won't work w/ NA GSM 3G.

Oh SoS said:
Where have you heard that a NA TP2 won't work with 3G in EU?
The only limitation I'm aware of is a NA TP2 won't work w/ NA GSM 3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Until someone hacks it

I can't remember where I read it. But someone said if you wanted 3G in Europe, better to get a Euro unbranded model.
So perhaps this is under the assumption that it isn't hacked... not sure.
Slightly, off-topic Q but rather than start a new thread.... once a HardSPL is out for both the CDMA and GSM TP2's... will they effectively be "equal" devoces?
I really would like to pick-up a TP2 in the next few days... I like the VZ unit, but it's CDMA and since I travel quite a bit, really prefer and need more of a GSM phone, but don't like the TMO as no 3.5mm jack.

quid246 said:
I can't remember where I read it. But someone said if you wanted 3G in Europe, better to get a Euro unbranded model.
So perhaps this is under the assumption that it isn't hacked... not sure.
Slightly, off-topic Q but rather than start a new thread.... once a HardSPL is out for both the CDMA and GSM TP2's... will they effectively be "equal" devoces?
I really would like to pick-up a TP2 in the next few days... I like the VZ unit, but it's CDMA and since I travel quite a bit, really prefer and need more of a GSM phone, but don't like the TMO as no 3.5mm jack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Verizon unit already has international GSM bands unlocked, AND international (2100MHz 3G). If you've been a Verizon customer for 60 days or more you can call them up and get an unlock code for free and use any SIM card in your phone so you can get a cheap prepaid SIM and not pay the high Verizon roaming costs. There's also a small (I'd say around 25%) chance that the NA 3G bands will be found/unlocked, but at this point who really knows if they are there or not.

Actually the Telus CDMA TP2 supports the European 3G bands but not the American ones becuase technically you will be using it in North America on CDMA and outside America on GSM. So its the other way around

It seems that if you have the Sprint TP2 that it won't register at all on US GSM networks, but comes unlocked by default.
On Verizon (which I have) a simple phone call to support they'll give you the unlock code and you're good to go. I use an Orange (UK) Sim in mine just fine in the US and others in other forums have reported that using US SIM's from TMobile/AT&T work fine also in the US.
--chris

TP2 = best 'World' phone I've ever owned.
quid246 said:
I'm a little green when it comes to 3G stuff, but please correct me if I am wrong...
Yes, you can put foreign SIM cards in US TP2's but not get 3G coverage in Europe. On the other hand from what I have read, European TP2's (even the unbranded ones) will not work with 3G is the US.
And if I am wrong... can someone please point me to a TP2 that will work on 3G networks in most of the world?
Or does one have to have two TP2's to enjoy 3G.. one for the US, and one for Europe, etc.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an unbranded HTC factory TP2, and it works in 3G mode anywhere I take it that has the 3G network... and I travel all over the US/Caribbean and back to EU/UK. Have not found one spot it hasn't worked (inlcduing some of the very obscure Carib countries), and I like the fact that it automatically picks up HS when within range without having to change any settings.
Just have to make sure that your provider gives you a 3G SIM (most of them are these days) and that you have the 3G service enabled on your account in the respective country.
Many people say they can't pick it up yet don't have it on their account, or think that their EU provider will automatically provide it as part of the roaming service... which is not a good assumption to make.

TyTanIc said:
I have an unbranded HTC factory TP2, and it works in 3G mode anywhere I take it that has the 3G network... and I travel all over the US/Caribbean and back to EU/UK. Have not found one spot it hasn't worked (inlcduing some of the very obscure Carib countries), and I like the fact that it automatically picks up HS when within range without having to change any settings.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3G in North America? I doubt that. The phone does not support North American 3G bands. Are you sure it was 3G in North America??

Man, this is all confusing... I swear somebody has to come up with an HTML table of what phones work with what and where and stickify it.

Can people just put this to bed already!!!
The Sprint (North America) TP2 is suppossed to be used on CDMA in the US and GSM worldwide, hence the GSM radio is unlocked for outside America GSM use. This is how it comes default. If that is so hard to grasp, then there is no hope for some, sadly.
As for the title, the TP2 is a world phone, it works in the US (and North Ameria) on CDMA and elsewhere unlocked on GSM. That to me is the true definition of a World phone from a U.S CDMA perspective (and especially moreso as this is the CDMA version).
To put it in perspective, a Sprint customer (in this case, moi) gets the best of CDMA in the U.S and when traveling to visit his sister in High Wycombe in the U.K (like i'll be doing this Autumm) gets to pop in a PAYG U.K sim in the same phone and use it while over there. This phone doesn't get any "worldlier" to me than this scenario!!
Is the O.P attempting to specifically define a dual mode CDMA/GSM-unlocked World phone as not world phone because it's locked by default from doing GSM in it's primary market which happens to be CDMA (and in this case Sprint)?
This is not rocket science folks, it really isn't.

LordLugard said:
Is the O.P attempting to specifically define a dual mode CDMA/GSM-unlocked World phone as not world phone because it's locked by default from doing GSM in it's primary market which happens to be CDMA (and in this case Sprint)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Point taken. It's just that with that same Sprint phone (correct me if I am wrong), you can't travel to Canada pop in a Rogers SIM card and get Rogers 3G.
Wouldn't the phone want to swing towards it's CDMA cousin, Telus or Bell?

mmmhhh86 said:
3G in North America? I doubt that. The phone does not support North American 3G bands. Are you sure it was 3G in North America??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T 3G runs on 850/1900 GSM, the TP2 supports both of those bands, how would it not work with 3G on AT&T in the US?
T-Mobile runs 3G on 1700/2100 GSM bands, both of which aren't included on the TP2, as far as my research has lead me to believe.

Basically while it may be a quad band GSM phone, it is only a dual band 3G device. It comes in two flavours - UMTS 900+2100 or UMTS 1900+850
The 900/2100 version is far more common than 850/1900

.mak said:
AT&T 3G runs on 850/1900 GSM, the TP2 supports both of those bands, how would it not work with 3G on AT&T in the US?
T-Mobile runs 3G on 1700/2100 GSM bands, both of which aren't included on the TP2, as far as my research has lead me to believe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It supports those bands for HSDPA CDMA not GSM 3G
Network 3G EVDO Rev A (800/1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA (2100 MHz), GSM/ EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
This is the Telus version btw

quid246 said:
Point taken. It's just that with that same Sprint phone (correct me if I am wrong), you can't travel to Canada pop in a Rogers SIM card and get Rogers 3G.
Wouldn't the phone want to swing towards it's CDMA cousin, Telus or Bell?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"it Depends"
The US CDMA phone operates in 3 modes.
1 CDMA Only
2 GSM Only
3 'Global' (whatever it can find).
If you have it in Global it will generally take the CDMA local carrier over anything else. However, not always. I've had mine switch to GSM for a bit then go back to CDMA. But mine is Verizon and unlocked so it works everywhere in the US and I also have a UK sim card in it. So I'm a little 'different'.
But, in any case, you can tell the phone which mode to use if you want. All upto you.
--chris
(verizon TP2)

here we go again... (tp2 3g na)
"I have an unbranded HTC factory TP2, and it works in 3G mode anywhere I take it that has the 3G network... and I travel all over the US/Caribbean and back to EU/UK. Have not found one spot it hasn't worked (inlcduing some of the very obscure Carib countries), and I like the fact that it automatically picks up HS when within range without having to change any settings."
So, maybe he's wrong. But either way...
You wanna know why this keeps coming up again and again?
(not because we're all dumb and thick headed, which we may very well be)
But,
Because we just have trouble imagining them hardware "band amplifier" hobbling the hardware when it's so much easier to do it somewhere in firmware.
We all know that the less you fiddle with the hardware for multi-region functionality the less you have to fiddle with the production line and fiddling with the production line is the Last Thing a manufacturer wants to do.
Someone even once said that there wasn't room in the Rhodium platform for quad band data support. But now we're expecting the tilt 2 to do just that.
So, all protestations aside, those of us who paid ~700 us clams for this beauty, and who like the kbd layout.
And who have like me (as quite the Early Adopter), forked out for an sx56, sx66, 8135, x7510((quad band data)
Just feel a leetle wee bit of a sense, dare I say it, of Entitlement for the TP2 to be enabled into a fully world wide phone.
So we keep hunting, and digging, and dreaming, and .... posting.....

well here is my two cents i have the original unlocked euro version of the tp2 and all i get in the us it edge. it is really impossible to get 3g in the US (2100) because this version of the phone literally does not have the attena for it. and so that you can see all the different types of tp2s and the technical and physical differences between them here is a link: http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=pdacom...&id3=1792&id4=1829&id5=1766&id6=1989&id7=1751

drae1980 said:
well here is my two cents i have the original unlocked euro version of the tp2 and all i get in the us it edge. it is really impossible to get 3g in the US (2100) because this version of the phone literally does not have the attena for it. and so that you can see all the different types of tp2s and the technical and physical differences between them here is a link: http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=pdacom...&id3=1792&id4=1829&id5=1766&id6=1989&id7=1751
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3g in the USA must be on the 1700 band then, as thats the only gsm band that the euro version doesn't support.
Euro version
GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS900, UMTS2100
TMOUS version
GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS1700, UMTS2100

Anyone know of a good site to order a prepaid SIM card? I plan on using my VZW TP2 in Spain and France. I was also wondering if I should or could disable data and use my TP2 with Garmin XT so I don't get nailed for data usage. Your thoughts would be appreciated...
Mugs

Telus TP2 Radio(s)

Exactly what cellular radios does this phone [Telus TP2] have?
My carrier [Telus] has recently completed their 3G overlay, and I'm still showing "EV".
Should I be talking to them about fixing this, or...?
It was (is?) my understanding that this phone was fully 3G capable.

Can someone help me with this?
As far as I can tell, my phone should support the Telus overlay of HSPA on their CDMA network, however I'm showing "EV" an my network type on the notification bar.
I visited a Telus store, and talked to a rep, who just babbled to me about how my SIM was "registered" as a CDMA phone, and therefore I couldn't use HSPA.
>_>
Thoughts?
EDIT: The rep also fed me this convoluted bullsh*t about how when I'm roaming, I'll be able to be on HSPA networks, so I'll get better bandwidth roaming than on my home network...

Wow no one knows the answer to this?
I've searched, and there's no answer, per se, just descriptions of Telus' technology and the antennae in the TP2, which seems to indicate that the TP2 should be able to get on the Telus HSPA network...

I have a SIM-unlocked Telus Touch Pro2 I bought off Craigslist, figuring it'd be good to go when the HSPA network rolled out (Only four months later!). As I understand it, the telus model can make and receive calls on quad-band GSM frequencies, but only use EDGE speeds for data. Has to do with the firmware for the chipset inside the phone. The only HSPA 3G band the phone can use is 2100 Mhz, which is the bad used in Europe, not Canada. It's a major piss-off, especially when a month ago the stores made this out to be the top-of-the-line phone, perfect for ever and ever.
It would seem that should Telus decide to plug in some firmware upgrades, they could activate the new 3G bands, but why bother? We've already signed away our souls to the company.
Who knows, maybe they'll fix it when they release Windows 6.5 for our rig. Because that's on the top of the to-do list, right?

Well there are new radios that we could flash...would that change anything?

Now I may be misinformed but I think that the Telus version is a CMDA phone with GSM capabilites on some frequencies. I do not think it will work on HSPA in Canada as they use different frequencies (850 and 1900). This is why so many people were waiting for the ATT version to come out as it uses those frequencies.
Remember GSM does not equal 3G.

What I would like to know is whether the distinction between 3G and GSM is on the hardware side, firmware side, or software side. Telus would have you assume it's all the hardware's fault, but I'm not sure on that one.

From everything I have read its the chip in the phone that isnt programmed/capable of doing the frequencies required. It may actually be a second chip but I cant confirm that. Other posts have stated that there wont be a software fix to "unlock the frequencies" needed.
GSM is a cellular line and 3G is a data connection.

I just purchased an At&t Tilt 2 unlocked for use on Telus 3G+ network. The Telus Touch Pro 2 is a CDMA , Quadband GSRM and UMTS/HSDPA 2100. The Telus TP2 will only work with EVDO data on the Telus network. If you unlock it for use with Rogers it will work on GSRM with Edge data. That is why I have ordered the At&t Tilt 2. Unfortunately Telus won't honour my unlimited data plan and say it is only for EVDO and that I have to change to one of their current plans to have HSDPA. Like all of the networks, they get your money one way or the other. I'm pleased that with the Tilt 2 I am free to switch providers here in Canada and still get 3G as well as when I travel in Europe.

Looking for a TP2, any recommendations wrt the model? (between carriers)

Hi
Im looking for a TP2, I will use it outside USA mainly, is there any differences in the phone model between what is offered by the carries (I mean the case, the colors, the device modules as gps, radio or whatever, the keyboard)
As i have noticed that the T-Mobile unit is another color from the at&t and have differences in the keyboard, are there any recommendations on what to look for on this phone?
It seems that the only current options are T-Mob and At&t as they are GSM (it seems that t-mob dont have the chrome bezel or 3g support, and at&t has those but dont have camera)

There are some minor differences between the two , there was alink that gave a great deal of info on both phones that is better then this one below
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=573092

ahh here it is
http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=pdacom...&id3=1792&id4=1829&id5=1766&id6=1989&id7=1751

thank you very much for the links
I see that the cdma phones (verizon, sprint) have a gsm sim port, is that true? can a TP2 cdma phone (when unlocked) be used with any sim on a gsm network? (mostly because im not very fond on the t-mob version)

Lioric said:
thank you very much for the links
I see that the cdma phones (verizon, sprint) have a gsm sim port, is that true? can a TP2 cdma phone (when unlocked) be used with any sim on a gsm network? (mostly because im not very fond on the t-mob version)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No CDMA and sim are two different things
The Major Carrier Technologies
By now, you’ve probably heard all of the acronyms in the alphabet soup of carrier technologies. The two major terms that pertain to cellular phone communication that you’re likely to run into are GSM and CDMA, the two major technologies service providers use to carry voice signals across the network. But what are they and why do they matter? Well, for starters, let’s define the terms.
GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications). GSM is the “branded” term referring to a particular use of TDMA (Time-Division Multiple Access) technology. GSM is the dominant technology used around the globe and is available in more than 100 countries. It is the standard for communication for most of Asia and Europe. GSM operates on four separate frequencies: You’ll find the 900MHz and 1,800MHz bands in Europe and Asia and the 850MHz and 1,900MHz (sometimes referred to as 1.9GHz) bands in North America and Latin America. GSM allows for eight simultaneous calls on the same radio frequency and uses “narrowband” TDMA, the technology that enables digital transmissions between a mobile phone and a base station. With TDMA the frequency band is divided into multiple channels which are then stacked together into a single stream, hence the term narrowband. This technology allows several callers to share the same channel at the same time.
CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access). CDMA takes an entirely different approach from GSM/TDMA. CDMA spreads data out over the channel after the channel is digitized. Multiple calls can then be overlaid on top of one another across the entire channel, with each assigned its own “sequence code” to keep the signal distinct. CDMA offers more efficient use of an analog transmission because it allows greater frequency reuse, as well as increasing battery life, improving the rate of dropped calls, and offering far greater security than GSM/TDMA. For this reason CDMA has strong support from experts who favor widespread development of CDMA networks across the globe. Currently, you will find CDMA mostly in the United States, Canada, and North and South Korea. (As an interesting aside, CDMA was actually invented for the military during World War II for field communications.)
Domestic Travel
The cellular showdown: CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) vs. GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications).
Because you can find GSM and CDMA in use all across the United States, it might seem at first that it really doesn’t matter which technology you choose. This is not so. When you travel abroad, the likelihood that you will reach areas that do not have digital service is quite high. Anytime you travel between offices via car, train, or bus you will pass through rural and suburban areas that only offer analog access. Most CDMA cell phones include analog capability (also known as roaming), so a user can make calls when he is not in a digital cellular service area. GSM phones usually don’t offer this capability unless you purchase and use a specialty (read: expensive) handset. Of course in most of Asia and in Europe, this is not a problem because digital service is available almost everywhere you turn. This does become an issue for users in North America, however, because digital service is rarely available there.
Another difference between GSM and CDMA is in the data transfer methods. GSM’s high-speed wireless data technology, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), usually offers a slower data bandwidth for wireless data connection than CDMA’s high-speed technology (1xRTT, short for single carrier radio transmission technology), which has the capability of providing ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)-like speeds of as much as 144Kbps (kilobits per second). However, 1xRTT requires a dedicated connection to the network for use, whereas GPRS sends in packets, which means that data calls made on a GSM handset don’t block out voice calls like they do on CDMA phones.

If you care about 3G go for Tilt2, if not go for unbranded!
I think is the best design/look of all of them
----------------
Guys! go and vote please!
Rhodium needs you

yes, thank you very much for the detailed answers
But the Cdma version of the phones (TP2) claim to be "world phones", as in the sprint phone (cdma) in the feature list they mention that they support GSM when traveling outside of the US and that you can put a GSM sim
Sprint TP2 features:
Cellular_Networks: CDMA800, CDMA1900
Cellular+Data:Links: cdmaOne, CDMA2000 1xRTT, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
Secondary-Cellularhone
Dual:Cellular+Network;Operation: Selectable cellular module
Secondary_Cellular_Networks: GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS900, UMTS2100
Secondary;Cellular Data:Links: CSD, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA
from h t t p://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=1792&view=1&c=sprint_touch_pro2_htc_rhodium_w
I would prefer the unbranded phone but only the external case design (at least for me) don't justifies the 600 to 700 bucks price tag, sprint ot tmob can be find for 360
I think I will go with a Sprint or Verizon model, even when they are CDMA they seem be dual cell (cdam and gsm) and they will work just fine on any GSM network