Database Develop

3g sim card necessary?

hi:
guy in att store told me that my old sim card wont fully utilize 3g ..
i have to upgrade to new card..
is this true?
thanx

it would help you to use a 3g phone. u do need a 3g sim card

jayjay8585 said:
it would help you to use a 3g phone. u do need a 3g sim card
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what does this even mean, seriously?
of course im on a 3g tilt.. why else would i ask here?
the question is 3g utilization capabilities..
i was using old card and its still waay faster than neighbor's t-mobile card..
i would like someone who knows what im talking about and what they're talking about to gimme solid opinion..
thanx

it varies from operator to operator as in some have been giving 3g cable sims to 2g suscribers for ages as having 2 types of sims is bothersome and expensive for many operators
i would ask my operator

3g to 2g phones is no prob.. thats obvious..all new phones have em whether they need it or not..
i dont believe att just cuz they say something. (that i need it)
they lie all the time-- they all do..
what youre saying is that you dont really know answer to my orig question..
AGAIN :: i ask cuz my tilt is faster w/my old card than w/t-mobile card....
thanx for the replies but i just wanna hear from someone who knows..
tahnx again

I got a 10 year old sim card that does 3g just fine...

i believe yaz..
i do wish i could find perfect answer on google or somethin.. my sim is 9y/o.
no one i know is even on att for me to compare sims..
so many on gay t-mobile
thanx

You're getting two speeds because 3G is just rolling out from T-mobile. ATT has had 3G for awhile and are evn rolling out HSDPA in some areas. Do you need a 3G sim from ATT, probably not. But thats the reason youre getting two speeds.

Well with your old sim do you see an E or a 3G for the type of signal? Tmobile no matter what will have the E for edge

wshader said:
Well with your old sim do you see an E or a 3G for the type of signal? Tmobile no matter what will have the E for edge
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the att guy said that just because i see the 3g icon, doesnt mean im getting 3g speeds.. if my sim aint 3g, im not getting 3g..
this is what i question...

I didnt get a 3G sim card until recently when i had an issue where I needed a new sim.. i got speeds on both about the same. One was a 3G sim and the other wasnt. Sounds like your ATT rep is full of S**T

Well can always check out http://http://www.dslreports.com/mspeed?t=4&s=100&r=8603&w. Anything over 300k is considered 3g. Just use PIE for it though. Opera doesnt do it correctly

I had to get a new sim from o2 before i got 3g speeds

Thats correct...If you have a 2G sim, you can only connect to GPRS or EDGE platforms.
To get 3G or HSDPA, you will need a 3g SIM...

sij,, how do you know.. is it just a guess?
are you saying that : even when the 3g icon changes, it doesnt mean anything?
it might stand to reason that full utilization of the 3g network needs a new card, that doesnt mean that its absolutely necessary..
sqwhatever-- i bought one from ebay for 3.50 shipped..
for reasons not even relating to this..
if there is a difference, i will see it immediately.
thanx

No 3G ?

Hi,
I am new user and want to get the HTC Touch Diamond 2 ( Topaz ) next week. My current provider is AT&T.
I found some decent deals on eBay, but one seller wrote back saying that this phone is 100% working with AT&T and I only have to switch my SIM card out. Except for 3G....... he said, 3G won't work.
So my question is : Why would 3G not work ? Is this a phone normally used for other providers or is the 3G just turned off ? If so, can 3G be turned on easily via a hack or something ? I don't get it.
Thanks for helping.
JCE

**search**

the phone is 3G capable but I dont think the providers support it in your country.

If you are talking about AT&T in the USA, yeah 3G doesn't seem to work for me. I think the specific atenna range for 3G is not the one AT&T uses. I might be wrong though and just haven't seen a 3G link since its rare in my area and I don't use data that much. The best I can get is Edge.

supreme_one333 said:
If you are talking about AT&T in the USA, yeah 3G doesn't seem to work for me. I think the specific atenna range for 3G is not the one AT&T uses. I might be wrong though and just haven't seen a 3G link since its rare in my area and I don't use data that much. The best I can get is Edge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
America doesn't use the same 3G frequencies.., Europe 900/1200. America 850/whatever else. These phones are Euro 3G frequencies only so the best you'll get is GSM, which is quad band (i.e. work everywhere).
If you're cool with that that's fine, but when my phone drops from 3G to GSM I find it pretty unbearable (think dial up days).

jce2005 said:
Hi,
I am new user and want to get the HTC Touch Diamond 2 ( Topaz ) next week. My current provider is AT&T.
I found some decent deals on eBay, but one seller wrote back saying that this phone is 100% working with AT&T and I only have to switch my SIM card out. Except for 3G....... he said, 3G won't work.
So my question is : Why would 3G not work ? Is this a phone normally used for other providers or is the 3G just turned off ? If so, can 3G be turned on easily via a hack or something ? I don't get it.
Thanks for helping.
JCE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunatley I don't think our phones support it. Here is my original post with the same question from May:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=512828

[Q] About htc vivid and new Sim's

I just got an HTC Vivid in the mail today and i have an old Cingular Sim card that's capable of achieving the H+ technology in for example the htc inspire. Now since i live in Portland and there is no LTE yet only H+ why when i put my card in it will make and receive calls and texts but not let me connect to data. Note this is stock ics that the phone was shipped with.
My question is why cant my old Sim work if it can use H+ on my inspire but not on my vivid and also whats different about the newer Sim's then older ones?

Vicpdx18 said:
I just got an HTC Vivid in the mail today and i have an old Cingular Sim card that's capable of achieving the H+ technology in for example the htc inspire. Now since i live in Portland and there is no LTE yet only H+ why when i put my card in it will make and receive calls and texts but not let me connect to data. Note this is stock ics that the phone was shipped with.
My question is why cant my old Sim work if it can use H+ on my inspire but not on my vivid and also whats different about the newer Sim's then older ones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this has been asked before and it seems to have something to do with how new your sim card is...mine didnt have to be changed but provisioned for lte
and some have had to have theirs replaced.. here is the thread that it was it was talked about in
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1420310
hope you find what you was looking for

Vicpdx18 said:
I just got an HTC Vivid in the mail today and i have an old Cingular Sim card that's capable of achieving the H+ technology in for example the htc inspire. Now since i live in Portland and there is no LTE yet only H+ why when i put my card in it will make and receive calls and texts but not let me connect to data. Note this is stock ics that the phone was shipped with.
My question is why cant my old Sim work if it can use H+ on my inspire but not on my vivid and also whats different about the newer Sim's then older ones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Vivid defaults to using the pta APN. The old SIM cannot connect to pta. You can manually make a legacy APN for wap.cingular or phone which will let you connect, but that's inadvisable.
I'd presume that the reason that a new SIM is required is because you're moving from a 3G technology to a 3-4G bridge technology. I don't know if you have the original Cingular GSM "64k SmartChip", but I had to upgrade that when I first got a 3G enabled phone.

Aus_Azn said:
The Vivid defaults to using the pta APN. The old SIM cannot connect to pta. You can manually make a legacy APN for wap.cingular or phone which will let you connect, but that's inadvisable.
I'd presume that the reason that a new SIM is required is because you're moving from a 3G technology to a 3-4G bridge technology. I don't know if you have the original Cingular GSM "64k SmartChip", but I had to upgrade that when I first got a 3G enabled phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh i see yea i actually had the Cingular raising the bar one with the orange man logo on it also had blue orange and white color and it shows a 3G in flames. is that the original one?

I had that one, they gave me a new SIM at Best Buy.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using XDA

Yeah. It doesn't cost anything to get a new SIM. I had to get one for my daughter's phone.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium

Vicpdx18 said:
oh i see yea i actually had the Cingular raising the bar one with the orange man logo on it also had blue orange and white color and it shows a 3G in flames. is that the original one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, that's a 3G-enabled SIM card. It works on UMTS and HSPA, unlike the 64K SmartChip (the GSM SIM) that I had from when EDGE was the best thing since sliced bread. That's why you never needed to upgrade your SIM when faux-G hit on the Inspire.
When I upgraded to the SYNC (see sig), that was right before Cingular was bought by ATT. I had to get a new SIM at that point, and they gave me the one you describe. I had to get another one when I got the Shine, as the contacts on it had corroded (or something; the card refused to read); that time, I got one that said AT&T on it (it was a palette swap of the Cingular card). I was still forced to upgrade yet again when I got the Vivid.

im just going out on a limb here, but i would say it has to do with the apn settings since you have an old cingular sim in a new phone im guessing the apn has been updated for new technology advancements

jenkem110 said:
im just going out on a limb here, but i would say it has to do with the apn settings since you have an old cingular sim in a new phone im guessing the apn has been updated for new technology advancements
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
APN settings are stored in the ROM, not the SIM. The SIM authenticates you with the APNs that it is provisioned for.
Sent from my HTC Velocity 4G using XDA Premium App

I work for At&t, they lie about their data speeds. So basically, the phone might display H+ when your signal is really strong on 3G networks; the OTA updates on the Inspire wanted to make you feel like you were part of the fastest network At&t had to offer at the time. So if you didn't have a 3G sim, you were robbing yourself on speed capabilities, maybe barely but none-the-less. But Cingular SIM cards can only connect to 3G speeds at max. In other words, you're at the max speed for 3G which prompted the phone to display an H+ icon. The Vivid is an LTE capable phone and needs a SIM card with LTE capabilities in order for data to work, even though the new SIMs will also work on 3G, but not the other way around on cingular sims. Oddly enough, you will see a 4G icon when you're maxed out on HSDPA even though you may not be on true LTE networks...as is the case where I live. Hope this wasn't too confusing

akafarmer said:
I work for At&t, they lie about their data speeds. So basically, the phone might display H+ when your signal is really strong on 3G networks; the OTA updates on the Inspire wanted to make you feel like you were part of the fastest network At&t had to offer at the time. So if you didn't have a 3G sim, you were robbing yourself on speed capabilities, maybe barely but none-the-less. But Cingular SIM cards can only connect to 3G speeds at max. In other words, you're at the max speed for 3G which prompted the phone to display an H+ icon. The Vivid is an LTE capable phone and needs a SIM card with LTE capabilities in order for data to work, even though the new SIMs will also work on 3G, but not the other way around on cingular sims. Oddly enough, you will see a 4G icon when you're maxed out on HSDPA even though you may not be on true LTE networks...as is the case where I live. Hope this wasn't too confusing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your explanation wasn't confusing IMO. Their rationale is just plain stupid.
Gotta love America and its false advertising.
Sent from my HTC Velocity 4G using XDA Premium App

Reply
I see what you mean everyone yea i actually went in the other day to a store and got a new one for LTE even though there is no LTE in Oregon yet. But i do understand because i did use my Cingular Sim in my vivid and calling/texting did work fine just the data did not work so pretty much for faster internet you need a Sim card that can be provisioned for LTE is what im hearing. Also for the newer tech you need a new one

You can add another APN setting very easily until you can get a new LTE provishoned SIM....THE NEW APN will give you 2g, 3g, HSPA+, Text and Voice....then when you get the new LTE Sim...you can go back and set it to the APN that is named pta....
Let me know by replying if you need the settings for the wap.congular APN and I will post...
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium

Response
maddie01 said:
You can add another APN setting very easily until you can get a new LTE provishoned SIM....THE NEW APN will give you 2g, 3g, HSPA+, Text and Voice....then when you get the new LTE Sim...you can go back and set it to the APN that is named pta....
Let me know by replying if you need the settings for the wap.congular APN and I will post...
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you should post it just for anyone who needs it. I actually got an LTE Sim not to long ago so im good on that front.

Thanks!!!
akafarmer said:
I work for At&t, they lie about their data speeds. So basically, the phone might display H+ when your signal is really strong on 3G networks; ..........................................................................................
Oddly enough, you will see a 4G icon when you're maxed out on HSDPA even though you may not be on true LTE networks...as is the case where I live. Hope this wasn't too confusing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for telling us what many of us probably suspected. I have always thought that most of what we are told is just "marketing hype" until proven otherwise. Much like the burger commercials tha make the subject look soooo tantalizing and huge when in fact it might taste great but is not THAT large.
It is nice to have someone on the inside share "reality" with us!!!

[Q] LTE sim card, any benefit?

Hi everyone, my network has recently upgraded and has LTE sim cards available. I know the n7000 is not a LTE device but is there any benefit to using the LTE card? Just curious as it is a microsim and I would need to get a sim adapter to work in the n7000.
Thank you for any insight!

Since the Note doesnt support LTE, i very much doubt the "LTE" sim card will make any difference.
But if they are being offered to you for free, take it. its not gonna make your phone self-destruct or anything

my friend has an lte phone. the intenet is very fast but he said he wouldnt buy again an lte phone because its unnecessary.

well when i run it with basic settings its ok but when i add the att pta settings to mine it does run much faster.... you do have to have att's system thinking you have an att note and not the international one. might not be lte speed but mine goes pretty fast...

if you get an LTE sim card in Note 1, you are cued up to get LTE service when you switch your phone to an LTE phone.
I'm thinking of getting one. $9 for the card, I cue myself up for LTE when I get an LTE capable phone. In the meantime, I still get the same quota of 6gb for the same price but now I have LTE.

kawgirlval69 said:
well when i run it with basic settings its ok but when i add the att pta settings to mine it does run much faster.... you do have to have att's system thinking you have an att note and not the international one. might not be lte speed but mine goes pretty fast...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What speed do you get? I get on average 11-12mbs on hsdpa +. More than happy.
from the man hiding in your attic....

Where are you and what carrier to get 11mbps on HSPA+? Im in UK on 3 and get 8.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app

a little story from my country, in Indonesia, if we not in big city, like jakarta, yogyakarta, or bali, it's only get EDGE signal man, it's suck(sorry).. if i can get the HSDPA signal for a while, it really make me happy, and after that or you go to another place or go iside house, you go back to EDGE.......
I wonder how fast LTE is, and network on your country, someday maybe, thanks for reading..

I'm not into lte, at least not now since lte coverage is limited to a few cities in my country (Switzerland) and the prices are still far too high. Maybe in a year or so when the coverage will be better.
Back on topic: No yiu wont benefit from a lte capable sim card if your phone does not support lte.
Sent from my revived Galaxy Note

howard bamber said:
What speed do you get? I get on average 11-12mbs on hsdpa +. More than happy.
from the man hiding in your attic....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well my sim gives the cingular 410 apn stock when sim inserted and it gets 4-6mbps... when i change it to pta settings i get 13-17mbps... it works because att's comps show me having the att ver. when it shows unkown it doesnt go any faster than the 410.... and no i didnt steal a imei... just made a dummy that att comps like and think is a working 717...

ASUS brings the affordable ZenFone 2 Laser to the U.S. for only $199

ASUS has just announced that it’s bringing the affordable ZenFone 2 Laser to the United States starting today. First announced back in early August 2015, this new device features similar specs to those of the ZenFone 2 proper, and comes with a few additional features.
It sports a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution and Gorilla Glass 4, an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, 16 or 32GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion up to 128GB and a removable 3000mAh battery. Unlike the ZenFone 2 which features different amounts of RAM for each storage variant, the ZenFone 2 Laser comes with 3GB of RAM no matter which variant you choose. It also features a 5MP front-facing camera and a 13MP rear camera with laser autofocus. There’s no quick charging capabilities on this new device, and both of its Micro SIM card slots now support 4G LTE connectivity.
The U.S. variant of the ZenFone 2 Laser with 16GB of storage will be available starting today from the ASUS Store, Amazon, Newegg and B&H for $199, with the 32GB model going for $249.
Model 551KL. The international version of zenfone2 laser is model 550KL, which has 720p screen.

The octacore snap dragon makes this very tempting but no fast charge... Home on asus

Love the dual active dual LTE on both sims.. That is what a true dual sim phone is about. Does it have NFC?
No quick charge though as the previous poster stated. Like the processor is a Qualcomm, but the 600 series..???
Looked for it on Asus store and Amazon not available..... ???????

It looks like LTE is not dual-active. "Note
IMPORTANT: Both micro SIM card slots support 3G
WCDMA/ 4G LTE network band. But only one micro
SIM card can connect to 3G WCDMA/ 4G LTE service
at a time."
Also no LTE band 12 if you're on Tmo in the US
https://www.asus.com/Phone/ZenFone-2-Laser-ZE551KL/specifications/

yomuppet said:
It looks like LTE is not dual-active. "Note
IMPORTANT: Both micro SIM card slots support 3G
WCDMA/ 4G LTE network band. But only one micro
SIM card can connect to 3G WCDMA/ 4G LTE service
at a time."
Also no LTE band 12 if you're on Tmo in the US
https://www.asus.com/Phone/ZenFone-2-Laser-ZE551KL/specifications/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any dual sim phone that has LTE on both sims can only access LTE data one sim at a time. But I get what you are saying, does this also mean they software blocked it to only get 4G on one sim at a time even with voice/text? If so that is a very odd and strange thing to do.
What I noticed in the specs though it says in their "brochure" that it is dual active dual sim LTE
but when you read the specs it says secondary sim : 2G/3G so which is it? Is it up to 4G LTE on both sims or not.
Dual micro-SIM
- Primary SIM - 2G/3G/4G
- Secondary SIM - 2G/3G
This will still work on Tmobile. I have a zenfone 2 and it connects to Tmobile either through bands 2 or 4.

floridaman said:
Looked for it on Asus store and Amazon not available..... ???????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.amazon.com/ZenFone-Laser...e=UTF8&qid=1446504600&sr=8-2&keywords=ZE551KL

mrmathematica said:
http://www.amazon.com/ZenFone-Laser...e=UTF8&qid=1446504600&sr=8-2&keywords=ZE551KL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes and it states it is out of stock for both models.

Both sims support LTE. LTE data connectivity is switchable via the settings panel.

Tuanies said:
Both sims support LTE. LTE data connectivity is switchable via the settings panel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very confused because another Asus rep on your own website stated that only 1 sim can run LTE which is a contradiction to what you are saying in your advertisement and what you are saying in your post as both sims run LTE. He said the following:
"Hey there – great question! The specs do say 2G/3G for the 2nd SIM because when both SIMs are being used, and the 1st SIM is used for LTE, hardware limitations set the 2nd SIM to only 3G – meaning LTE can’t run concurrently. "
I'm not understanding how this would be a hardware issue since dual active runs with 2 separate modems, therefore LTE should be available for voice/text on both sims at all times. Data however can only be on 1 sim at a time. But he is saying only 1 sim can operate as LTE and the other is 2/3G for voice/text. This seems more like a firmware issue that is blocking 4G LTE on the other sim not a hardware issue.
I'm very much looking at this phone to ditch my Zenfone 2 due to it's poor performance with the sim2 being on 2G. So would really like to have some clarification on this.
Also noticed no quick charge and no NFC on this model. I can possibly understand the quick charge, but really no NFC. NFC cost so very little anymore, I am not really seeing a reason for leaving this out. Just raise the price of the phone the $1.00 it cost.
It seems Asus almost gets there but then either leaves things out or uses bad hardware under the guise of "pricing". Putting a quick charge and NFC would have raised the phone pricing minimal and I would gladly pay another $20-30 for this. Additionally since you are coming out with this the other rep wouldn't state whether or not it would get an upgrade to M when released. You guys really need to do much much better in this area.

floridaman said:
Yes and it states it is out of stock for both models.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Newegg has both models in stock in Silver.
floridaman said:
Very confused because another Asus rep on your own website stated that only 1 sim can run LTE which is a contradiction to what you are saying in your advertisement and what you are saying in your post as both sims run LTE. He said the following:
"Hey there – great question! The specs do say 2G/3G for the 2nd SIM because when both SIMs are being used, and the 1st SIM is used for LTE, hardware limitations set the 2nd SIM to only 3G – meaning LTE can’t run concurrently. "
I'm not understanding how this would be a hardware issue since dual active runs with 2 separate modems, therefore LTE should be available for voice/text on both sims at all times. Data however can only be on 1 sim at a time. But he is saying only 1 sim can operate as LTE and the other is 2/3G for voice/text. This seems more like a firmware issue that is blocking 4G LTE on the other sim not a hardware issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE is data only, and as this is an unlocked device, it is not compatible with TMO/AT&T VoLTE. Therefore, all calls/texts will ride on 2G EDGE or 3G HSPA+ networks no matter what. So no point in having dual active LTE, as it just serves to eat up more battery life.
Most other phones tend to have 1 slot that can do 2G/3G/4G and a second slot for 2G/3G only, which means if you want to use SIM2 on 4G, you have to power off the phone and switch the SIM cards around physically. On the ZE551KL, both slots are 2G/3G/4G compatible, and 2G/3G remains active on both at all times, while the 4G data connection is switchable via Android software. No need to turn off and move SIMs around to change which one you want to use for your data connection.
Whenever an application starts a data session (opening a web browser, email auto-sync, etc), the application asks Android for details regarding the connection. Since this is a dual-SIM device, you can select which SIM card you want the data connection to occur on in the dual-SIM settings. If there was no option, Android might randomly select a SIM that has a small data plan and eat up your data usage.
Sucks that there's no Band 12, but all the other radio decisions they've made sound right.

xtermmin said:
Newegg has both models in stock in Silver.
LTE is data only, and as this is an unlocked device, it is not compatible with TMO/AT&T VoLTE. Therefore, all calls/texts will ride on 2G EDGE or 3G HSPA+ networks no matter what. So no point in having dual active LTE, as it just serves to eat up more battery life.
Most other phones tend to have 1 slot that can do 2G/3G/4G and a second slot for 2G/3G only, which means if you want to use SIM2 on 4G, you have to power off the phone and switch the SIM cards around physically. On the ZE551KL, both slots are 2G/3G/4G compatible, and 2G/3G remains active on both at all times, while the 4G data connection is switchable via Android software. No need to turn off and move SIMs around to change which one you want to use for your data connection.
Whenever an application starts a data session (opening a web browser, email auto-sync, etc), the application asks Android for details regarding the connection. Since this is a dual-SIM device, you can select which SIM card you want the data connection to occur on in the dual-SIM settings. If there was no option, Android might randomly select a SIM that has a small data plan and eat up your data usage.
Sucks that there's no Band 12, but all the other radio decisions they've made sound right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what having an unlocked phone has anything to do with VoLTE, whether the phone is locked or unlocked it can still be capable of VoLTE and there are plenty of unlocked phones out there that are. Eventually all phones will have to be VoLTE capable whether they want to or not, locked or unlocked.
In order to use TMobile's band 12 the phone must be VoLTE and E911 enabled certified by TMobile. TMobile issued a release on the already back in the summer. This phone will still work the TMobile system just fine as I'm using the Zenfone on both AT&T and TMobile and never had an issue hitting TMobile at all as it has the other bands TMobile uses.
I'm also aware as I stated above in my previous post that the phone can only use 1 sim at a time for data, however there are already dual sim phones that do not downgrade the second sim to 2/3G for voice/text it keeps it at 4G LTE with very little noticeable battery loss at all. Those phones and I had a Siswoo, was the same exact way in the OS that you tell it which sim you wish to use for data, this is not something new and has been around for quite some time. A lot of battery loss as to do with how well a company keeps up their firmware and OS on the phone to make sure the patches are done. To say nothing of how the actual end user uses the device itself.
The problem with downgrading the second sim to 2G would amount to the same issue I'm running into now with the Zenfone, it's completely useless as a dual sim phone as 2G is being shut down.
Thank you for your response but it still doesn't answer any of the conflicting responses from Asus.

floridaman said:
I'm not sure what having an unlocked phone has anything to do with VoLTE, whether the phone is locked or unlocked it can still be capable of VoLTE and there are plenty of unlocked phones out there that are. Eventually all phones will have to be VoLTE capable whether they want to or not, locked or unlocked.
In order to use TMobile's band 12 the phone must be VoLTE and E911 enabled certified by TMobile. TMobile issued a release on the already back in the summer. This phone will still work the TMobile system just fine as I'm using the Zenfone on both AT&T and TMobile and never had an issue hitting TMobile at all as it has the other bands TMobile uses.
I'm also aware as I stated above in my previous post that the phone can only use 1 sim at a time for data, however there are already dual sim phones that do not downgrade the second sim to 2/3G for voice/text it keeps it at 4G LTE with very little noticeable battery loss at all. Those phones and I had a Siswoo, was the same exact way in the OS that you tell it which sim you wish to use for data, this is not something new and has been around for quite some time. A lot of battery loss as to do with how well a company keeps up their firmware and OS on the phone to make sure the patches are done. To say nothing of how the actual end user uses the device itself.
The problem with downgrading the second sim to 2G would amount to the same issue I'm running into now with the Zenfone, it's completely useless as a dual sim phone as 2G is being shut down.
Thank you for your response but it still doesn't answer any of the conflicting responses from Asus.
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Unlocked devices typically do not go through carrier VoLTE certification, the exception being the Nexus 6 that was offered by carriers directly (and Apple devices but that's an entirely different beast), which is why it has Band 12 enabled. The new set of Nexus' and the Moto X Pure, which are not sold by carriers, have not gone through carrier VoLTE certification yet, so despite their hardware supporting Band 12, it's currently disabled. However, VoLTE is not a requirement yet, as no networks are planning on shutting down both their 2G and 3G signals anytime soon. Considering this phone will probably never be certified for VoLTE by AT&T/TMO (none of ASUS' other US devices have VoLTE certifications), there is no reason for both SIM slots to have 4G access at the same time. Since both slots support simultaneous 2G/3G, when AT&T/TMO get around to shutting down their 2G networks, the second SIM will continue to function normally and do calls/texts over the 3G network.
I don't know if only 1 SIM being able to access LTE is a hardware or software issue/limitation, but since carriers won't VoLTE certify it, it's a non-issue. The only difference is that MMS on the second SIM might take a second longer to download over 3G vs 4G.

xtermmin said:
Unlocked devices typically do not go through carrier VoLTE certification, the exception being the Nexus 6 that was offered by carriers directly (and Apple devices but that's an entirely different beast), which is why it has Band 12 enabled. The new set of Nexus' and the Moto X Pure, which are not sold by carriers, have not gone through carrier VoLTE certification yet, so despite their hardware supporting Band 12, it's currently disabled. However, VoLTE is not a requirement yet, as no networks are planning on shutting down both their 2G and 3G signals anytime soon. Considering this phone will probably never be certified for VoLTE by AT&T/TMO (none of ASUS' other US devices have VoLTE certifications), there is no reason for both SIM slots to have 4G access at the same time. Since both slots support simultaneous 2G/3G, when AT&T/TMO get around to shutting down their 2G networks, the second SIM will continue to function normally and do calls/texts over the 3G network.
I don't know if only 1 SIM being able to access LTE is a hardware or software issue/limitation, but since carriers won't VoLTE certify it, it's a non-issue. The only difference is that MMS on the second SIM might take a second longer to download over 3G vs 4G.
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TMobile is the only carrier I think requiring certification, AT&T doesn't require anything. If your phone is equipped with VoLTE all you have to do is turn it on inside your phone with AT&T, TMobile requires you to call them and have it added to your account. Either way a phone still could be VoLTE whether unlocked or locked. certified or uncertified. AT&T rolled out VoLTE 2 years ago and TMobile is still in the beginning stages of a rollout. You're comparing Walmart with Macy's here, which is one of the reasons I ditched TMobile years ago. So I really don't care what TMobile does or doesn't do since they are not my main provider, AT&T is, so the fact band 12 isn't there has zero affect on my use. Regardless VoLTE has zero bearing on the what Asus is doing with the 2 sim modems in this phone. Since a dual active phone has 2 modems, my guess it is a software issue not a hardware issue.
AT&T has already started shutting down 2G in different areas and has stated by the end of 2016 all 2G will be shut down across the U.S. I'm in Florida and 2G is already down in certain areas. So yes, they have started shutting down 2G already. In fact my other sim from Three UK doesn't even offer 2G signal when in the UK, they don't have it at all on their spectrum.
Once again though, I still have conflicting information from 2 different Asus reps and nothing is being stated by them as to why and which one is the correct one.

This highlights the poor performance SIM 2 issue I went through on the ZF2 because of the 2G slot. It proved out because I have a new dual SIM phone now that gets LTE in both slots. I went through a terrible time unable to get calls in my house on the ZF2's second SIM. I'm able to on my new phone. I thought I was going to have issues at first, but my reception and SIM 2 availability have been consistent now. I can make and receive calls in my house just fine. I had minor issues at first, and it's fine now. My phone is provisioned to my new phone with my carrier on both slots. So that's what Asus needs to guarantee it can provide in that second slot; call reception that works! Too late for me. I found another product.
Sent from my PURE XL using XDA Free mobile app

babsk said:
This highlights the poor performance SIM 2 issue I went through on the ZF2 because of the 2G slot. It proved out because I have a new dual SIM phone now that gets LTE in both slots. I went through a terrible time unable to get calls in my house on the ZF2's second SIM. I'm able to on my new phone. I thought I was going to have issues at first, but my reception and SIM 2 availability have been consistent now. I can make and receive calls in my house just fine. I had minor issues at first, and it's fine now. My phone is provisioned to my new phone with my carrier on both slots. So that's what Asus needs to guarantee it can provide in that second slot; call reception that works! Too late for me. I found another product.
Sent from my PURE XL using XDA Free mobile app
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Exactly Babsk. 2 days now and still no response as to what is the correct information from Asus. The rep on their own forum said he didn't know if an update to M would even be available, they're still working Lollipop. Really? Still working on Lollipop 5.0. I wish I could get that phone you got, but not enough bands for me are turned on.

floridaman said:
Exactly Babsk. 2 days now and still no response as to what is the correct information from Asus. The rep on their own forum said he didn't know if an update to M would even be available, they're still working Lollipop. Really? Still working on Lollipop 5.0. I wish I could get that phone you got, but not enough bands for me are turned on.
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floridaman: That's truly a shame. I had to research the bands thing too. I have AT&T and fortunately the missing LTE Band 5 is not a concern. My area is using Band 17 all the time and the Pure XL picks it up just fine. I did an LTE band check before I got this phone and then figured I would also test it after purchase. My speed tests show I get LTE and my display says it too.
I hope you can get an answer from Asus. It would be great if the Laser could work out for you.
Sent from my PURE XL using Tapatalk

Frankenberrie said:
The octacore snap dragon makes this very tempting but no fast charge... Home on asus
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I have the octacore snapdragon and it supports fast charge

heywheelie said:
I have the octacore snapdragon and it supports fast charge
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I noticed that as well in the specs on Qualcomm website's that this processor does have quickcharge. It's becoming clear that Asus goes in and firmware blocks things, for what reason is anyones guess.

If this phone had fast charge I would buy it and keep my zen2 as a backup

I'm looking into buying this since my ZE551ML has broken LCD. But, I'm confused with what the CS told me and what is advertised. CS told me that sim2 is only 2G/3G and not 2G/3G/4G as advertised.
Also, no root yet.
Posted using my phone.