Messages

1

Tech Hotline / Expressing T-Mobile's network quality vs. others

« on: Yesterday at 03:39:07 pm »

I came to T-Mobile back in November 2006. What interested me in their service was #1 Their pricing was lower than the others. #2 Everyone I knew seemed to have them and never complain. #3 I had heard they had the best customer service. #4 Their website was appealing to me. #5 Back then their EDGE signal was among the best. When I had received my Nokia 6101 via UPS I turned it on and noticed I had full bars of EDGE. The service was even better than Verizon and I know that is very hard to say since Verizon usually provides the best coverage around. So a month had passed and I upgraded and problems began with Customer Service even tho the problems weren't that much and I still liked the service. T-Mobile finally announced that they were participating in an AWS 3G auction. While waiting for 3G service that others had around since as early as 2003/2004. I had the thought to switch companies but instead I waited for 3G. It launched in 2009 in my area and once I got to using noticed the signal quality and quality of service degrading. I got 4G service a couple years later and that didn't help much. Now were in 2013 and T-Mobile is launching LTE and I hope they get this right. On some days I am stuck on GPRS, Some EDGE and UNKNOWN Mode but on other days I get EDGE and UNKNOWN. AT&T did a turn around in the area and now the coverage is much better than T-Mobile. So has your network experience degraded over the years?

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Tech Hotline / Re: Why did T-Mobile activate BAND 2 1900 HSPA+ w/ NO Connection to Service?

« on: February 19, 2013, 05:03:46 pm »

I can now roam on AT&T . I can select AT&T as the default network .

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Nokia Lumia 710 / Re: Has anyone been successful getting 7.8

« on: February 04, 2013, 05:47:47 pm »

And I see it won't be available by T-Mobile. You can jailbreak it and proceed with an install from a custom ROM if you really want 7.8.

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Tech Hotline / Re: Why did T-Mobile activate BAND 2 1900 HSPA+ w/ NO Connection to Service?

« on: January 29, 2013, 05:18:22 pm »

I called T-Mobile today to try to discuss the issue. He understood but told me it was most likely Samsung at fault and that i'd have to call Samsung. I called Samsung and the lady told me that its probably a software issue. I haven't even rooted yet but I probably will end up doing so. This is my 2nd Note II so I know that it is not the phone since it did it on the last one. I'm about to go take screenshots to show whats going on. Its getting very annoying that when it does this I can't even get calls. Also it shows SIB19 enables too when it happens. But its not usually enabled on the other bands.

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Tech Hotline / Re: Why did T-Mobile activate BAND 2 1900 HSPA+ w/ NO Connection to Service?

« on: January 26, 2013, 12:21:29 am »

Well its only happening to my phone that I know of. I deal with iPhone's all day long and when using 3G 1900 for a T-Mobile tower provider its fine for them including the AT&T Unlocked Androids i've tested

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The Circus (lounge) / Re: What are YOUR frustrations?!!!!!!

« on: January 25, 2013, 01:14:38 pm »

LOL. Hello everyone.

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Tech Hotline / Why did T-Mobile activate BAND 2 1900 HSPA+ w/ NO Connection to Service?

« on: January 25, 2013, 12:11:48 pm »

I had thought if your going to turn on a frequency for a type of network that it would be in working order. However, that is not the case in my area for example. Others on XDA are complaining of a strange bug within the CM 10.1 thread of the Samsung Galaxy Note II that they are having issues when on WCDMA. However, the bug doesn't sound like a bug and it seems to look like the same problem i'm having. My service will go into the refarmed band and then the service menu displays Limited and the network displays as searching or no service. Even tho there are 2 to 3 bars. Figuring out that T-Mobile has the towers on but does not have any services running on it. I want to know if anyone can explain why T-Mobile did this as I can't call out nor do anything when this happens before it switches back to Band 4.

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T-Mobile Services / Re: time frame on 1900MHz refarming?

« on: December 24, 2012, 01:43:01 am »

From my understanding the reason is like why others were like the same at first when they rolled a type of 3G network may it be CDMA type EVDO or GSM type UMTS/WCDMA. When they first roll it out they seem to want to roll it out at the lowest and keep tuning it up year by year. Maybe the FCC has some kind of requirement or its like a game to them. But I know they will probably come back and turn it up, add to towers and say its been upgraded. I have the GN2 and its a good phone except don't drop it LOL.

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T-Mobile Services / Re: time frame on 1900MHz refarming?

« on: December 22, 2012, 11:30:09 pm »

Its usually on a yearly basis. But sometimes they will make special trips within 1 to 2 quarter periods to turn up the power and do tuning maintenance on towers and upgrade more towers in that market to fill in gaps but that depends on how big they are in that market. You can go ahead and buy one with both.

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T-Mobile Services / Re: time frame on 1900MHz refarming?

« on: December 21, 2012, 05:12:18 pm »

I don't think T-Mobile is doing a good job with the modernization. I agree that they are using less power for WCDMA. They always do and its probably way less power than AWS at least for now. Eventually they will come back and turn up the power.

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T-Mobile Services / Re: time frame on 1900MHz refarming?

« on: December 18, 2012, 11:16:58 am »

Same issue is going on here as well. On the 13th I discovered that 3G popped up on an iPhone 3GS on Simple Mobile and then I saw an unlocked AT&T Android also pop up on 3G. Then on an iPhone 5. But it kept flip flopping back and forth because the signal was horrible. Theres been network issues as of late however on these devices.

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T-Mobile Services / Re: time frame on 1900MHz refarming?

« on: November 04, 2012, 06:53:34 pm »

Just wait till December and there should be an announcement of the refarmed areas.

13

T-Mobile Services / Re: time frame on 1900MHz refarming?

« on: October 03, 2012, 10:47:18 am »

Thanks for the extremely detailed replies J-Hop2o6 and Viper Matrix Wireless. I think I mostly understood everything.

A couple points for clarification:

1) When I was asking if coverage for 1900 Mhz HSPA+ would be just as good as AWS, when the refarm is done, I meant in terms of geographical area covered (numbers of towers, I suppose?), not technically how good is the building penetration (although that's a nice plus to know about). Will I get coverage in all the same places that I might go with my AWS phone right now, with a phone that does HSPA+ on 1900 Mhz?

2) Is there a way if I can tell right now if I'm getting HSPA+ on 1900 Mhz, without have a 1900 Mhz HSPA+ phone (I have a Nexus One)?

3) Viper when you say that it would be best to get a phone that has the 850/1900 bands, are you saying that this will be preferable to a phone with AWS HSPA+? That is, if it's a choice between one or the other, since there are very few phones that have both.

4) Eventually will this mean that AT&T phones are completely compatible with T-Mobile's network both on HSPA+ and LTE (using AWS)? They would work just as well as a T-Mobile phone?

Thanks again for all the details and explanation above.

There will be more towers to provide coverage on 1900 than AWS 1700. I wasn't trying to speak about building penetration. I was comparing on the coverage you get over GSM 1900 today is comparable to what you'd receive over HSPA+ 1900.

Depends on the Nexus One version you own and if the software supports switching over to WCDMA 1900 or Band II. Looks for the Nexus One your either or have 1900 or just 1700. If you have AWS HSPA+ then you won't have PCS HSPA+.

850 will be featured in newer phones and this is just for AT&T roaming. Phones after the Sensation support 1900 HSPA+. It is better to have both AWS HSPA+ & 1900 HSPA+ than to have just one but 1900 HSPA+ would serve better. Phones on T-Mobile will support both.

AT&T phones in the future will support LTE on AWS LTE but AWS HSPA+ on T-Mobile will eventually be moved completely on PCS HSPA+ completely. Making AWS HSPA+ convert over to AWS LTE completely. But AT&T hasn't made a HSPA+ 42 phone just up to 21. Since AT&T really only has 14.4 deployed mostly. It would discontinue AWS HSPA+. AT&T doesn't have plans so far to have HSPA on AWS. 1 of the phones I pointed out is a first for AT&T LTE Roaming on T-Mobile. So 700 Band 17 could be seen in more phones as well.









 

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T-Mobile Services / Re: time frame on 1900MHz refarming?

« on: October 02, 2012, 05:20:58 pm »

Well that & I think a bunch of people left the carrier completely and onto somewhere else sadly.

I do have a question tho. Why does the Samsung Galaxy Note II have AT&T LTE Roaming?

Yea I miss the old small little community we had here for a couple of years =(  .. What have you been up to?
But yea, I have no clue. I guess its more of not having alot of different variants. Easier to have the whole package. Plus Samsung has more say and cant be pushed around by the US Cartel Carriers as before. That's my guess. I'm not complaining atleast.

The 20MHz in the chart below will come after the initialization of Phase 1. Nothing much really. Trying to get alot of rest.

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T-Mobile Services / Re: time frame on 1900MHz refarming?

« on: October 01, 2012, 01:23:33 pm »

Well that & I think a bunch of people left the carrier completely and onto somewhere else sadly.

I do have a question tho. Why does the Samsung Galaxy Note II have AT&T LTE Roaming?

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Tech Hotline / Re: No voice service, not even over wifi. TMo CS says it's... the SIM card?

« on: October 01, 2012, 01:39:02 am »

Honestly. I would have tried a NEW SIM card. It sounded like it.

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G2 / Re: Android 2.2 System Update for T-Mobile G2™ by HTC | 08.09.2012

« on: October 01, 2012, 01:37:15 am »

Ummm didn't the G2 make it to 2.3?

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T-Mobile Services / Re: samsung galaxy s3 slow 4g

« on: October 01, 2012, 01:35:30 am »

I'd try a different SIM card first.

19

Tech Hotline / Re: Please Help! Phone wont wake up (rooted LG G2X) thanks

« on: October 01, 2012, 01:32:56 am »

Do the Unroot sequence to go back to stock and then Reroot all over again.

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T-Mobile Services / Re: time frame on 1900MHz refarming?

« on: October 01, 2012, 01:17:50 am »

1. The coverage that you receive today over 2G 1900 will be just about the same as it. You'll notice a bit of less signal but will be greater than the AWS (1700) HSPA+ 42 network T-Mobile has. It will also be faster. Areas that DO NOT have HSPA+ 42 at all will receive it in the refarm. It would actually be best to upgrade to a device that does include 850/1900 bands. The markets that have HSPA+ 21 still due to spectrum constraint will finally get HSPA+ 42 on 1900. Phase 1 indicates that T-Mobile split HSPA+ 42 into 2 bands. Phase 2 indicates T-Mobile add more capacity to 1900 HSPA+ 42 and lessen 2G GSM spectrum down to a range of 5-10MHz. LTE AWS (1700) will have 2x capacity. Eventually LTE will fully take up the AWS band while HSPA+ takes ups all of the PCS band.

2. In the beginning it will in some areas. T-Mobile has an estimated 25-30MHz on average in most markets of AWS. In Phase 1 50% of the market will get the 10MHz (144) LTE and the other half will get just 5MHz (72) to began with. Its 25MHz PCS & 35MHz AWS. It was 25MHz before AT&T lost. A city like Seattle will get 10MHz (144) pretty much thats 2x more than spectrum than Verizon uses. I don't think they have any 144M networks even installed just 72M. So in the end it won't make too much difference in most markets. 20MHz HSPA+ + 10MHz LTE = 30MHz used on AWS. As of right now 30MHz would give you 1000M on LTE-A. But 20MHz of spectrum for LTE does 300M also.

3. Either 2014 or 2015 is when thats going to come. I would expect that to happen by 2015. Eventually they will need to be replaced.

NOTE: I expect that T-Mobile will come into some spectrum soon. Anywhere between 10MHz - 20MHz. Now lets wait and see what happens.

EDIT: Documentation shows that networks are at a new speed spec. 10MHz on LTE-A could = 330M now on LTE vs 10MHz = 100M as before.