T-Mobile Adding AT&T 3G/4G to their Network? Unlocked iPhone Users Rejoice
According to CNET and 9to5Mac, an unlocked iPhone user on T-Mobile’s network was at WWDC yesterday and his iPhone all of a sudden went from 2G to 3G. He was understandably baffled.
You see, AT&T iPhones (and most AT&T branded devices) were built with AT&T’s 3G frequencies of 850mhz and 1900mhz inside. This allows the phone to see those frequencies, which are the ones that AT&T uses here in the States to send out their 3G signal. 3G frequencies in the phone match the ones on the carrier it is being used on, viola you have 3G. If they don’t match, then no 3G for you.
Every carrier in the States has their own frequencies they use and so a lot of times, even if you unlock an AT&T phone and try to use it on the other GSM network here in the States, T-Mobile, you’ll be able to make calls, send texts, and surf the web (since the 2G frequencies are all the same for each carrier here), but you won’t get 3G no matter how hard you try. The device simply can’t see the necessary frequencies (T-Mobile uses 1700mhz, but AT&T uses the aforementioned 850/1900mhz). For a bit more info, check our Wireless 101 article about 3G.
So you can imagine when that user saw the 3G symbol come up on his T-Mobile iPhone how confused he was. Fortunately, he didn’t have to stay confused for long. Shortly after, T-Mobile announced that they are now test running AT&T’s frequencies on their network, and they happened to be testing them first right where Apple’s developer conference was being held (pure coincidence? right). They plan to launch these new frequencies nationwide ASAP.
This could be a big deal, not just for iPhone users, but for overseas users who might have an unlocked device they are bringing over. A lot of unlocked phones have that magical 1900mhz 3G built in so that when the user travels to the States, they can still get 3G when using an AT&T prepaid SIM card. Now those users can use T-Mobile as well when this goes through.
Probably even more exciting for T-Mobile users, is the idea of using phones that were built with AT&T’s 3G frequencies by unlocking them and putting in a T-Mobile SIM. Phones like the Nokia Lumia 900, the HTC One X from Europe (which has a quad-core processor instead of the one on AT&T that only has a dual core processor), and the list goes on.
Anyone else excited about this like I am (whether you have an iPhone or not)?
