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hi everyone:
I have been looking via numerous thread online on many Android forums especially here and have been unsuccessful for the past 2 days now. So I figured I would need to create a thread and finally give in and ask for some help. I have a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy 3 phone and I need to unlock it so that it will work on my AT&T service. Now i understand about rooting the phone and being able to play with themes etc, but its not that great if I can't use the phone itself.
Now without coming up with some kind of answer I must have watched about 40 youtube video's hoping to find out some kind of information. Mostly what I got out of it was numerous website that offer unlocking for phones at a certain price.
unlockcodesource(.)com
unlock2go(.)com
mobileunlockcodes(.)co.uk
Has anyone ever used any of these website or can someone give me some good advise on how I can get this phone unlocked please/
~Aqua
I think the toolkit stickied in the development forum has an option to SIM unlock the GS3. I have not tried this, and do not know if it works, but if the option is there, you might want to give it a shot.
If you're on contract with t mobile and your account is in good standing with them. Call them tell them you're going over seas and need to unlock your phone so you can use it. They will send you unlock code ... then pop in an att sim card and it will prompt you to enter the unlock code t Mobil gave you. Done
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
thanks _
Crisisx1 said:
If you're on contract with t mobile and your account is in good standing with them. Call them tell them you're going over seas and need to unlock your phone so you can use it. They will send you unlock code ... then pop in an att sim card and it will prompt you to enter the unlock code t Mobil gave you. Done
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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OK thank you. I followed your instructions and they said it would take up to maybe 24 hrs for the phone to be unlocked. If it isn't unlocked than she said to call back with the conformation number she gave me. If that doesn't work than they would have to give Samsung my info and could take up to 14 days. She said when you buy phones almost all stands and corp stores have already unlocked phones.
she also said it would be auto unlocked for good. Can they lock the phone back up once it is be unlocked?
~Aqua
edited: Once I have it unlocked ( if all goes good ) do i use the same APN settings that I needed to put into the phone in order for my phone to work on the AT&T network as I did with my S2 that I got unlocked ?
Don't they use different frequencies for HSPA+
You would be relegated to edge speeds, correct me if I'm wrong
speed issue
five40 said:
Don't they use different frequencies for HSPA+
You would be relegated to edge speeds, correct me if I'm wrong
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I really don't know. That would be a great question if someone would be nice enough to help me with this information? Again i have a T mobile S3 hopefully its unlocked would I be losing speeds by being on the AT&T network?
thanks
~Aqua
AquaWater said:
I really don't know. That would be a great question if someone would be nice enough to help me with this information? Again i have a T mobile S3 hopefully its unlocked would I be losing speeds by being on the AT&T network?
thanks
~Aqua
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The T-Mobile S3 has the 850/1900 3G bands so it will work on AT&T's 3G network. It will not get LTE though.
You can unlock either by paying for a code from the various resellers online or requesting an unlock code from T-Mobile if you have an account in good standing with them. If you can't get the code from T-Mobile I suggest searching 'T999 unlock' on eBay and you'll find some good options.
The tmobile galaxy s3 will work on the ATnT HSPA+21 frequency. Same frequency the International version runs on for that network.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Edge network and 3/4G Question
I found an excellent place so far on eBay for buying unlock codes. they have almost 3800 sells with a 99% positive feedback. Great customer service. The guy answered numerous questions of mine and made sure i did everything correctly. Payment was $24.95 US, so hopefullly everything will go good.
He was talking about being on something called an " Edge " network which is a little slower, but he said you won't notice a difference between your unlocked S2 and the unlocked S3 now. Right now my S2 says I have 3G service when I use it. I dont understand how i had a inspire4G, what is the 4G for if AT&T only gives you 3G service? And where I am in United States I should have 4G service no matter what. I'm confused on that.,
AquaWater said:
I found an excellent place so far on eBay for buying unlock codes. they have almost 3800 sells with a 99% positive feedback. Great customer service. The guy answered numerous questions of mine and made sure i did everything correctly. Payment was $24.95 US, so hopefullly everything will go good.
He was talking about being on something called an " Edge " network which is a little slower, but he said you won't notice a difference between your unlocked S2 and the unlocked S3 now. Right now my S2 says I have 3G service when I use it. I dont understand how i had a inspire4G, what is the 4G for if AT&T only gives you 3G service? And where I am in United States I should have 4G service no matter what. I'm confused on that.,
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Click to collapse
Edge is 2G speeds, which are substantially slower than 3G speeds. IMHO, 3G speeds are livable, 2G/Edge is not.
Different phones have different radios which work on different frequencies. Some phones are not compatible with other services at all, and some will work on other carriers but often not at optimal speeds.
Darmokk said:
Edge is 2G speeds, which are substantially slower than 3G speeds. IMHO, 3G speeds are livable, 2G/Edge is not.
Different phones have different radios which work on different frequencies. Some phones are not compatible with other services at all, and some will work on other carriers but often not at optimal speeds.
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So than why would someone suggest that I would get "edge" instead of what i have now? I'm getting 3G now with my T-Mobile S2 unlocked on AT&T, but now I'm going to have an unlocked S3, why wouldn't it be the same?
Because the radios in the devices are different.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
So than why would someone suggest that I would get "edge" instead of what i have now?
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Click to collapse
Because he/she doesn't know what he/she is talking about. You will be fine with a T-Mobile S3 on AT&T.
That's what I said earlier in not so many words.
Voice willl work fine you will not see HSPA+ speeds on At&t with a T-Mobile Galaxy SIII.
If the T-Mobile SIII has the hardware capability to support the At&t HSPA+ bands you would need modified radio software to unlock this ability.
I believe this was done on the Galaxy Note to tun on T-Mobile HSPA+ network before it was officially launched on T-Mobile.
kmdub I believe your the one that's wrong.
five40 said:
That's what I said earlier in not so many words.
Voice willl work fine you will not see HSPA+ speeds on At&t with a T-Mobile Galaxy SIII.
If the T-Mobile SIII has the hardware capability to support the At&t HSPA+ bands you would need modified radio software to unlock this ability.
I believe this was done on the Galaxy Note to tun on T-Mobile HSPA+ network before it was officially launched on T-Mobile.
kmdub I believe your the one that's wrong.
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I unlocked my t999 and am using an att straight talk sim getting HSPA speeds. Going to switch back to tmobile prepay because it is way faster than att HSPA with better latency. Although coverage may be lacking, i may just switch to an att ST sim.
To answer your question, a Tmobile S3 will work on ATT HSPA+ network with the HSPA+ Speeds of up to 6-7mbps in NYC area. The average I've been getting is around 2-3.5 mbps. With the tmobile prepay sim I have, it's usually around 2-18mbps down in NYC area.
The T-mobile S3 will not work on the ATT LTE network because it lacks that radio (or so they say for now); there have been other threads suspecting it's just a matter of flashing the right radio to "turn on" the ATT LTE radio. However, if all you want is HSPA+ speeds, rest assured it will work fine.
The ATT S3 is lacking the AWS bands for TMobile so it will not get the HSPA+ on Tmobile.
Best regards.
radio issue
First off, I would like to thank everyone who has been helping me along with my issues with my phone. I appreciate it a lot and I'm picking up more knowledge more and more everyday from you guys and reading heavily on the forums.
if the hardware in the phone doesn't support HSPA+ 1) will i have to root the phone and 2) change the radio? And 3 ) if I change the radio does that mean I would need to install a custom ROM i order for it to work properly?
Also, from one of the post they said "The T-Mobile S3 has the 850/1900 3G bands " - of that is true will than I should be able to have the 3G speeds correct?
I really hope I am not making some people angry, I'm new to this and trying my hardest to understand everything so I don't make mistakes. Please bare with me. Again, thank you so much everyone who has contributed so far. I still have a lot to learn. The reason why is because I just don't want it to work ( I do, want it to work ) but I want to understand why everything is working they way it is and I've over the past almost month have been picking up a lot of knowledge. Can't wait to hear from you guys
kmdub I believe your the one that's wrong.
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Click to collapse
No, actually, you are wrong. The T-Mobile S3 does not need any modification to work properly on AT&T's HSPA network. Seems you are confusing something else with frequency. Quit spreading bad information.
OP: Don't worry about it. Some are making this way more complicated than it needs to be. As said before, if you have the T999, you will be fine on AT&T's HSPA network without any modifications (other than an account...lol). Just get the phone SIM-unlocked, pop in the right SIM, you are good to go. Seriously, it is that easy.
Well there it is, I stand corrected!
I had no idea the T-Mobile SIII supports At&t HSPA+ bands.
Is the same true to all T-Mobile HSPA+ phones?
Sorry for any issues, just learning
Hi everyone,
thanks so much for the info. Will the S2 I needed to put in certain APN settings inorder to receive MMS ( picture ) via texts. Do i use the same settings for the Samsung Galaxy 3?
kmdub said:
No, actually, you are wrong. The T-Mobile S3 does not need any modification to work properly on AT&T's HSPA network. Seems you are confusing something else with frequency. Quit spreading bad information.
OP: Don't worry about it. Some are making this way more complicated than it needs to be. As said before, if you have the T999, you will be fine on AT&T's HSPA network without any modifications (other than an account...lol). Just get the phone SIM-unlocked, pop in the right SIM, you are good to go. Seriously, it is that easy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too have learned from this thread
Hey All,
I've placed a Tmobile sim in my Att unlocked GS3. Ive seen many posts stating that the Att version wont get 4g on tmobile but 4g works fine for me; regularly I can get 5 to 10mb downloads. My issue though is that Im sometimes dropping from 4g to 2g/Edge then back to 4g. Should my phone be dropping to 3g instead ? Im quite shocked when it happens since I usually had strong 4g not far away at all.
Is the general consensus to to simply get a Tmobile device instead of bringing something from at&t? I really dont want to root the phone or flash roms at this point since Im just testing out the service.
goon3r said:
Hey All,
I've placed a Tmobile sim in my Att unlocked GS3. Ive seen many posts stating that the Att version wont get 4g on tmobile but 4g works fine for me; regularly I can get 5 to 10mb downloads. My issue though is that Im sometimes dropping from 4g to 2g/Edge then back to 4g. Should my phone be dropping to 3g instead ? Im quite shocked when it happens since I usually had strong 4g not far away at all.
Is the general consensus to to simply get a Tmobile device instead of bringing something from at&t? I really dont want to root the phone or flash roms at this point since Im just testing out the service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are in a refarmed market from the sound of it. The reason you go from 4g to EDGE is because the refarmed spectrum is most likely not through your entire coverage area.
T-Mobile uses the 1700 band, which at&t does not support, as their primary 4G deployment. This is why it is always recommended to get a T-Mobile S3.
That said, there is a firmware image for at&t's GS3 that unlocks T-Mobiles AWS band not just for 4G but for LTE as well. It is in the at&t forum - you will have to read the entire thread to get the relevant files and information on how to do it. Note that this CAN brick your phone permanently so only attempt it if you are willing to take that chance and you are familiar with download mode and ODIN.
The upside of using that hack is that the T-Mobile S3 doesn't support LTE at all.
Sent from my SGH-T999
Thanks for the clarification and info about the hack. Assuming I get a Tmobile device, should I expect to see a 3g icon instead or would it still say 4g?
goon3r said:
Thanks for the clarification and info about the hack. Assuming I get a Tmobile device, should I expect to see a 3g icon instead or would it still say 4g?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It'll say 4g.. A 4g icon really means 3g/h+ and a 4g lte icon means lte
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Thanks!
Here is the link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1771021&page=25 Start reading from post #246
Was just able to connect to T-Mobile LTE through my unlocked At&t Note 2!!! It was in Manhattan inside the 23 street N train station of all places!!!
Check this out!
http://sensorly.com/map/4G/US/USA/T-Mobile/lte_310260:good:
deepak390 said:
Was just able to connect to T-Mobile LTE through my unlocked At&t Note 2!!! It was in Manhattan inside the 23 street N train station of all places!!!
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Click to collapse
did you have do the mod to enable lte?
What's "the" mod?
Sent from my SGH-T889
I fhink he might be talking about this mod? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2068041
I am also running an unlocked AT&T Note 2 on T-Mobile, and I was pleasantly surprised how readily it worked when inserting my sim. I did the mod for good measure, so I will see how it works now.
I don't know if this began since doing the mod or if it was like this before, but my device seems to sit on HSDPA9, and then ramps up to HSPAP15 when downloading something or whatever. All in all I'm pretty pleased
I did the aws mod. I have h+ just haven't seen lte. I hope it works. I'll have to take a walk around the city soon. Any luck on long Island?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317
I was playing with an AT&T unlocked one I just got in a trade. Got T-Mobile LTE signal in Bayside, NY. Didn't run a Speedtest to confirm. Deciding whether I want to switch from my Nexus 4.
I was in a T-Mobile store yesterday, and the guy said the network refarming was complete, even on a nationwide scale, and that they are also incorporating LTE. not sure how accurate that is, but if it is, I guess we are good to go now on T-Mo with unlocked AT&T and international phones, without having to do any mods! I still don't see any coverage maps or official confirmation online anywhere tho
Speed test here in downtown Phoenix.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app
Not as fast as previous post, but getting lte here in Los Angeles as well, T-Mobile sim in unlocked AT&T Note 2
Just wondering what radio you guys are running in NY? I'm still on LJ2 for now. Just wondering if it's worth it to try upgrading.
I have an unlocked sgh-i317 with aws mod. I haven't seen lte yet and was wondering if anyone here has the same setup getting lte?
I fixed lte on my Korean made device see
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...2-sgh-i317-t2877487/post55453837#post55453837
This is in brea ca. At the 57 freeway and Imperial Highway. I get LTE pretty much everywhere I go in Orange County and Los Angeles.
We just got lte in Dallas this month....im using my unlocked att note on tmobile 4.1.2 update rom the asylum kernel overclocked from 200 to 1920
LTE in Dallas works!
Just wanted to log in and say that I just finished the AWS mod and I instantly have LTE in Dallas near the Pleasant Grove area. Will test in North Park Mall, Highland Park, and maybe Downtown. Those are the areas I'm in for work. I am so returning this crappy battery life Galaxy S4!
oh plz this on union city nj
i was running supper jelly 4.2.2 that the only rom i get 25mbs
mrej201 said:
oh plz this on union city nj
i was running supper jelly 4.2.2 that the only rom i get 25mbs
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I can't find supper jelly 4.2.2 anywere in any Att Gnote 2 threads. Is it possible you could post a link?
I picked up T-Mobile LTE here in south jersey today
any way to get tmo lte on a i747
whats up note2 chaps i have searched the web and couldn't find anything for the s3 on lte. This was the only thread that i found, "the mod" is for your phones but i was wondering if you guys knew of way to get similar results on the s3 i'm currently running a stock rom with the backdoor dialer unlock method.
thanks for any help in advance
nevermind i found it on the i747 threads
Got it in baltimore, Maryland
Sent from my SAMSUNG SGH - I317 using xda app-developers app
Can anyone suggest the best modem to flash on my I317 in order to increase my data speeds using the TMobile Network? If this has already been addressed please excuse the duplicate post.
Thanks!!!
P.S. The person who said "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game" was a LOSER!!!
JackSch
Galaxy Note 2
Asus TF-201
Jacksch said:
Can anyone suggest the best modem to flash on my I317 in order to increase my data speeds using the TMobile Network? If this has already been addressed please excuse the duplicate post.
Thanks!!!
P.S. The person who said "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game" was a LOSER!!!
JackSch
Galaxy Note 2
Asus TF-201
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Click to collapse
Good thing is I already been through this. First tou need to use QPST and enable AWS Bands once you do that youll have MMS and 4g. I have done it on CAMA4 and the previous one. I had better service on CAMA4. Have not tried on the new modem. When you upgrade modem you have to enable AWS bands every time. Well atleast for me...hope this helps
QPST Download
G7Baker said:
Good thing is I already been through this. First tou need to use QPST and enable AWS Bands once you do that youll have MMS and 4g. I have done it on CAMA4 and the previous one. I had better service on CAMA4. Have not tried on the new modem. When you upgrade modem you have to enable AWS bands every time. Well atleast for me...hope this helps
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Thanks so much for your response. Would you have any suggestions on where I can locate this QPST tool?
What's your location? I've gotten pretty good speeds and coverage on a non modded i717 in refarmed Chicago, even a few spots of LTE.
I was using stock rom with stock radio UCAMA4 and was able to get hsapa since I am in the refarm 1900 region. Today, I just noticed that I am getting LTE speed. The spee is decent with 12 down and 6 up. Not blazing speed but good enough for me.
haven't tried new modem yet.
Location
bob60626 said:
What's your location? I've gotten pretty good speeds and coverage on a non modded i717 in refarmed Chicago, even a few spots of LTE.
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I am primarily in Rockland & Orange Counties of NY. As an update I was able to download the Qualcomm tool and adjust the AWS files using a video I found. Also did an NV backup. I am now receiving HSPA & HSPA+ when I used to get EDGE in a much wider geographic location then before.
A broader issue is that TMobile has not focused on rolling out 4G in the more suburban areas of NY. As I am not tied to a contract I can try AT&T and see if I fair better. Since there are a ton of WiFi locations that Cablevision provides I do get by.
Thanks for the input!!!!
Has anyone here bought an unlocked AT&T S3 to use on the MetroPCS/Tmobile network? If so has there been any issues? shorter battery life, bad connectivity?
I am debating getting the S3 unlocked or HTC One S. I would prefer the HTC One S but it doesn't have microSD slot
I have a SGH T999 Lte at&t branded unlocked and use on TMobile with the T999L lte rom with no ill effects.
Sent from my SGH-T999L using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
afwolfpacked said:
I have a SGH T999 Lte at&t branded unlocked and use on TMobile with the T999L lte rom with no ill effects.
Sent from my SGH-T999L using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Is that the same model as my phone? So it would be advisable, after I got the S3 to flash it with a MetroPCS ROM after activation by Metro?
I thought there would be no need of a flash if I got an unlocked phone.
edo101 said:
Has anyone here bought an unlocked AT&T S3 to use on the MetroPCS/Tmobile network? If so has there been any issues? shorter battery life, bad connectivity?
I am debating getting the S3 unlocked or HTC One S. I would prefer the HTC One S but it doesn't have microSD slot
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Click to collapse
You will have issues with 3G HSPA+ on 1700mhz, but 2G EDGE & 4G LTE will work just fine. If you live in a large metro area with a lot of LTE coverage it will be fine. I just went through this with my wife's phone, she had to have the Red one (AT&T specific).
edo101 said:
Is that the same model as my phone? So it would be advisable, after I got the S3 to flash it with a MetroPCS ROM after activation by Metro?
I thought there would be no need of a flash if I got an unlocked phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no need to flash anything, just unlock it and add/edit the APN for TMo.
DJ_SpaRky said:
You will have issues with 3G HSPA+ on 1700mhz, but 2G EDGE & 4G LTE will work just fine. If you live in a large metro area with a lot of LTE coverage it will be fine. I just went through this with my wife's phone, she had to have the Red one (AT&T specific).
There is no need to flash anything, just unlock it and add/edit the APN for TMo.
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Click to collapse
Sweet thanks! Both areas that I frequent have 4G and LTE coverage. My only concern is when I'm driving long distances which I often do, being in college and losing 2G signal in the middle of no where. So far with my Metro phones, I haven't seen anywhere I had 3G coverage. its always 2G and 4G/LTE
edo101 said:
Sweet thanks! Both areas that I frequent have 4G and LTE coverage. My only concern is when I'm driving long distances which I often do, being in college and losing 2G signal in the middle of no where. So far with my Metro phones, I haven't seen anywhere I had 3G coverage. its always 2G and 4G/LTE
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Click to collapse
Good, that is exactly what we are seeing as well. Mostly LTE coverage with EDGE to fallback on. Most all Metro areas and major highways/interstates will have good coverage. Funny enough we live in the middle of nowhere, but there is a major highway nearby so we get LTE coverage.
On a side note, US carriers marketed HSPA as 3G and HSPA+ as 4g, but both are technically 3G. True 4G is LTE. I am not sure if Metro ever had HSPA service, I think that they were just CDMA then later added LTE and have been migrated to TMo's GSM/HSPA network which now uses Metro's LTE as well. Only the newer GSM Based phones would connect to HSPA.
I have my s3 i747 unlocked an on metro I cannot get no data
banks2878 said:
I have my s3 i747 unlocked an on metro I cannot get no data
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Click to collapse
Check your APN settings.
i cant even get to the apn's when i goto more network then mobile networks it says insert Sim card to access network services but calling an text work fine
banks2878 said:
i cant even get to the apn's when i goto more network then mobile networks it says insert Sim card to access network services but calling an text work fine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What firmware are you running?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk
4.3 rooted.. I got data now that I flashed a modem but its very slow datai don't know how to find the right 1..heres what the one I downloaded is called modem_CWM_I747UCUEMJB
Define Slow data please. Post Speed test results.
normally around 0.15mbs but sometimes it works great and I get around 15.00mbs
Given this is not an LTE device, that sounds about right. Weather, tower congestion do affect results.
Perseus71 said:
Given this is not an LTE device, that sounds about right. Weather, tower congestion do affect results.
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The I747 is an LTE device, my wife's (running on TMo) works just fine on LTE, just not HSPA+ 1700MHz. I'll run speed test if people would like.
Unlocked att siii will not access metro/t-mobile data
Can someone verify for me what the correct apn settings are? Should there be a network operator? And since I think the apn is finally right, do you have any more suggestions? Also, do you know if this is CDMA or GSM?
can I ask why people want to buy an ATT phone to use on a Tmobile carrier? On the S4 and Note versions, people buy Tmobile phones and use them on ATT, myself included. This is because of the bootloader, and the Tmobile phones cover ATT LTE channels while not the opposite.
Wasn't planned
I didn't intentionally set out to buy an AT&T phone, I was just looking to upgrade and this was the best deal. Or at least it looked to be on the surface. Do I just need to forget it and try to sell it?
If you are in an area recently upgraded by T-Mobile, the I747 will work just fine. However, if you are in an are not upgraded with LTE, etc, it's waay more trouble than its worth. The above post about not getting HSPA+21/42 is worth considering too though.
T-Mobile and AT&T are both GSM networks btw.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
I am actually on Metro P.S, but they are on the T-mobile network now in Atlanta, Ga where I live. We do run 4glte,but so far the fastest mine will connect to shows "E" on my phone, edge maybe? One of the many I've spoken with at metro said E is 3g. One of their repair techs said I needed a different SIM card because I had a CDMA phone but when I got to the store that had one he said it was a GSM phone. It's already about been more trouble than it is worth, but as much effort as I've put into it already, I'd like to resolve it.