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Will I be able to get it to work on Sprint's network here state side? I live in California and can get a great deal while I am here in Taiwan
I just know sprint doesn't have sim cards but there must be a way right? Also if not on sprint if I had to last resort go to another carrier?
Thanks in advance.
Sprint
No you can't use a gsm phone on cdma system. Sprint uses a different system then att or tmobile, which are gsm. The only hope for you if on sprint is if sprint themselves release this phone and if I have read correctly it might not be the quad variant. So save your money till you get home.
alternate carrier might be at&t. you can buy a micro-sim on amazon and even go for a relatively cheap prepaid phone plan. or buy the micro-sim from net10 and go for their $50/month everything "unlimited" plan - which we all know for most carriers still means limited data, you just have to find out at which point they kick you off. from what i've read, there's a similar possibility on straight-talk. i think net10 and straight-talk use the at&t towers on gsm. (on cdma, net10 where i live uses the sprint system.) i went for the at&t plan - $2/day unlimited talk/text when used (i don't talk or text that often) and a data plan (they come in different sizes/prices).
As stated, Sprint uses CDMA. Most of the world uses GSM. The international One X will never work on Sprint.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
I have an AT&T GS3 and I was looking around in the more advanced settings with a Telcel sim i got in Mexico. This was how I was able to access the network selection menu on the GS3 which is normally locked out by AT&T. I already had bought an unlock code online so I could use it with this sim when I visited Mexico. Anyway I found that it was able to roam on AT&T like expected and I went to change it to T-Mobile to see how that worked. To my surprise I found a third network listed as 311660. According to Wikipedia the mcc-mnc pair of 311-660 is assigned to MetroPCS. The only thing I can imagine this being is MetroPCS's LTE on AWS 1700. AT&T also uses AWS 1700, so I guess the GS3 can pick it up. I tried connecting to it but it never worked. I can still see it there, and it doesn't advertise as MetroPCS just as the mcc-mnc pair 311660.
Any one know what's going on here?
This is in the Chicago north suburbs by the way.
I have a screenshot I took from the network menu but i cannot post links as of yet.
s10 .postimage .org /dbh107c2h/ Screenshot_2012_08_15_00_11_39.png
Probably have to give metro your esn number to activate it in their system
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
freemeech said:
Probably have to give metro your esn number to activate it in their system
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No haha I use AT&T, I don't need to use MetroPCS.
I just thought it was cool that we could potentially roam on their network if ever such an agreement came into being. And that eventually when Verizon uses AWS that it will be compatible LTE unlike how 700 doesn't work that way with its' fragmentation.
Does anyone know if i can use an unlocked at&t gs3 on tmobile service??? I heard it will only get edge data.
Sent from my SGH-T679 using xda premium
Edge only
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
It doesn't have the required AWS frequency bands.
joshnichols189 said:
It doesn't have the required AWS frequency bands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like Edge only. I just unlocked a GS3 for my dad and he's on Tmobile. Is there a fix to try and get 3G?
I have a T999 unlocked and I'm getting 3g and some times 4g like right now. Called at&t to check they said no lte but yes to hspa.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Zameus said:
Looks like Edge only. I just unlocked a GS3 for my dad and he's on Tmobile. Is there a fix to try and get 3G?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Were you able to find where to get free unlock codes?
critofur said:
Were you able to find where to get free unlock codes?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunatley no. I had to pay $19.99.
About two days ago me and my friend bought a cheap tmobile phone, cut the sim to fit his att gs3 called att and got them to unlock the phone, popped in the new sim and he was able to get 3g and hspa+ on tmobile's network with his att galaxy s3. we were both pretty surprised that it worked. he's running cm10 if that matters.
elroyknight said:
About two days ago me and my friend bought a cheap tmobile phone, cut the sim to fit his att gs3 called att and got them to unlock the phone, popped in the new sim and he was able to get 3g and hspa+ on tmobile's network with his att galaxy s3. we were both pretty surprised that it worked. he's running cm10 if that matters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is because tmobile is rolling out there hspa+ data service on the 1900mhz frequency slowly but surely and the att gs3 supports the 1900mhz bands.. The BEST gs3 to buy is the tmobile gs3 if i am not mistaken it suports all of tmobiles aws bands and all of att hspa+ bands. Unlock that one and you can use either network to its fullest minus the LTE.
BTW.. tmobiles aws coverage is pretty damn good in the north east and there data speeds are almost as good as LTE.
jerseykat1 said:
That is because tmobile is rolling out there hspa+ data service on the 1900mhz frequency slowly but surely and the att gs3 supports the 1900mhz bands.. The BEST gs3 to buy is the tmobile gs3 if i am not mistaken it suports all of tmobiles aws bands and all of att hspa+ bands. Unlock that one and you can use either network to its fullest minus the LTE.
BTW.. tmobiles aws coverage is pretty damn good in the north east and there data speeds are almost as good as LTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just called ATT today and told them I would be travelling overseas and they gave me the unlock code for my GS3 and GS2. Gonna go get a sim today for the S3 and try out a unlimited monthly no contract plan.
I'm in Warren county and travel throughout northern and central Jersey for work but I know no one with their service. So you think I should be good signalwise? Like I said I know no one with the service but am willing to try it out for a month since they are 20 dollars cheaper than ATT atm
Vondis said:
I just called ATT today and told them I would be travelling overseas and they gave me the unlock code for my GS3 and GS2. Gonna go get a sim today for the S3 and try out a unlimited monthly no contract plan.
I'm in Warren county and travel throughout northern and central Jersey for work but I know no one with their service. So you think I should be good signalwise? Like I said I know no one with the service but am willing to try it out for a month since they are 20 dollars cheaper than ATT atm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it will suck because like I said tmobile is rolling out service on 1900 but it's still spotty. Unless you have a tmobile gs3 you will be disappointed . However if you can get a gs3 for tmobile or another phone that supports tmobile aws bands you will be very happy. The tmobile gs3 works fine on att after u unlock it.. But no LTE.
Zameus said:
Unfortunatley no. I had to pay $19.99.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is free unlocking way on general section
Vondis said:
I just called ATT today and told them I would be travelling overseas and they gave me the unlock code for my GS3 and GS2. Gonna go get a sim today for the S3 and try out a unlimited monthly no contract plan.
I'm in Warren county and travel throughout northern and central Jersey for work but I know no one with their service. So you think I should be good signalwise? Like I said I know no one with the service but am willing to try it out for a month since they are 20 dollars cheaper than ATT atm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am in Middlesex County and my coverage is great so maybe it will be for you
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Hey guys.
So I have a Bell Note 2 that I bought in full from my carriers store and they were from the first batch shipment to western Canada.
I've been poking around looking into how they might of setup the locks on the phone and what dialer codes work to do what. I decided to pop in a Telus sim card to check on the lock status of my phone and to my surprise the thing is already Factory Unlocked!
I'm curious if this was on purpose with Bell's Note 2's or did I somehow luck out with a factory unlocked one?
When searching around I've found that NCIX.com is planning on selling Bell Note 2's in Full and they have told me they are also Factory Unlocked as well.
Anyone else with a Bell phone can tell me if theirs is unlocked as well and also anyone with a Rogers and Telus ones too. I'm curious about this as its not like a carrier to sell you phones that are not locked to their network.
Even though Canadian carriers don't do this. I feel that if you buy a phone out in full they should offer you a free unlock code just as AT&T does in the states.
If this is legit and Bell has actually decided to sell their phones no longer locked to their network when buy in full this is a big Plus in my book with them and customer service towards people that pay full price for their phones.
dbzgod said:
Hey guys.
So I have a Bell Note 2 that I bought in full from my carriers store and they were from the first batch shipment to western Canada.
I've been poking around looking into how they might of setup the locks on the phone and what dialer codes work to do what. I decided to pop in a Telus sim card to check on the lock status of my phone and to my surprise the thing is already Factory Unlocked!
I'm curious if this was on purpose with Bell's Note 2's or did I somehow luck out with a factory unlocked one?
When searching around I've found that NCIX.com is planning on selling Bell Note 2's in Full and they have told me they are also Factory Unlocked as well.
Anyone else with a Bell phone can tell me if theirs is unlocked as well and also anyone with a Rogers and Telus ones too. I'm curious about this as its not like a carrier to sell you phones that are not locked to their network.
Even though Canadian carriers don't do this. I feel that if you buy a phone out in full they should offer you a free unlock code just as AT&T does in the states.
If this is legit and Bell has actually decided to sell their phones no longer locked to their network when buy in full this is a big Plus in my book with them and customer service towards people that pay full price for their phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, I`d like to test my Bell unit now but I don`t have another carriers Micro SIM to test.
dbzgod said:
Hey guys.
So I have a Bell Note 2 that I bought in full from my carriers store and they were from the first batch shipment to western Canada.
I've been poking around looking into how they might of setup the locks on the phone and what dialer codes work to do what. I decided to pop in a Telus sim card to check on the lock status of my phone and to my surprise the thing is already Factory Unlocked!
I'm curious if this was on purpose with Bell's Note 2's or did I somehow luck out with a factory unlocked one?
When searching around I've found that NCIX.com is planning on selling Bell Note 2's in Full and they have told me they are also Factory Unlocked as well.
Anyone else with a Bell phone can tell me if theirs is unlocked as well and also anyone with a Rogers and Telus ones too. I'm curious about this as its not like a carrier to sell you phones that are not locked to their network.
Even though Canadian carriers don't do this. I feel that if you buy a phone out in full they should offer you a free unlock code just as AT&T does in the states.
If this is legit and Bell has actually decided to sell their phones no longer locked to their network when buy in full this is a big Plus in my book with them and customer service towards people that pay full price for their phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should've checked mine before unlocking (USB service) it this afternoon.
My rogers note 2 was unlocked as well from what I have been told this was an oversight with the first batch. Not gonna complain though
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda premium
my rogers one has sim lock
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Does anyone know of an easy way to check and see if your phone is unlocked. ( I don't have a foreign SIM to use to check). Is there a dial pad code you can type to see? My Note 2 box does not have any indication on it that says it is for Roger so I am wondering if it came unlocked? For my S3 I can type *#7465625# and it will tell me the lock status but it won't work on the Note 2.
To the original poster, my rogers phone was locked when trying a Tmobile Sim.
Could be that Telus and Bell using same network so might work.
Same is true between rogers Fido
Canadoc said:
To the original poster, my rogers phone was locked when trying a Tmobile Sim.
Could be that Telus and Bell using same network so might work.
Same is true between rogers Fido
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, they do NOT use the same network, they only share towers. Each have their own MNC's. Telus/ Koodo share a network, Bell/Virgin share a network. Also check post 4, Rogers user with an unlocked unit.
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda premium
Sword Fish said:
Does anyone know of an easy way to check and see if your phone is unlocked. ( I don't have a foreign SIM to use to check). Is there a dial pad code you can type to see? My Note 2 box does not have any indication on it that says it is for Roger so I am wondering if it came unlocked? For my S3 I can type *#7465625# and it will tell me the lock status but it won't work on the Note 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was hoping those codes to check on the lock status were going to work too, seeing as how the NA Note II is running the same Exynos Processor as the international one and built the same. But it appears that since we are using the Qualcomm modem for our LTE support they have once again modified what codes work for our custom NA models :/
Looks like the only way to check on the lock status is by just inserting a Micro Sim from another carrier.
Anyone with a Telus Note II that has theirs factory unlocked as well? still curious about this.
slegrand said:
My rogers note 2 was unlocked as well from what I have been told this was an oversight with the first batch. Not gonna complain though
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mr mystery said:
No, they do NOT use the same network, they only share towers. Each have their own MNC's. Telus/ Koodo share a network, Bell/Virgin share a network. Also check post 4, Rogers user with an unlocked unit.
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I stand somewhat corrected but Virgin/Bell
Rogers/Fido have often worked despite being locked because they operate on same network. thought maybe since Telus shares infrastructure for 3g with Bell that maybe that would explain it too.
I got one of first batch of Rogers and it certainly was locked
Canadoc said:
I stand somewhat corrected but Virgin/Bell
Rogers/Fido have often worked despite being locked because they operate on same network. thought maybe since Telus shares infrastructure for 3g with Bell that maybe that would explain it too.
I got one of first batch of Rogers and it certainly was locked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya doesnt really seem to be a patterm to it, just some lucked out. Some didnt.
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda premium
Sword Fish said:
Does anyone know of an easy way to check and see if your phone is unlocked. ( I don't have a foreign SIM to use to check). Is there a dial pad code you can type to see? My Note 2 box does not have any indication on it that says it is for Roger so I am wondering if it came unlocked? For my S3 I can type *#7465625# and it will tell me the lock status but it won't work on the Note 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I agree with you. I'd like to find a way to check the lock status as well as i don't have another micro sim card either and that code doesnt work for me.)
Anyone else?
Sent from my SGH-I317M using Tapatalk 2
Would like to know as well. Just got my Note 2 but I travel a lol. FYI if you travel a lot, look into a company called roam for US sim.
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda premium
Darn it, just paid $24.99 before checking!
No working code for the Canadian Note 2? I'm really considering picking up one from TELUS, but I would want/need to unlock it for all of my US work travel.
kevink15 said:
Would like to know as well. Just got my Note 2 but I travel a lol. FYI if you travel a lot, look into a company called roam for US sim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looked them up. I think T-Mobile prepaid is still a better deal. $3/day for unlimited everything, and the first 200 MB/day at 4G (42 Mbps HSPA+) but still unlimited after that only at 2G speeds. Roam would be $4.95 for similar service (not unlimited data either, only 100 MB per day). The only bonus is if you SMS back to Canada a lot, as that seems free/included. Looking at their coverage map, it looks identical to T-Mobile, and given the max of 42 Mbps, I'd wager they are really just an MVNO on top of T-Mo to begin with. Personal preference, but I think you might as well go right to T-Mo instead.
I picked up a Bell Note II on a hardware upgrade in Vancouver on Monday. All Bell stores were sold out of the first batch but I managed to get one from The Source. Mine was definitely locked, both a British and Spanish SIM I use for travel gave an unauthorized SIM message. Bought an unlock code last night and now all is good.
everythingsablur said:
No working code for the Canadian Note 2? I'm really considering picking up one from TELUS, but I would want/need to unlock it for all of my US work travel.
Looked them up. I think T-Mobile prepaid is still a better deal. $3/day for unlimited everything, and the first 200 MB/day at 4G (42 Mbps HSPA+) but still unlimited after that only at 2G speeds. Roam would be $4.95 for similar service (not unlimited data either, only 100 MB per day). The only bonus is if you SMS back to Canada a lot, as that seems free/included. Looking at their coverage map, it looks identical to T-Mobile, and given the max of 42 Mbps, I'd wager they are really just an MVNO on top of T-Mo to begin with. Personal preference, but I think you might as well go right to T-Mo instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did unlock my phone with an unlock code from 1 of the online providers. So that Avenue does work for unlocking it. I was recently in Florida using a T mobile sim card on the prepaid. A word of warning the thing will work on edge data speeds but does not work on the 4g network there. There are very few 4g cell towers on the T Mobile network in the US that are compatible with Rogers phones. They work on a different frequency. The LTE bands would work in theory, however they have not yet been activated on the T Mobile network in the US.
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda app-developers app
I will be finishing my contract with VZ in about 2 months and I have seriously been considering getting a R800at (AT&T Xperia PLAY) and unlocking the bootloader to also remove the simlock. So that I can use it on T-Mobile here where I live. VZ has sucky service in my area and I hate them anyways.
My question is are there anyone people here using the AT&T 4G (I know its not 4G but 3.5G Xperia PLAY) on T-Mobile and with TMo converting their 2G to AT&T 3G compatibility are you able to use the 3G service on your PLAYs?
I know the service coverage is all subjective to where you live, just curious if anyone is doing this and what their feedback / thoughts are on it.
Thank you in advance
ozzmanj1 said:
I will be finishing my contract with VZ in about 2 months and I have seriously been considering getting a R800at (AT&T Xperia PLAY) and unlocking the bootloader to also remove the simlock. So that I can use it on T-Mobile here where I live. VZ has sucky service in my area and I hate them anyways.
My question is are there anyone people here using the AT&T 4G (I know its not 4G but 3.5G Xperia PLAY) on T-Mobile and with TMo converting their 2G to AT&T 3G compatibility are you able to use the 3G service on your PLAYs?
I know the service coverage is all subjective to where you live, just curious if anyone is doing this and what their feedback / thoughts are on it.
Thank you in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the R800a on T-mobile USA and im stuck on Edge which is 2g. If you want 4G or 3.5G for your play your stuck with At&t otherwise if you go to t-mobile usa your stuck with 2g on your R800at the same boat as me.
I get 4g fine with an att sim on straight talk but sadly only 2g with t mobile sim. Suppose it doesn't matter to me though since in using r800i firmware. Stuck on 3g
Sent from my R800i using xda premium
CrypticRook said:
I get 4g fine with an att sim on straight talk but sadly only 2g with t mobile sim. Suppose it doesn't matter to me though since in using r800i firmware. Stuck on 3g
Sent from my R800i using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Straight supports at&t frequences and towers.
ozzmanj1 said:
I will be finishing my contract with VZ in about 2 months and I have seriously been considering getting a R800at (AT&T Xperia PLAY) and unlocking the bootloader to also remove the simlock. So that I can use it on T-Mobile here where I live. VZ has sucky service in my area and I hate them anyways.
My question is are there anyone people here using the AT&T 4G (I know its not 4G but 3.5G Xperia PLAY) on T-Mobile and with TMo converting their 2G to AT&T 3G compatibility are you able to use the 3G service on your PLAYs?
I know the service coverage is all subjective to where you live, just curious if anyone is doing this and what their feedback / thoughts are on it.
Thank you in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you considered using your 800X on another CDMA network instead of buying an 800AT?
Xperia Player said:
Have you considered using your 800X on another CDMA network instead of buying an 800AT?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Most of my family has switched to tmobile. That and I can get an awesome rate as I have a relative who can hook us up n
Sent from my GT-P7510 using xda premium
ozzmanj1 said:
No. Most of my family has switched to tmobile. That and I can get an awesome rate as I have a relative who can hook us up n
Sent from my GT-P7510 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An awesome rate stuck on 2G doesn't sound worth it to me.
I would look into: Sprint, Boost Mobile, Metro PCS.
(Not sure if Virgin Mobile and Straight Talk are CDMA tho)
There's a list of current locations where T-Mobile support the 1900MHz band, you'll have to check it to make sure you're in one of those area, and to be on the safe side, not on the edge but within the city zone. http://www.androidcentral.com/tags/t-mobile
I live in Miami which is one of the supported location so I did exactly that. I cancelled my LG Nexus 4 preorder since it's taking a long time to ship and bought an R800i, talk about vast gap in performance. I will report on it once it get here, but I'm already certain it'll work in my area since already tested it on other devices.
Not sure if it's possible to unlock the R800at through Sony website method though.
I'm using the $30 100min and 5gb T-Mobile plan, usually keep an extra $10 deposited which give an extra 100min, and using the Vonage app to make free outgoing VoIP call.
Sent from my R800x
*Edit Note: R800i do not work on ATT nor T-Mobile 3G!
eksasol said:
There's a list of current locations where T-Mobile support the 1900MHz band, you'll have to check it to make sure you're in one of those area, and to be on the safe side, not on the edge but within the city zone. http://www.androidcentral.com/tags/t-mobile
I live in Miami which is one of the supported location so I did exactly that. I cancelled my LG Nexus 4 preorder since it's taking a long time to ship and bought an R800i, talk about vast gap in performance. I will report on it once it get here, but I'm already certain it'll work in my area since already tested it on other devices.
Not sure if it's possible to unlock the R800at through Sony website method though.
I'm using the $30 100min and 5gb T-Mobile plan, usually keep an extra $10 deposited which give an extra 100min, and using the Vonage app to make free outgoing VoIP call.
Sent from my R800x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My brother works for HP, but knows the Utah state Region Director. (Southern ID, and UT) With the deal I would be able to get a plan with 5 lines, 3 with 500 minutes and up to 5gb of data on each, then 200 minutes on the last two phones with only 200mb of data. As it would only be my wife and I, we would be able to set it up for about $45 for both phones with the 500 each, and 5gb of data for about $50-55 a month. Currently we are paying $120 a month for VZ and its service blows.
Yes, currently where I live there is no converted 2G from T-Mobile but eventually it will roll out. I am pretty sure I can live with 2G until its converted, couldnt be any slower then VZ where I live (50-70kbps)
Did some digging, this is T-Mobile USA's spectrum chart for 2G
850 MHz/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA 2G/3G
1900 MHz UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ 3G/4G
AT&T Spectrum
Frequencies used on the AT&T Network
850 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G
1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G
850 MHz UMTS/HSPA 3G
1900 MHz UMTS/HSPA 3G
I realize that T-Mobile service is again, subjective, but I really do love this phone and despite borrowing a S3 for about a week, and a couple other phones, I really just dont have a strong desire to jump to another phone. I really enjoy this phone for what it was designed, gaming. And each time i use a a phone to play touchscreen gaming I want to scream.
On a side note, the Region Director did mention that he estimate sometime between second to 3rd quarter of next year where I live we should go live on the 2G conversion.
Actually 2G atleast on T-Mobile is more like average of 20-30kbps, at least from my experience. You will be able to use email and xda app, and slow webbrowsing, and Google Maps. Downloading apps from the Play Store is out of the question unless its small or you want to wait long.
Edit Note: Actually the speed is faster at 80-100kbps after speedtest.
I was considering rebuying the unlocked version of the S3 as well because of this 1900mhz support, but then there is a thread in its forum with tons of people S3 having hardware death.
Sent from my R800x
eksasol said:
Actually 2G atleast on T-Mobile is more like average of 20-30kbps, at least from my experience. You will be able to use email and xda app, and slow webbrowsing, and Google Maps. Downloading apps from the Play Store is out of the question unless its small or you want to wait long.
Sent from my R800x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I am always around wifi, at home and or at work (I work about 60 hours a week) I dont generally download from the PLAY store via 3G. And its not VZ's terribly slow data that driving me nuts its their service, I have had so many dropped calls, my wife too (Droid X)
But I guess what I am asking is, when the conversion is completed in my area, would I then be able to have 3G on this device? I guess we wont know for sure until it happens, but again T-Mobile did start converting it to give unlocked iphones on their service 3G.... and to free up spectrum for the planned rollout of their own LTE network.
I will let you know when I get my R800i in a few days, but I'm pretty certain of it. Many people have been utilizing this such as ATT iPhone owners and T-Mobile 3G worked on my Samsung Captivate.
Edit Note: Found out the R800i do not work with ATT nor T-Mobile 3G, but an unlocked R800at does.
Sent from my R800x
eksasol said:
I will let you know when I get my R800i in a few days, buy I'm pretty certain of it. Many people have been utilizing this such as ATT iPhone owners and T-Mobile 3G worked on my Samsung Captivate.
Sent from my R800x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mention R800i. While I am looking at the R800at. Should I be looking into the R800i rather then the R800at for T-Mobile in the USA?
Also any feedback you can provide when you get your R800i would be appreciated.
Here is whats listed as the bands for the R800i:
Band
GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband)
So guessing that with those bands in mind I should be looking into the R800i if I want to utilize T-Mobile USA's 3G network, and perhaps even maybe their 3.5...?
Actually the bands you listed are GSM bands, GSM are 2G.
The 3G bands for ATT and on the R800at are: 850/1900/2100MHz. Either having 850 and/or 1900 + 2100 support will get you 3G.
For T-Mobile, 3G bands are: 1700/2100 (known as AWS or UMTS). Some area have support for 1900 like we discussed. This is where the interlap come in and where unlocked phones that support 1900/2100 bands can get 3G on both T-Mobile and ATT.
There are different levels of 3G, the coverage area might be different. Lowest level usually is UMTS, have the widest coverage and use less battery, but slowest speed, I usually get an average of 3Mbps. Then there is HSPA and HSPA+, which have a large range of speed depending on the version (check Wikipedia). T-Mobile have Dual Cell HSPA which have theoretical capability of 42Mbps, but realistically you will get half of that, and not all devices support it, I get up to 26Mbps with this, outdoor and close to the cell tower of course. From experience, I find T-Mobile obviously have faster 3G speed, but sometimes poorer building penetration.
The Play support: HSDPA 7.2Mbps and HSUPA 5.76Mbps, so that's the max speed this device will be getting on 3G.
You can check the device specs on gsmarena.com for bands support, but they are not always accurate so beware.
This is also why I recommend Nexus phones, because the last two Nexus are pentaband 3G devices, which mean they can get 3G on every GSM carrier in the world. There are few pentaband devices and fewer good pentaband phones.
Well I got my R800i, but disappointingly it doesn't get 3G with T-Mobile, but I checked the spec again and it seem the R800i only support the HSDPA 900 / 2100 bands, I didn't realize this sooner since all other international phones I have bought do support the 1900 band so I just assumed.
But the AT&T version do support the 1900 / 2100 bands, so I'm still confident if you buy that version and figure out how to unlock it, you will be able to get 3G on T-Mobile in the 1900MHz supported areas.
I did a speedtest of the 2G speed and I get around 80-100kbps download speed. So about 10kilobytes per second.
Side note, on the dialer, you can dial: *#*#4636#*#* which will bring you to a menu where you can set which band the phone will use, although it is labeled by region (you'll have to press the Menu button to bring up the option).
eksasol said:
Well I got my R800i, but disappointingly it doesn't get 3G with T-Mobile, but I checked the spec again and it seem the R800i only support the HSDPA 900 / 2100 bands, I didn't realized this sooner since all other international phones I have bought do support the 1900 bands so I just assumed.
But the ATT version do support the 1900 / 2100 band, so I am still confident if you buy that version and figure out how to unlock it, you will be able to get 3G on T-Mobile in the 1900MHz supported areas.
I did a speedtest of the 2G speed and I get around 80-100kbps download speed. So about 10kilobytes per second.
Side note, on the dialer, you can dial: *#*#4636#*#* which will bring you to a menu where you can set which band the phone will use, although it is labeled by region.
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Thank you for the info and thank you for clarifying.
Sent from my R800x using xda premium
So after that I went on ebay looking for an unlocked R800at. Found one, not great price, but it was at a pawn shop 1.5miles from my house so I picked it up.
Here are the results: (see attached images).
Somethings I found:
-You have to search for the network operators and select specifically the 3G T-Mobile network. Might need to manually enter the APN for data/mms to work.
-With stock AT&T rom, I only seem to see the phone switching between E (2G) and H+. Since HSPA+ coverage isn't as abundant and you might see the signal deteriorate quickly depending on your location coverage. Edit: I see the 3G and H logo with R800i rom, may be it was just cosmetic?
-With stock AT&T rom, I can't seem to log into Google's Market at all regardless with Data or WiFi while using the T-Mobile sim. Maybe a limitation ATT specifically put in? But this is no problem after flashing another rom.
-As expected, Bootloader Status: Not_Rootable. So I can not get into fastboot mode meaning it require the test point method to unlock the bootloader. Still, I can easily flash the R800i ftf which will allow the NXT rom to be bootable (the ftf that work for me is the R800i_4.0.2.A.0.58_Enhanced). Then root it using "SuperOneClick", had to use x-Parts's CWM installer version 5 to correctly install cwm.
Still will have to fiddle with it more to see what else I can find. As for the R800i I will have to suck up the 15% restocking fee.
chery2k said:
I have the R800a on T-mobile USA and im stuck on Edge which is 2g. If you want 4G or 3.5G for your play your stuck with At&t otherwise if you go to t-mobile usa your stuck with 2g on your R800at the same boat as me.
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How did you unlock it for use with t-mobile? I searched the forums to no avail. The only way I can find is to use a code you have to buy or you have to request through at&t and I don't have at&t so they won't provide me with one.
I can find ways to unlock the bootloader... is that the same thing?
Sorry I'm not familiar with sony ericsson
blu422 said:
How did you unlock it for use with t-mobile? I searched the forums to no avail. The only way I can find is to use a code you have to buy or you have to request through at&t and I don't have at&t so they won't provide me with one.
I can find ways to unlock the bootloader... is that the same thing?
Sorry I'm not familiar with sony ericsson
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With the code your thinking of the sim unlock. Which you can get from AT&T, if you want the bootloader unlocked you need to get in touch with Alejandrissimo to unlock it... its a free service he offers.
Check you PM