Best version of the Tab? - Galaxy Tab General

I plan on getting one through Craigslist and will most likely be using it on Wi-Fi only.
Is there any difference between them besides the carrier markings? Which one can make voice calls after rooting?
(I'm on TMO)

If you want to make calls, you're gonna want an ATT tab. The gsm variants (att and tmob) both have 16gb of internal storage with a card slot free. The cdma variants (sprint, verizon) have 2gb of internal storage and a 16gb card. That's about the only difference between the carriers.

Bluetooth keyboard and mouse will work with the T-Mobile version.

info about devices I've gathered from these forums so far:
Verizon and Sprint have no Bluetooth HID support (this means you can't pair a mouse or keybaord - not sure about bluetooth headsets though), and VZN/Sprint only have 2GB of internal storage. tmo/att tabs have 16GB internal storage.
Tmobile has the fastest 3g data, but Verizon has the most data coverage on the continental us map, and is generally the slowest 3G data. Tmobile has the cheapest prepaid option at $10 for 7 days/150mb. ATT prepaid will cost minimum of $20 for 1 month/250mb. verizon i believe starts at $20/month, and with sprint there is no prepaid option.
Tmobile can be hacked to use voice minutes and data, but only edge works with that voice hack enabled, no 3G. You can turn off the voice hack and get 3G data speeds without resetting. ATT voice and 3G will work without the hack(still needs to be flashed though).
Sprint tablets usually sells for the cheapest. AT&T tablets generally sells for most expensive.
AT&T 3G also works in Europe, as well as tmobile 3g.
Tmobile has the most search results in the galaxy tab forum, tmobile is mentioned twice as much as any of the other carriers.
GSM models have more xda development support than CDMA.
As stated previously, there is no switch hacking necessary for the modem on the AT&T model if you want to use voice minutes. Just flash rom, modem and go. If you have the euro version you don't even need to flash to use this capability. Tmobile, on the other hand, requires a switch hack in order to use minutes from your plan.
Tmobile is a great choice if you don't plan on using it as a phone, and are in an area with 3G coverage. Tmobile is an ok choice if you do plan to use voice minutes. Note that in order to use voice with 3G on AT&T, you need to have a contract plan which starts at $55/month. Some people don't use the phone minutes but instead use skype or some other VOIP service over 3G. For VOIP in the continental US, Tmobile is probably the better choice due to faster speeds if you're not moving around too much. IF you plan on traveling all over the place then ATT is probably the better choice.
with ATT and tmobile you can surf 3G AND talk at the same time when using cellular voice minutes. you cannot talk and surf at the same time with EDGE.

daveymark said:
AT&T 3G also works in Europe. Tmobile tab will not have 3G in Europe, only edge.
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Small correction here - TMo US Tab *does* have 3G in Europe.
Regards,
Dave

foxmeister said:
Small correction here - TMo US Tab *does* have 3G in Europe.
Regards,
Dave
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thanks for pointing that out. after researching it more it looks like there is confusion with tmobile because in the U.S. tmobile uses 1700 frequency AND 2100 frequency, and in europe/asia it's just the 2100 frequency that is used.

daveymark said:
info about devices I've gathered from these forums so far:
Tmobile has the fastest 3g data.....
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I have a Droid X (Verizon) and a Galaxy Tablet (T-Mobile). Here's what I've observed. Verizon's 3G service coverage is pretty much everywhere. I can't find anywhere that I don't have 3G with the Droid X. T-Mobile's 3G coverage is more limited. For example, I work in Greensboro, NC and live in Burlington, NC. I have 3G coverage in Greensboro but lose it and go on EDGE when I get to Burlington. However, in the places where I have 3G with T-Mobile, it's 3 - 6 times faster than Verizon's. It really smokes.....where it's available. If they could get their coverage as widespread as Verizon's, they would definitely be the carrier of choice.
One additional observation....about a mile from my home in Burlington, there's a T-Mobile store. They've got all kinds of flyers in their windows about how fast their 3G and 4G speeds are. Interesting thing is that where this store is located and for about 12 miles going towards Greensboro, you don't have anything but EDGE. So, if you go into the store and want to see an example of their "blazing speeds" they can't provide it....unless they're doing it with WiFi and fooling the customer.

Guitar4Him said:
I have a Droid X (Verizon) and a Galaxy Tablet (T-Mobile). Here's what I've observed. Verizon's 3G service coverage is pretty much everywhere. I can't find anywhere that I don't have 3G with the Droid X. T-Mobile's 3G coverage is more limited. For example, I work in Greensboro, NC and live in Burlington, NC. I have 3G coverage in Greensboro but lose it and go on EDGE when I get to Burlington. However, in the places where I have 3G with T-Mobile, it's 3 - 6 times faster than Verizon's. It really smokes.....where it's available. If they could get their coverage as widespread as Verizon's, they would definitely be the carrier of choice.
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Well said, lack of 3G coverage is one of the reasons I did not go with a Tmobile Tab. I was going to originally pick up a verizon model since it seems to work in more places. Unfortunately the lack of Bluetooth HID support and no coverage in europe forced me to avoid VZW. ATT has more 3G coverage than tmobile and has the option of voice with 3G, so I went that route.
here are two up to date maps of current 3G coverage, ATT vs Tmobile:
TMobile:
http://www.cellularmaps.com/image/tm_3g_10c.jpg
ATT:
http://www.cellularmaps.com/image/att_3g_11a.jpg
as you can see ATT is the clear winner here, for now.
for reference, here's verizon's 3G coverage:
http://www.cellularmaps.com/image/vzw_3g_c.jpg

Related

at&t buying tmobile benefits for some

Do you think hd2 owners who have at&t will get to use tmobiles wavelength and finally get more than edge network from this happening??
For reference if new to this subject at&t and tmobile both have an EDGE network on the same wavelength so on an unlocked tmobile hd2 one can use the slow 2g internet connection of at&t, but the 3g networks run off of different bands so an at&t # can't connect to any 3g whatsoever, with at&t's purchase of tmobile wouldn't at&t have to utilize tmobiles 3g wavelength in order to still provide 3g and 3.5g to everyone with tmobile phones that aren't compatible with at&t's current network? If so then I'm personally benefitting from this and finally getting a decent mobile data speed on my tmobile phone with my at&t network
Please don't bash at&t here, I know they suck, I've used their service for quite some time now, I'm just looking for opinions and facts on this matter
and I know euro hd2's already pick up at&t 3g, I'm talking about tmous hardware
From what I have read it seems that in a year or so if this deal is accepted by the FCC at&t will reuse and refit tmobiles network towers/equipment to use there 4g LTE network and give it a boost while removing T-Mobile service altogether causing us T-Mobile 3g/4g users to get new phones that work on AT&T's data network so in your case I highly doubt it there really isn't a benefit for AT&T or T-mobile other then T-Mobile users will be able to have different range of phones (mostly iPhone) I really hope the FCC denies this deal not only does it kills another service provider option limiting us to 3 major companies and forces people escaping the high price of service from sprint, Verizon, and At&t (I've been on them all and left because of price and QOS) but also makes AT&T top dog just because they bought out another company
Yea I read about this yesterday. Highly pissed off. I can't stand at&t. Crappy phone signal, high prices, and crappy customer service. I hope this deal does not go through. Just like when sprint was supposed to buy tmobile. Hopefully it's just a rumor.
XsceneXhippieX said:
Do you think hd2 owners who have at&t will get to use tmobiles wavelength and finally get more than edge network from this happening??
For reference if new to this subject at&t and tmobile both have an EDGE network on the same wavelength so on an unlocked tmobile hd2 one can use the slow 2g internet connection of at&t, but the 3g networks run off of different bands so an at&t # can't connect to any 3g whatsoever, with at&t's purchase of tmobile wouldn't at&t have to utilize tmobiles 3g wavelength in order to still provide 3g and 3.5g to everyone with tmobile phones that aren't compatible with at&t's current network? If so then I'm personally benefitting from this and finally getting a decent mobile data speed on my tmobile phone with my at&t network
Please don't bash at&t here, I know they suck, I've used their service for quite some time now, I'm just looking for opinions and facts on this matter
and I know euro hd2's already pick up at&t 3g, I'm talking about tmous hardware
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Actually I have read that its the exact opposite......AT&T has planned to upgrade all of Tmobiles service towers to the 4G LTE, leaving all T-Mobile Branded 3g phones unable to access
robstillholdin said:
Actually I have read that its the exact opposite......AT&T has planned to upgrade all of Tmobiles service towers to the 4G LTE, leaving all T-Mobile Branded 3g phones unable to access
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yeah, about 5 minutes after i posted this i saw the article stating that at&t is decommissioning tmobile's 3/3.5g towers to use them for their LTE, too bad at&t is already selling "4g" phones (ie the atrix and the inspire 4g) with no capability of utilizing TRUE 4g via LTE later on... anyone else think at&t will re-release said phones as LTE devices for $50 more than the hspa versions? i cant wait to switch to verizon personally, but im waiting for a htc pyramid compatible with verizons 4g network to switch
I received a letter from tmobile if I wanted to attend a meeting/conference for San Jose, Ca becuase my current phone service will be upgraded.... not removed....
Is this confirmed yet? If so, I am going to be HIGHLY pissed off. I HATE AT&T with a passion and refuse to use their service.
Is it possible to unlock my HD2 and my fiancee's Galaxy S Vibrant to use on Sprint or Verizon?
Specialk47150 said:
Is this confirmed yet? If so, I am going to be HIGHLY pissed off. I HATE AT&T with a passion and refuse to use their service.
Is it possible to unlock my HD2 and my fiancee's Galaxy S Vibrant to use on Sprint or Verizon?
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No, only for gsm networks, which is now going through an approval process to become a single gsm network, not confirmed until the fcc gives the word though so keep your fingers crossed!
Sent from cyanogen mod 7
Specialk47150 said:
Is this confirmed yet? If so, I am going to be HIGHLY pissed off. I HATE AT&T with a passion and refuse to use their service.
Is it possible to unlock my HD2 and my fiancee's Galaxy S Vibrant to use on Sprint or Verizon?
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No Tmobile and AT&T use sim cards and use totally different frequencies
If the deal passes I highly doubt that the T-mobile name will continue for long. Especially since both carriers operate on the voicestream network. This will combine T-mobile's few towers with ATT's many towers. But as someone mentioned earlier niether of these two have real 4G. It ticks me off when I see comercials calling it 4G. Only verizon is rolling out true 4G in LTE.
And in case you haven't heard. T-mobile was going down hill. They were losing money. There were talks of Sprint buying them at first. So it may be a good thing with ATT buying them up.

USA sim

I am from Israel and I am coming to the States on the next Monday. I need a sim with unlimited data, and about 100 minutes of talk and some messages.. I also need wifi tethring option to tether my tablet and laptop. I cant decide which carrier to choose. T mobile daily plan sounds nice but there are others like h2o, net10... Any suggestions?
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk 2
I would get the T-Mobile $30 unlimited data and texting with 100 minutes. The $3 a day plan is also a good option if you're going to use under 200MB a day.
All the plans AT&T MVNO's(H2o, Red Pocket, etc) have low data allowances and cost more than T-Mobile.
AT&T has 250 minutes and unlimited texting for $25 a month. You can add data for $25 a GB.
bar_rodoy said:
I am from Israel and I am coming to the States on the next Monday. I need a sim with unlimited data, and about 100 minutes of talk and some messages.. I also need wifi tethring option to tether my tablet and laptop. I cant decide which carrier to choose. T mobile daily plan sounds nice but there are others like h2o, net10... Any suggestions?
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk 2
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You should make sure your phone supports the AWS band (also known as band IV) for 3G before going on T-Mobile or band II or V for AT&T 3G.
T-Mobile checks UA string to detect tethering, so you will need to spoof it in your browser settings to get around it. Not sure about AT&T or any MVNO, however.
Would strongly suggest T-Mobile if your phone supports it and you plan to stay in a metro area. Otherwise, go with an AT&T MVNO.
While I have not had any experience with T-Mobile, all of my past experience with AT&T has been horrid. I would not recommend them for prepaid or postpaid usage
Rikairchy said:
While I have not had any experience with T-Mobile, all of my past experience with AT&T has been horrid. I would not recommend them for prepaid or postpaid usage
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As much as I would agree (I hate calling people who I know are on AT&T because the calls drop frequently), T-Mobile's 3G coverage is much smaller than AT&T's 3G coverage - leaving AT&T as the only GSM option in some areas. That said, if you spend most of your time in or around major cities, T-Mobile is superior both on performance and price.
I have LG P500, it has quad band and tri band.. should it work with T Mobile? I will be in major cities like NYC, Philly, DC...
bar_rodoy said:
I have LG P500, it has quad band and tri band.. should it work with T Mobile? I will be in major cities like NYC, Philly, DC...
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You won't be able to get 3G from any US carrier with that phone. It supports 900 / 2100 for 3G and none of the networks over here support those 3G frequencies.
You'll be on 2G no matter which carrier you choose.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Mr.Mischief said:
You won't be able to get 3G from any US carrier with that phone. It supports 900 / 2100 for 3G and none of the networks over here support those 3G frequencies.
You'll be on 2G no matter which carrier you choose.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
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From what I know, T mobile uses 2100 MHZ...
By the way, how about Motorola Milestone 2?
bar_rodoy said:
From what I know, T mobile uses 2100 MHZ...
By the way, how about Motorola Milestone 2?
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Click to collapse
Nope. T-Mobile uses 1700/2100 together. You can't just use 2100 on T-Mobile.
The international Milestone has the same bands as your P500. The US Milestone supports AT&T 3G.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Mr.Mischief said:
I would get the T-Mobile $30 unlimited data and texting with 100 minutes. The $3 a day plan is also a good option if you're going to use under 200MB a day.
All the plans AT&T MVNO's(H2o, Red Pocket, etc) have low data allowances and cost more than T-Mobile.
AT&T has 250 minutes and unlimited texting for $25 a month. You can add data for $25 a GB.
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The problem with the T-Mobile $30 unlimited data (up to 5Gb) plan is you won't be able to use any data on Edge and they don't really have 4G anywhere unless your phone does WCDMA on 1700Mhz then it will work at T-Mobile stores but that's all. You will need a newer Samsung Galaxy S2 or S3 phone to take advantage of 3G service on T-Mobile.
stevec5000 said:
The problem with the T-Mobile $30 unlimited data (up to 5Gb) plan is you won't be able to use any data on Edge and they don't really have 4G anywhere unless your phone does WCDMA on 1700Mhz then it will work at T-Mobile stores but that's all. You will need a newer Samsung Galaxy S2 or S3 phone to take advantage of 3G service on T-Mobile.
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When the OP made the thread and mentioned T-Mobile, I figured he had a T-Mobile compatible phone. If you reqd the post above, you'd see I pointed out that T-Mobile 3G/4G wouldn't work on his phone.
But, don't have to be at a T-Mobile store to get 4G. That's absurd. Also, there's no need for a new T-Mobile phone to get fast data, any T-Mobile 3G phone will work.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Mr.Mischief said:
When the OP made the thread and mentioned T-Mobile, I figured he had a T-Mobile compatible phone. If you reqd the post above, you'd see I pointed out that T-Mobile 3G/4G wouldn't work on his phone.
But, don't have to be at a T-Mobile store to get 4G. That's absurd. Also, there's no need for a new T-Mobile phone to get fast data, any T-Mobile 3G phone will work.
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I disagree, it may sound absurd until you realize they don't really have any 4G network anyplace but they need service inside the stores so they can display the phones working. In the Phoenix, Mesa and Scottsdale areas the only place you can get 4G on T-Mobil is in or near the T-Mobil stores where they have a 5 bar signal. They claim they aren't using an amp or anything but if you leave the store and go down the street a few blocks there's no signal and it's not available anywhere else.
As for saying "any T-Mobile 3G phone will work" you know they haven't sold 3G phones since 2010, right? None of the new Samsung 4G phones can get 3G either, at least none of the ones I looked at in the store could get it since they don't have an option for HSPA or HSPA+, just GSM and WCDMA with nothing in between.
stevec5000 said:
I disagree, it may sound absurd until you realize they don't really have any 4G network anyplace but they need service inside the stores so they can display the phones working. In the Phoenix, Mesa and Scottsdale areas the only place you can get 4G on T-Mobil is in or near the T-Mobil stores where they have a 5 bar signal. They claim they aren't using an amp or anything but if you leave the store and go down the street a few blocks there's no signal and it's not available anywhere else.
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Tinfoil hat much? Nuff said.
I get T-Mobile 4G all over Alabama, miles away from the T-Mobile store. I also travel yearly to TN, LA, MI, and GA, and I get T-Mobile 4G in those states as well.
stevec5000 said:
As for saying "any T-Mobile 3G phone will work" you know they haven't sold 3G phones since 2010, right? None of the new Samsung 4G phones can get 3G either, at least none of the ones I looked at in the store could get it since they don't have an option for HSPA or HSPA+, just GSM and WCDMA with nothing in between.
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All T-Mobile smartphones phones are capable of 3G. You confusing T-Mobile 4G with LTE. T-Mobile doesn't have LTE, and their 4G network is nothing more than fast 3G. The icon in the corner of your screen might only show 4G, but there are many instances where it's actually getting 3G I get 3G with my Galaxy Nexus on T-Mobile.
You really need to do some serious research.
Lets try and keep this on topic of the thread bout sim card and not go off about how good the actual networks are etc.
The fact of the matter is, you'll only get 3G/4G (HSPA+) on AT&T and AT&T MNVO's. If OP needs fast data, I'd recommend a Straight Talk AT&T-Compatible SIM from http://straighttalk.com. It's $50 for a month of unlimited everything (just don't go too crazy with data). When you fill in the APN, ignore any proxy fields except for "MMS Proxy".
Product F(RED) said:
The fact of the matter is, you'll only get 3G/4G (HSPA+) on AT&T and AT&T MNVO's. If OP needs fast data, I'd recommend a Straight Talk AT&T-Compatible SIM from http://straighttalk.com. It's $50 for a month of unlimited everything (just don't go too crazy with data). When you fill in the APN, ignore any proxy fields except for "MMS Proxy".
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His phone runs on 900MHz and 2100MHz, doesn't AT&T 3G run on 850MHz and 1900MHz?
Oh wow, he has some funky frequencies. He'll need a different phone for 3G/4G on any network then. Basic functions and EDGE should work though.

Switching to ATT Postpaid

Using T-Mobile is very fun, and I love pink and everything, but there is no coverage at my college of choice. ATT has mad heavy LTE down there, and I wish to switch. Any guides/tips for how to do this? The website is pretty difficult to navigate (I think most carriers do this).
Any help would be appreciated!
Imagination is for turbo-nerds who can't handle how kick-butt reality is!
Are you asking how to switch to AT&T, or how to enable LTE?
For AT&T, see this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2021401
For LTE, see this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2211618
The Nexus 4 only (unoffically) supports Band 4 LTE (1700 MHz), while AT&T mostly uses Band 17 (700 MHz)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UMTS_frequency_bands
HSPA+21 on AT&T is your best bet if Magenta T-Mobile (or i wireless) has no service there.
http://www.iwireless.com/
SpookyTunes said:
Are you asking how to switch to AT&T, or how to enable LTE?
For AT&T, see this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2021401
For LTE, see this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2211618
The Nexus 4 only (unoffically) supports Band 4 LTE (1700 MHz), while AT&T mostly uses Band 17 (700 MHz)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UMTS_frequency_bands
HSPA+21 on AT&T is your best bet if Magenta T-Mobile (or i wireless) has no service there.
http://www.iwireless.com/
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That was a fantastic post, and I feel bad to not have clarified earlier. I meant hspa+21 instead of LTE.
Right now I'm using the 30 dollar tmobile plan and wanted the ATT equivalent. I just didn't know what plan, or how to even get ATT service. There is very little information on that topic.
upstandingcitizen said:
That was a fantastic post, and I feel bad to not have clarified earlier. I meant hspa+21 instead of LTE.
Right now I'm using the 30 dollar tmobile plan and wanted the ATT equivalent. I just didn't know what plan, or how to even get ATT service. There is very little information on that topic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would start by doing some
Settings > More... > Mobile network > Network operators (phone will search for GSM carriers)
and see what shows up (on campus, dorm, etc.).
AT&T has no cheep data options (pre or post paid). Their BIG BLUE, so they DON'T HAVE TO!!
i wireless is a T-Mobile affiliate company, and the maps show excellent coverage in the DesMoines / Ames / Iowa City areas (although maps do not always reflect reality), they do have some better pre-paid plans for data users.
If your set on AT&T, try http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/plans/prepaidplans.html
or you can look into a MVNO like Net10 (Unlocked 850 & 1900 MHz band AT&T SIM).
The main issue with T-Mobile is they hate roaming. They put a few towers in places they don't market to (like Des Moines and Omaha) for business travelers, and even deliberately disable roaming in Iowa City.
One final though, you could tell AT&T you have a Nexus 7 tablet and get the 3GB of data for $30 pre-paid tablet deal.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2024204
Your best bet would be to go to an at&t store so you can walk out with a sim and a working phone. But two issues with that. One IIRC, at&t's cheapest smart phone plan is like 70 bucks a month. And two, I haven't heard if at&t had fixed the issue with not giving the N4 the proper data plan yet (speed wise 3G vs HSPA+)
Good luck!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
gotzaDroid said:
Your best bet would be to go to an at&t store so you can walk out with a sim and a working phone. But two issues with that. One IIRC, at&t's cheapest smart phone plan is like 70 bucks a month. And two, I haven't heard if at&t had fixed the issue with not giving the N4 the proper data plan yet (speed wise 3G vs HSPA+)
Good luck!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
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If it is post paid, there is no problem getting hspa+ data speeds on the AT&T network. One just has to enter the proper APN. Prepaid could still be an issue, I'm not sure. But, since AT&T now has a prepaid smartphone data plan, I would think it should be possible.

[Q] Verizon service/plans when it comes to phablets

I have a phone that I bought from Verizon and I have kept the unlimited data. I know all about my phone but next to nothing about my service.
My question is specifically about phablets (for example, this) which is basically a big ass phone, or a tablet with cell service, however you want to word it. I'd use it exclusively with bluetooth instead of holding the thing up to my head, don't worry.
I travel internationally and see them A LOT in other countries (they cannot help me though since I need one to use in the US). I am under the impression that VZ will not activate anything I did not buy from them. I don't know how solid this is but every VZ employee I have asked has confirmed this so far. I know in the past that it used to be as simple as switching out the SIM card but doubt this is still the case.
I'm sure there are some hardware specs (frequencies?) that I need to look at that would determine the LTE/4G/3G whatever compatibility, but I don't know the terminology. Also I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at when it comes to CDMA vs GSM, only that blokes in England use GSM. Can you help me out?
Also, I am hesitant to leave VZ because of the unlimited data and the service coverage. I live in mildly populated CT, USA and would welcome a prepaid plan if data/service is comparable but don't even know where to begin looking.
Thank you in advance - I really don't have anyone else to ask about this stuff.
I'll try to make it simple for you. There are really two types of cell networks (not counting LTE, since all carriers are using that now here in the US): GSM and CDMA.
CDMA is what Verizon, Sprint, US Cellular, MetroPCS, Cricket, and maybe other smaller carriers use. It is based on a serial number called a ESN on older phones or MEID on newer phones (since the late 2000s). That serial number is burned into the programming of the phone on the ROM and cannot be changed very easily and is illegal to do so supposedly. There are two types of CDMA technology in use today, 1xRTT and EVDO (older analog was phased out a few years ago). 1xRTT or 1x as it's abbreviated, is a "2G" technology that allows for packet switched voice and SMS traffic, as well as very very slow data speeds (think 56k dialup). EVDO is strictly for data (the voice part was never added because they didn't want to pony up the cost of it) and is used in Rev 0 and Rev A EVDO. Most Verizon/Sprint 3G is Rev. A EVDO. It hits a max of 3.1Mbps down and if you get a call or text message, it drops to 1x and the 3g is suspended, unless you have a radio that can do both at once (HTC Thunderbolt). You activate by serial number and a bad ESN means they didn't pay their bill or it was an insurance claim on a lost phone and they are blacklisted.
GSM is a technology essentially where it uses a little plastic and electronic card called a SIM card. T-Mobile and AT&T are the two major carriers with this technology. There are several revisions of this technology in use today, GRPS, Edge, and various UTMS and HSPA versions. GRPS is analogous to 1xRTT in terms of speed, and Edge is in between and gives up to 250kb/s down, technically a 3g technology, although not feeling like it. UTMS, HSPA, and WCDMA all refer to a similar type of technology which is what is used by the 3G level of service of AT&T and T-Mobile (fake 4G on T-Mobile). It goes from just faster than Edge to DC-HSPA 42Mbps down speeds and allows for simultaneous voice/data (Edge and GRPS are either data or voice, not both). Your phone number is tied to the SIM card and this technology offers an advantage of if your main phone craps out, you can store your contacts on the SIM and just put it in another phone and still have service.
Roaming and tower authentication are completely different in GSM vs. CDMA. CDMA uses what's called a PRL (Preferred Roaming List) to determine which towers to authenticate to essentially, and sets priority. Some people will "hack" the PRL by changing it so for example if they have Sprint and their tower has the crappy 3g speeds, they roam on Verizon since they have unlimited roaming and get Verizon's better 3g speeds. GSM roaming is set per tower or location on the SIM card, and is a pretty static value dependent on the carrier. Roaming is only if they allow it depending on your plan and location (like T-Mobile prepaid will not roam on AT&T, but postpaid "Uncarrier" plans will).
So what you have is probably a tablet based on the data that gets EVDO service and probably 1xRTT and maybe LTE. If you have it on a phone plan and not a tablet plan, it's probably a Note 2 or something which is just really a phone from what it sounds like if you use Bluetooth. CDMA carriers will only use their devices and lock down ESNs to what they sell, so you can't buy a device from Sprint and put it on Verizon. The exception to that is sometimes prepaid carriers will let you "flash" the phone to their service but don't guarantee the results and don't support it. Examples include Cricket, MetroPCS, Page Plus, and I think Virgin Mobile or Boost *might*, but don't quote me.
LTE is a newer technology which isn't technically 4G yet since we haven't seen speeds here in the US on current LTE revisions of over 100Mbps, but they do have the ability with the right equipment. It uses SIM cards so you will see newer Verizon/Sprint devices actually use SIM cards for service (which is superior as noted above), and have an ESN so it can fall back to 1x or EV. The plan is to eventually roll out LTE to all towers and if you have a LTE device, you use LTE for voice and data (VoLTE), but all carriers don't have LTE on all towers so they fall back to HSPA/Edge or 1x for voice for now. They probably have dual radios like the HTC Thunderbolt and use both at the same time but LTE is still a maturing technology and has a lot of potential.
I hope this helps.
Edit: I forgot to add, for the smaller prepaid plans, you have to look at who they are based off of. Most of them just use a parent network from one of the 4 big carriers (Cricket being the exception, they have their own towers and roam on Sprint if you leave native coverage). I know Page Plus uses prepaid Verizon towers, but for the most part you won't get unlimited uncapped data on Verizon unless you keep your old $30 grandfathered plan. If you switch to a limited data plan, say bye bye. Honestly if you don't want to pay Verizon prices (I don't blame you), and you have the availability for it for coverage, T-Mobile or Sprint have good options. T-Mobile's network where they have 3g/4g is way way good. They just deployed equipment on their towers that's above everyone else with new NSN antennas and the LTE revision is LTE-A I think (check what Milan posted on Howard Forums for sure), but it's high dollar equipment that isn't cheap. Also they are upgrading the backhaul on their towers and most people are pulling between 10-20Mbps on DC-HSPA and 15-30Mbps on LTE. Milan got about 25 Mbps in NYC on T-Mobile LTE so they are a really good way to go and you can get an unlimited plan for $70 a month prepaid. Also, you can get a 5GB/100 min/unlimited SMS plan for $30 from Wal-Mart/tmobile.com.

Will I be able to get LTE on ATT since the phone is sim unlocked?

Hi Guys,
I have an extra upgrade on my account, but want to use it on AT&T. I know the phones are sim unlocked, but will I be able to use LTE on AT&T?
jcafowler said:
Hi Guys,
I have an extra upgrade on my account, but want to use it on AT&T. I know the phones are sim unlocked, but will I be able to use LTE on AT&T?
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I believe just on bands 2 and 4. AT&T uses band 12/17 for their low-band spectrum (great for in buildings and rural areas), so you'd have sub-par experience.
To get the best experience, try swapping (literally) phones with someone selling an AT&T one on Swappa.
General information to follow:
https://swappa.com/faq/general/how_to_trade
I have a verizon s7 edge. I have an att sim a Tmobile sim and a Verizon sim that I swap depending on the area I am in (I use google voice with call forwarding so my number doesn't change)
Att and Tmobile work fine 80% of the time. But anywhere that the 12 band is used you will have no signal in heavey populated areas you will have no issues, but once you get into the less populated areas your coverage is spotty...
I have to use verizon at home, t mobile at work for the free music and video streaming, and Att well I hate ATT but I have a number on my ex wife's family plan for another 7 months so I use the data I am allocated on the plan then swap the card out again.

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