Related
Hello,
As you can guess, I'm new to Blackstone. I have what I hope to be a simple question. Is the fact that HTC Touch HD doesn't support US 3G a hardware limitation or a software limitation.
Reason for asking:
When a US carrier gets off their lazy a** and picks up this awesome device, will there be a ROM update to enable US 3G?
I really want this device and the only thing keeping me from getting it is the 3G limitation, but I can live with it if one day (less than a year) there is a ROM update to enable US 3G. But if it is a hardware limitation then I'm out of luck.
Thanks,
Roger
hello,
just as new as you...got mine but knew it wouldnt work on us3g becoz us and europe have diferent types of network band for the 3g that why it wont here... hd was made for conveniently europe networks bands
Hardware or Software
I was aware of the limitation right off hand but do you know if its a hardware or software limitation?
AS IN:
Difference in protocols
OR
Different Chip All Together
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=433548
orb3000 said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=433548
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have to ask, due to this happening to me as well, when asking about status or news on 3G in the US for the HTC Touch HD everyone refers back to the link above for the "HTC to USA: No 3G..." message-thread.
I dont see the issue with asking the US 3G status question and getting a reply, rather than wading through 15 pages of postings in a huge thread. Discussion of everything from EDGE speeds, to speed-tests, performance in different areas, etc... but the question posed here is quite specific. Personally I've tried many searches and just looking to find status and how, if at all, I can help. Can we at least start a new thread to this end?
* Can anyone share a simple software/hardware issue for UD 3G with the Touch HD?
* How can [new people] people get involved to look into this kind of an issue?
Thanks for listening and any information...
D
kzw2zx said:
I do have to ask, due to this happening to me as well, when asking about status or news on 3G in the US for the HTC Touch HD everyone refers back to the link above for the "HTC to USA: No 3G..." message-thread.
I dont see the issue with asking the US 3G status question and getting a reply, rather than wading through 15 pages of postings in a huge thread. Discussion of everything from EDGE speeds, to speed-tests, performance in different areas, etc... but the question posed here is quite specific. Personally I've tried many searches and just looking to find status and how, if at all, I can help. Can we at least start a new thread to this end?
* Can anyone share a simple software/hardware issue for UD 3G with the Touch HD?
* How can [new people] people get involved to look into this kind of an issue?
Thanks for listening and any information...
D
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think maybe people are somewhat brusque when answering this question because it has been asked so often with respect to other devices. That being said, I do not think anyone knows whether the issue with the HD is hardware or software related (please correct me if I am wrong). I know that some members have been working on making US 3G bands work for the non-AT&T Touch Pro (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=2565338&postcount=2), so you may want to ask those guys how to get involved in starting up a similar project with the HD.
I would like to say, though, that I have been simply amazed at how well Edge has been performing on the HD. It is faster for mobile browsing than my US 3G Diamond, Touch Cruise, Tilt, and my wife's iPhone 3G with the 3G/H showing and all bars up. So if you are putting off a decision to get the phone based on mobile browsing speed, in my experience (and it is just that, my experience), I have not missed 3G at all.
I note that that I have been using the HD in New York City with AT&T, which means notoriously crappy service no matter what the technology the phone is capable of, and, of course, tethering, etc. might be a whole different story, so I realize that my experience is of limited use. Also, I am going to be in a Euro standard 3G country soon, so I may be singing a different tune once I see what the HD can really do
Anyway, just my 2 cents, and I wish you luck. If you get a project for 3G going, I will happily donate, as, I am sure, many other will, too.
The only GSM carriers in the US offering 3G capabilities are AT&T and T-Mobile. For 3G on the T-Mobile network, your phone must support both 1700 and 2100Mhz. The 2100Mhz bandwidth has been well-defined as the "D" (download) portion of HSDPA. I believe you will also see 3G referred to as WCMDA on the 2100Mhz spectrum. AT&T Wireless has opted for a more "standard" approach where they are reusing the original PCS frequency (1900Mhz) for the "U" (upload) portion of HSUPA.
To get true, bi-directional 3G, your device must include a software radio that supports both HSDPA and HSUPA. Anything else will be a hit-or-miss affair. While this may lead you to "rejoice" because our radios are software-based, be aware that the antennas in our phones are also a part of the equation.
Therefore, you will likely be able to use a Touch HD on the AT&T network at 3G speeds, but you will NOT (EVER) get 3G out of a Touch HD on the T-Mobile network in the US.
It's a real shame that T-Mobile chose to deviate from its parent (Deutsche Telekom - T-Mobile in Germany) on their frequency choice for 3G. It makes them odd-man out virtually world-wide. I suspect that they were unable to secure the rights to anything other than 1700Mhz, but I would argue that theie decision really crippled their users..... it's yet another reason why I would NEVER buy a G1. Really sad IMO.
simple and straight answer:
its a hardware issue ... you won't get US 3g on touch hd, period. (no rom update etc. will make it start working)
thesire said:
simple and straight answer:
its a hardware issue ... you won't get US 3g on touch hd, period. (no rom update etc. will make it start working)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simple and straight answer back
No this is not true its a political issue, and the past shows already that it#s only a software issue, because the frequency range is so close to the European that the antenna is capable of those "between" frq.
The same is with Australia where some phones were original not capable but thr radio updates worked (nonofficial)
just my 2c
tobyp said:
It's a real shame that T-Mobile chose to deviate from its parent (Deutsche Telekom - T-Mobile in Germany) on their frequency choice for 3G. It makes them odd-man out virtually world-wide. I suspect that they were unable to secure the rights to anything other than 1700Mhz, but I would argue that theie decision really crippled their users..... it's yet another reason why I would NEVER buy a G1. Really sad IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IIRC, they showed up for the auction of the ranges and lost bids for the more standard frequencies. They were left with what they have...
3G Big Deal
Ive said it once and ill say it again. Edge on my HD is FASTER than my 3G diamond!!!!!!!!...so there...
thesire said:
simple and straight answer:
its a hardware issue ... you won't get US 3g on touch hd, period. (no rom update etc. will make it start working)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is not a hardware issue. i know it has been mentioned else where in this forum and others, and we got "official word" that this is a hardware issue. but it is not. i didn't speak up earlier because i know if i did, people will ask me for sources. i don't have sources, i know because i work on these type of stuff.
in simple terms, the hardware is just an antenna, it is the "software" that should be tuned to interpret the signal. just like you can use regular analog TV antenna to catch over the air HD signals, it is the tuner that does the job.
however the software you are thinking (cab files or ROM files) won't solve this problem:
the hardware isn't flashed with the firmware, it is not enabled in the low level to understand the language EVEN IF the ROM file and high level application allows for the functionality.
everyone's familiar with computers, an analogy is: if you disable say sound in the BIOS (by using a older/different version of BIOS), you can install (what we call "FLASH" in the mobile world) OS you want, and you can install different audio drivers, you are not going to get that functionality.
so that is why you can flash left and right different Touch HD roms, you can enable/disable different registry keys that make it look like it has the 850MHz choices in the drop down menus, and you can always try different Radio ROMs, but you are not going to get a bit of that functionality if the hardware/feature is disabled at the lowest level. you need to flash the actual hardware (in this case the anthenna//baseband) with the correct firmware. and i am talking about the real firmware. I think the misconception here when everyone's talking about "i'm flashing my Radio's firmware to the latest one", they are actually talking about the equivalent of a "driver" in the windows world. the real firmware is even lower than those "firmwware".
Hey buggybug0
I read through your comments and it seems very logical to me. However, do you think that it is possible in the future that the us 3g band will be enabled through a "hardware flash"?
I cant wait until that day happens. So I should buy now so the price premium isn't higher. . . . .How long does it usually take to take a phone that has the bands enabled already then some how incorporate that FW with the one on the HD?
typhoon99 said:
Hey buggybug0
I read through your comments and it seems very logical to me. However, do you think that it is possible in the future that the us 3g band will be enabled through a "hardware flash"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this hardware flash already exists, but because we are flashing a lower level hardware, you need a special cable, in addition to the binary file. only HTC has this special development cable, the cable plugs directly onto the board (not the miniUSB or extUSB port). we can't use the extUSB port because this port has no access to the memory that governs the baseband low level functionality: this is much like the older computer BIOS which you can only flash through the floppy drive. i believe windows mobile is behind windows, so this is where things are right now. nowadays you can run a high level .exe file in windows and have it access and flash the low level BIOS, may be some day this will become possible on windows mobile with a cab file flashing the low level baseband. but for the time being, the analogy is you need a special cable to flash, just like you need a floppy drive to flash.
everyone kept on saying lack of US 3g is a hardware difficulty, i know for a fact that this is a business decision. as much as US loves gadgets, europe and asia are much bigger markets, (the coolest phones always gets to europe, korean, japan taiwan first, other than a certain fruity brand). i don't doubt when HTC said "by the time we bring Touch HD to US, there will be much better phones, they are using this one-phone-for-you, one-phone-for-me strategy to keep customers hooked--> they disable the US band, and make the touch HD exclusive to europe, so North AMerican customers are all drooling, when the next gen phone comes that and improves on touch HD (call it HD2 for argument sake), they will release it to another regional market (for example US), then all european people will all get jealous and hooked, and get their interest up while US customers are paying big bucks to get them, so the 3rd phone which improves upon the HD2, and release it in europe, they will be all over it. it's a very good strategy because customer never loses interest. becuase you always want something you can't get. and you DEFINITELY want something that is better than the previous gen which you can't get. this for HTC means that the demand for their phone is always there at a healthy high level.
So what was up with the TyTn and TyTn 2.
Were they not able to do both US and EU 3G speeds? I don't recall there being different EU and US versions (like the Diamond).
I was using a Softbank X01HT version TyTn and was getting HSDPA speeds.
I would be surprised the HTC decided to cripple the phones since.
The Juggler said:
So what was up with the TyTn and TyTn 2.
Were they not able to do both US and EU 3G speeds? I don't recall there being different EU and US versions (like the Diamond).
I was using a Softbank X01HT version TyTn and was getting HSDPA speeds.
I would be surprised the HTC decided to cripple the phones since.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, there are HTC phones which had the same "BIOS", but the band were only disabled at the "driver" level, so the european brands of the same phone gets one Radio Rom while the US version gets a different Radio ROM. but since the functionality is already enabled at the lower level, it's just a matter of using a different radio rom (ie. driver) to enable the US 3G band.
I am not sure if the phone I am talking about is TyTn, but what I have same in the past 3 posts applies to a regular phone as well -- antenna is capable of receiving any frequency, it's up to the manufacture to insert the baseband software (this is the low level) to interpret those signals, then the interpretation gets passed onto the Radio stack (driver, radio rom), from there it goes to the operation system (winmob, symbian) then translates into applicatoin language to the actual application that's using the data (internet explorer, cell phone, IM app).
charlatan01 said:
IIRC, they showed up for the auction of the ranges and lost bids for the more standard frequencies. They were left with what they have...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your postulation could very well be the case. The fact remains that T-Mobile has created a 3G island for themselves and their subscribers here in the US. In my corporate discussions with T-Mobile, they demonstrate to me time and again that they simply do not "get it". Sad, very sad.
Only reason I stay with T-Mobile is the old (and I mean REALLY OLD) plan I have with them that no one has been able to beat cost-wise (plenty of minutes, unlimited data and hotspot access). I don't stay with them because they are at the top of the heap technically!
Well for those interested in the numebrs aspect, I have both the US and EU Diamond.
I tested both at dslreports.com using internet sharing. Same ROM (duttys 3.2), Same Radio (.05) , Same Laptop (via USB cable).
EU version (at EDGE speeds) came back at roughly 150 kbps.
US version (at H speeds) came back at roughly 450 kbps.
Of course this would only specifically apply to people in my area (Minneapolis). But it might shed some light on speed difference.
buggybug0,
until you provide your sources, your conclusions will remain a speculation for most of forum members. What you are saying may sound logical, but HTC may have different logic than you and you could still be wrong.
I agree with you that disabling 3G bands is a political decision though. And it's a commercial decision too. US carriers are apparently not looking to subsidize latest HTC handsets just yet for various reasons (T-Mob - due to G1, AT&T - due to iPhone 3G). However they will be shopping for new handsets sooner or later. If HTC releases a proper 3G quad-band device now, US carriers won't be happy and their further contracts for subsidized phones (which mean big money with no marketing/retail headaches for HTC) may never come in... Do they want to risk this big chunk? No.
Chances are you are right about the nature of band limitation problem and RF IC microcode may be crippled to support only certain bands on latest HTC devices. But it's still possible that some tracks are missing on the antenna PCB too. According to Qualcomm functional diagrams, it should be possible to multiplex RF signals for specific bands only.
This said, here's a challenge for you, prove your point with facts rather than speculations and you'll be a hero for a day.
With the recent influx of Droid devices generated by them being handed out to many individuals through Google's developer channels, I imagine I'm not the only one wondering whether or not it would be possible to get service for this device by anyone other than Verizon. I'm hoping that someone can explain to me what it might take to make this possible.
As I understand it, VZW uses both 1900 and 850 while Sprint uses only 1900 with roaming possible on 850. That means the device should be compatible between the two networks from a frequency standpoint. What I'm not sure about is whether any of the software instructions coded into the VZW/Sprint devices are important to the correct operation of the phone on the network, or if they are identical and it only matters which network accepts the device's ESN.
In short:
- Would any software modifications to the device be necessary for appropriate functionality on the Sprint network?
- If so, could those modifications be derived from existing Sprint Android platforms like the Hero/Moment?
I have been given a free Droid, but I have no plan on ever switching to Verizon. It will remain a development only device if I can't modify it to work with my existing Sprint account.
Thanks in advance for any information.
othelil said:
With the recent influx of Droid devices generated by them being handed out to many individuals through Google's developer channels, I imagine I'm not the only one wondering whether or not it would be possible to get service for this device by anyone other than Verizon. I'm hoping that someone can explain to me what it might take to make this possible.
As I understand it, VZW uses both 1900 and 850 while Sprint uses only 1900 with roaming possible on 850. That means the device should be compatible between the two networks from a frequency standpoint. What I'm not sure about is whether any of the software instructions coded into the VZW/Sprint devices are important to the correct operation of the phone on the network, or if they are identical and it only matters which network accepts the device's ESN.
In short:
- Would any software modifications to the device be necessary for appropriate functionality on the Sprint network?
- If so, could those modifications be derived from existing Sprint Android platforms like the Hero/Moment?
I have been given a free Droid, but I have no plan on ever switching to Verizon. It will remain a development only device if I can't modify it to work with my existing Sprint account.
Thanks in advance for any information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the only way to get this to work is via esn swapping !! and that is illegal!! so.... good luck google it!! sprint will not add esns to there network from other carriers !! verizon does is sometimes but sprint will not do it!! sorry are u willing to sell it?
adrianh85 said:
the only way to get this to work is via esn swapping !! and that is illegal!! so.... good luck google it!! sprint will not add esns to there network from other carriers !! verizon does is sometimes but sprint will not do it!! sorry are u willing to sell it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Illegal, huh? Good 'ol US; the only country that feels the need to so tightly bind our devices to specific carriers. I vastly prefer the unlocked GSM phone model that Europe operates under. Le sigh.
Thanks for the info. I'm unlikely to sell, as I can find uses even for a device that doesn't have service. I just thought I could kill the proverbial two birds with one stone if I could make it work. C'est la vie.
You're forgetting the fact that there are at least TWO major nationwide GSM carriers in the US.
Japan has better game-shows than the US does, but I'm not going to say, "good ol' US" when complaining about it. But, I wouldn't even complain about it.
Cirkustanz said:
You're forgetting the fact that there are at least TWO major nationwide GSM carriers in the US.
Japan has better game-shows than the US does, but I'm not going to say, "good ol' US" when complaining about it. But, I wouldn't even complain about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not forgetting at all. The difference is that phones here, even for those two carriers, are sold locked rather than unlocked. Many consumers don't even know they have a choice, nor are they aware that their phones can be unlocked. The fact that the phones can be unlocked, and maybe could be used somewhere else in the world (depending on whether or not they support non-US bands), hardly excuses the fact that a tiny number of consumers would ever even realize that, or go through the hoops and hurdles necessary to unlock their phones.
This is a far cry from a market with many options for carriers where phones are sold unlocked and can be easily moved between any available carrier. The Wikipedia listing of mobile network operators in Europe (which I can't post) is quite illuminating when you realize that countries a tiny fraction of our size have a lot more than 2 choices that the phones they purchase, their property, can operate on. I would say cheering that at least we have two choices seems a little silly when the competition level here for carriers is so much weaker than elsewhere in the world.
Let's just say I'm more than a bit frustrated that what I've been gifted is, in the absence of one particular company's service, a brick. The phone belongs to me, yet whether or not I can use it as more than an alarm clock is dictated by only one company. It seems a little silly, and more than a tad bit frustrating. I would have much preferred an unlocked GSM phone; not only would I have two networks, albeit only one with 3G, to choose from, but my international options would have been wonderful.
Ok, so long story short.. there is no way to get the Droid A855 on gsm even if its unlocked? I know I just might be in the wrong forum but I have been searching all freaking day and honestly every site is starting to look the same to me 10:1 I'll prolly just sell the phone back off
Mr_Vicious said:
Ok, so long story short.. there is no way to get the Droid A855 on gsm even if its unlocked? I know I just might be in the wrong forum but I have been searching all freaking day and honestly every site is starting to look the same to me 10:1 I'll prolly just sell the phone back off
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, because the A855 does not have a GSM radio in it. Without the capable hardware, what you want to do is impossible.
Hey I am new to the forum but I know this is the best place online to go for advice like this.
The problem is this: I have a Note 5 from T-Mobile. The wifi and bluetooth are acting funny, and I am assuming that the wifi chip/motherboard is failing.
I have a Note 5 Motherboard from Sprint that my brother broke, but before i take my phone apart and perhaps do more worse than good trying to squish the other motherboard into it, I wanted to know: Are these motherboards compatible?
I know that with the >Galaxy S6< the CDMA and GSM versions are different. There is a corner of the motherboard where the components are moved a little so the motherboard wont fit snug against the lcd carcass, and ultimately you cant shut the phone completely. All the CDMA variants use the Verizon motherboard so they are certainly compatible. No clue about the GSM variants they all have a different marking for each company.
Is this the case as well with the Note 5? In the pictures I am seeing online, they look identical... but I am afraid they might be generic stock photos of the motherboards so I don't want to rely on that.
Alternatively, are the GSM variants compatible with each other? If i bought one from ATT could i put it in a T-Mobile phone? Or does it have to be the EXACT SAME MODEL?
SUMMARY OF QUESTION: Are the N920P and N920T motherboards swappable? Are GSM variants of the Note 5 generally swappable? (N920A N920T N920M, etc)
Thanks in advance for any help!
N920 Note 5 variants and logic board compatibility
You would not believe, despite how simple and necessary your question is, that you'll not find the answer hardly anywhere on the internet. I know where I've searched will tell me if the frame for the Verizon version of an n920p would fit the logic board from an in 920p Sprint motherboard. Actually you've given me more insight than anywhere else of red from, in that there must be extra or less Electronics fastened to the GSM version. If you would have to slam it into your CDMA formed case, then that would absolutely defeat the purpose of having a 4 gigabyte RAM Qualcomm awesome processor $550 phone. From what I hear however, all of the Note 5 series phones are capable of transmitting and receiving all frequencies, CDMA and GSM. Of course the n920p than I have focuses on wcdma bands and LTE bands. As a matter of fact I can't even get it to work on a GSM carrier, even though I've spent at least $50 and 15 hours trying to get it unlocked to do so. And I agree with what you had stated at the beginning, if there is a place to find the answer than this would be it. So why don't want to view phone know every damn thing all people please let us know, can I put a T-Mobile motherboard from a note 5 inside of my Note 5 that I got from Sprint? Thank you. And I will go ahead and let you know I have done the conversion over to n920p I, I think I currently am running a firmware from Pakistan or maybe Uganda. The phone is quite simple to root even at the 7.0 level firmware, I've changed the IMEI, I can change the location to make it appear that I'm in Paris France and Dallas Texas at the same time, but I can't get the thing to run on a GSM frequency and a carrier that's based here in the US.
Long time lurker, first time poster here. First of all, a massive THANK YOU to everyone here. You guys and gals are Awesome! <3
So, I bought a Samsung S10 (SM-G973F/DS) on Ebay recently and flashed it to Lineage OS 19.1. All was fine until I tried to activate it. We did everything...manually changing the ASP settings, and a bunch of other stuff to try and get this thing to connect to the mobile network. Even placed the SIM card in another phone just to confirm the SIM card was fine, which it was.
Long story short, I think the device was perhaps locked even though the seller claimed it was unlocked. Whatever, I'm over it. I flashed stock back on it and re-locked the boot loader, sent it back. Not worth the aggravation. However, I am questioning if there wasn't something else I could have done?
I was trying to activate the S10 on Mint Mobile USA (a T-Mobile reseller, so GSM) it should have been fine. The default language on the device was German. I don't think that should matter, but maybe it does? Do European phones have problems activating in North America?
My question is: If I decide to get another S10 (SM-G973F/DS) from the secondary market (if its even worth it at this point, since the SM-G973F/DS is really hard to find), is there anything I can find out from the seller first so I don't end up having to send it back?
Or, should I just give up my dream of having an S10 installed with Lineage OS and it's glorious headphone jack and expandable storage forever? If so, are there any worthy alternatives to the S10 worth considering, given my affinity for headphone jacks and expandable storage?
Hello PhonePerfection, all a novel why you speak S10 G973F / DS in the United States.
Already your model S10 G973F/DS exynos 5G or the first 4G model so if these this Europe chip model, if now installed Samsung phone info look at who is scoring at worst take screenshots.
I don't understand your question United States, locked unlocked the seller.
You buy in the back market refurbished and unlocked telephone all operator therefore for sim card, the concern these the chip to install network either US or ASIA controls your model if these good SM-G973F/DS and not SM-G973U or G973U1.
Don't forget to say hello
I think what @meric57 is trying to say is that your phone doesn't have the right chips to communicate on the frequencies in the USA. It's made for other markets and other frequencies... so it won't work here.
If you use FrequencyCheck you can see what carriers support what frequencies on your specific model: https://www.frequencycheck.com/comp...m-td-lte-512gb-samsung-beyond-1/united-states
Scroll down to the "United States" area and you'll see it doesn't support the frequencies used in the USA (except for GSM 2.5, which is old and dead here in the USA). The US is primarily on LTE... and you can see that phone model doesn't support ANY of the available frequencies.
Bottom line "GSM" doesn't tell you enough. You have an incomatible phone model for the USA market. No SIM card will fix that.
Note, in SOME cases, you can activate other frequencies by loading different ROMs into the phone. My old LG V30 did this, for example. I have heard that you can run some Exynos phones here in the USA, but I don't know the details to help. FrequencyCheck may help you figure that out. Be sure the look for the complete model number, not just "Galaxy S10" or something... the naming is worthless for figuring this out.
schwinn8 said:
I think what @meric57 is trying to say is that your phone doesn't have the right chips to communicate on the frequencies in the USA. It's made for other markets and other frequencies... so it won't work here.
If you use FrequencyCheck you can see what carriers support what frequencies on your specific model: https://www.frequencycheck.com/compsomethingatibility/RdEkS7k/samsung-sm-g973f-ds-galaxy-s10-global-dual-sim-td-lte-512gb-samsung-beyond-1/united-states
Scroll down to the "United States" area and you'll see it doesn't support the frequencies used in the USA (except for GSM 2.5, which is old and dead here in the USA). The US is primarily on LTE... and you can see that phone model doesn't support ANY of the available frequencies.
Bottom line "GSM" doesn't tell you enough. You have an incomatible phone model for the USA market. No SIM card will fix that.
Note, in SOME cases, you can activate other frequencies by loading different ROMs into the phone. My old LG V30 did this, for example. I have heard that you can run some Exynos phones here in the USA, but I don't know the details to help. FrequencyCheck may help you figure that out. Be sure the look for the complete model number, not just "Galaxy S10" or something... the naming is worthless for figuring this out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
schwinn8 said:
I think what @meric57 is trying to say is that your phone doesn't have the right chips to communicate on the frequencies in the USA. It's made for other markets and other frequencies... so it won't work here.
If you use FrequencyCheck you can see what carriers support what frequencies on your specific model: https://www.frequencycheck.com/comp...m-td-lte-512gb-samsung-beyond-1/united-states
Scroll down to the "United States" area and you'll see it doesn't support the frequencies used in the USA (except for GSM 2.5, which is old and dead here in the USA). The US is primarily on LTE... and you can see that phone model doesn't support ANY of the available frequencies.
Bottom line "GSM" doesn't tell you enough. You have an incomatible phone model for the USA market. No SIM card will fix that.
Note, in SOME cases, you can activate other frequencies by loading different ROMs into the phone. My old LG V30 did this, for example. I have heard that you can run some Exynos phones here in the USA, but I don't know the details to help. FrequencyCheck may help you figure that out. Be sure the look for the complete model number, not just "Galaxy S10" or something... the naming is worthless for figuring this out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, this is great info. Good to know. It looks like that S10 could only communicate on 1 of 8 bands used by Mint/T-Mobile. That 1 usable band appears to have been deprecated by T-Mobile as it is. I think that explains it perfectly. Thank You!
You're welcome.
Yeah, frequencies/bands are very important to watch, particularly if you're buying out of market devices. You have to know model numbers and carriers to be sure of anything, and unfortunately this info is relatively hidden.
schwinn8 said:
You're welcome.
Yeah, frequencies/bands are very important to watch, particularly if you're buying out of market devices. You have to know model numbers and carriers to be sure of anything, and unfortunately this info is relatively hidden.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The CSC on that device was DBT (Germany). I had to find that out in order to put the correct stock OS back on there.
Makes me wonder if the ebay seller even knows this. They appear to specialize in mobile phones with tens of thousands of transactions, so I would hope they've encountered this situation before. They were more than happy to accept a return on the device. Sent me a prepaid shipping label immediately.
Back to the CSC... Let's say I look for another S10 (SM-G973F/DS) but I ask what the CSC is for that device. Are there any regions outside the lower 48 states with reasonably good chances of it working? I suppose I would need to study the mobile frequency website for the answer to that.
I did some quick searching, and supposedly there are websites that say the 973F/DS will work on MM (mint mobile)... but they don't detail how. For example: https://de-googled.com/blogs/news/a-word-on-network-compatibility-of-our-degoogled-phones
and https://www.ebay.com/p/15030406771 (in the description).
So, maybe it is possible? I don't know, so maybe someone else can chime in.
Personally, I stuck with U-version phones and gave up rooting/romming. It's just getting too hard to find phones that offer this, so I figured I'd just adapt back to a stock ROM, since choices are limited. I had done a bunch of that in the past, but I found that stock roms (today) are pretty good... and allow enough customization that made root/rom unnecessary... for me. My current is an SM-G975U1 (unlocked, USA, Snapdragon S10+) on Total Wireless (VZ MVNO)... it works great and I don't miss root/rom at all.
Rumor is that the Galaxy S23 will only be offered as Snapdragon, so maybe that will open up more options... but I doubt it. Samsung loves it's Knox system, and will likely lock down the phone even more with every generation.
schwinn8 said:
I did some quick searching, and supposedly there are websites that say the 973F/DS will work on MM (mint mobile)... but they don't detail how. For example: https://de-googled.com/blogs/news/a-word-on-network-compatibility-of-our-degoogled-phones
and https://www.ebay.com/p/15030406771 (in the description).
So, maybe it is possible? I don't know, so maybe someone else can chime in.
Personally, I stuck with U-version phones and gave up rooting/romming. It's just getting too hard to find phones that offer this, so I figured I'd just adapt back to a stock ROM, since choices are limited. I had done a bunch of that in the past, but I found that stock roms (today) are pretty good... and allow enough customization that made root/rom unnecessary... for me. My current is an SM-G975U1 (unlocked, USA, Snapdragon S10+) on Total Wireless (VZ MVNO)... it works great and I don't miss root/rom at all.
Rumor is that the Galaxy S23 will only be offered as Snapdragon, so maybe that will open up more options... but I doubt it. Samsung loves it's Knox system, and will likely lock down the phone even more with every generation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link. I think I may try for an S10 again if the seller can tell me what the CSC is. That page on De-googled.com affirms that American devices are more restrictive than their European counterparts.
It just doesn't make any sense to me personally to use a device with an open source OS that has loads of telemetry, spyware, bloat, etc. Which is a contradiction that I am not comfortable with. It's like installing a Linux distro that comes bundled with Facebook.
To me, being proactive about privacy is the equivalent to standing up for yourself in the real world. Sure, you can use a stock ROM and there is nothing wrong with that. It's having the freedom to choose which is most important. So long as that choice is available, I will happily go that route.
I like the added bonus of an Android device that seems faster with a longer lasting battery as well. I mean, I paid for this device. I should have the right to decide what apps are running on it.
No argument there... I agree with why we should be allowed to root/rom. Unfortunately, the carriers pull the strings in the USA (business over people) so we are losing options. Frankly, it pisses me off that they can still prevent phones from connecting to their network just because the IMEI doesn't match (even if the software is correct). In the end, if the device CAN work on the network, the carrier should have no say in allowing/disallowing it on the network. They like to claim that a "bad" device could "hurt" the network, but if that happens, they can lock out that phone and figure it out. I doubt that's even ever happened, but whatever. (They prevented me from using my already-working V30 US998 phone on the network, even though it ran as VS996 with no issues for years... they only later saw the IMEI wasn't "theirs" (original SIM card failed) so they prevented me from re-registering it. So stupid.)
Good luck, and let us know if you figure it out... I'm always curious to learn!
yes, most japan and europe phones do not have the correct radios channels in them for 4g and 5g. i ran into this same problem with my xperia phones that i bought overseas. this is a common problem that can happen.
The S10 and all it's variants is a world compatible GSM phone. So yes, the F variant should work with most GSM carriers and resellers in N. America.
There are various websites that will tell you what frequencies and carriers any particular model will work with if you do a search. Like this one.
WillMyPhoneWork.net - Check if your phone works on a network
Check 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE Network Frequency Compatibility for a Smartphone, Tablet, and Mobile Device in any Country and Mobile Network Carrier
willmyphonework.net
According to that site the SM-G973F/DS supports all 2G, 3G, and 4G frequencies used by Mint.
My old Iphone SE (1st gen) gave out after nearly 6 years of solid service. So I'm finally looking for a new phone and I absolutely cannot stand how large phones have gotten. I don't want a screen that's literally half a foot corner to corner. The XZ1C is the perfect size and shape but there's one problem, it's GSM. I know that CDMA and GSM have died out completely and everything is LTE and up. After looking, I see that the XZ1C supports both voLTE and B13 for Verizon, meaning it should theoretically work on their network as a normal phone as nothing there needs CDMA anymore. When I asked the Verizon support (stupid move, I know) they told me it wouldn't work because it's GSM and that I would need to look at their website to find a phone. I know that they're more worried about lining their pockets than actually helping.
Has anyone managed to get an XZ1C working as a normal phone on Verizon's US network now that the GSM vs. CDMA debacle has finally died out? If so, how difficult was it to get working? I'm almost certain I'll need to get on support with Verizon to get the phone whitelisted but I just want to make sure I don't buy one only to find out that there's some hardware incompatibility (I do know I would need the G8441 model). All the threads I can find on it are from ~2017 when the phone first launched.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Not all LTE is the same, there are still different bands for different providers.
From memory, I used frequency check (or similar, https://www.frequencycheck.com) to look up compatability with the various providers. At the time, it didn't look like Verizon would support it, but you should double check my work, since it may also have changed.
You could so try a SIM if you have one (both the phone and the card). I borrowed a friend's at one point and had little success, but again, it was a while back, and I didn't tyres to get it whitelisted.
I hope that helps. Let us know how you fare.
tonsofquestions said:
Not all LTE is the same, there are still different bands for different providers.
From memory, I used frequency check (or similar, https://www.frequencycheck.com) to look up compatability with the various providers. At the time, it didn't look like Verizon would support it, but you should double check my work, since it may also have changed.
You could so try a SIM if you have one (both the phone and the card). I borrowed a friend's at one point and had little success, but again, it was a while back, and I didn't tyres to get it whitelisted.
I hope that helps. Let us know how you fare.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Checked the freq and it showed the same as the website I use (Kimovil). Same bands are present which is shown to be all except one Verizon band. The main one (at least according to the workers on the Verizon support forums) is B13 which is the main band that carries calls and texts now.
Ah, maybe their primary band has changed, then.
I think it was the opposite last time I looked.