Travel Technology - 3G HSDPA frequencies in the USA

HI!

err...sorry for title.

Can someone please tell me that the HSDPA frequencies used in the USA are different than overseas? My friend likes Nokia and her family is going to buy her a phone from Singapore and send it over her to the USA.

but I thought 3G frequencies are different here in the USA vs. the rest of the world so she should just buy her phone over here (Yes, I know selection is limited).

also:

1) What are HSDPA 3G frequencies for AT&T and Tmobile in USA?

AT&T uses 850/1900

TMobile uses 1700/2100

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Deployed_UMTS_networks

I've used my (2G) Motorola US-purchased AT&T (Cingular) phone in Singapore with no problem whatsoever. I would imagine that the added 3G frequencies will match as well.

Cheers.

I've used my (2G) Motorola US-purchased AT&T (Cingular) phone in Singapore with no problem whatsoever. I would imagine that the added 3G frequencies will match as well.

Cheers.


Sorry brp, but GSM/2G and 3G are a totally different ballgame.

She basically needs to pick a 3G phone that supports 850/1900 if she wants 3G here.

Samsung's BlackJack II and the iPhone are two that are pretty much cover it all.

Sony's walkman 3G phones mostly speak 2100 which isn't going to help her here unless she's OK with Tmobile, and OK with waiting for a while (tmobile's 3g footprint is nowhere near as big as AT&T's, NYC and Vegas last time I checked).

Sorry brp, but GSM/2G and 3G are a totally different ballgame.

She basically needs to pick a 3G phone that supports 850/1900 if she wants 3G here.

Samsung's BlackJack II and the iPhone are two that are pretty much cover it all.

Sony's walkman 3G phones mostly speak 2100 which isn't going to help her here unless she's OK with Tmobile, and OK with waiting for a while (tmobile's 3g footprint is nowhere near as big as AT&T's, NYC and Vegas last time I checked).

Don't forget HTC phones, like the Tilt that are quad-band 3G.

Sorry brp, but GSM/2G and 3G are a totally different ballgame.

She basically needs to pick a 3G phone that supports 850/1900 if she wants 3G here.

I thought that the 2G GSM supports one of the frequencies (the 850MHz range for AT&T) and the 3G supports both? I know that AT&T uses 850 and 1900, and my 2G phone works with this...so I must be close :)

Cheers.

Same bandwidth, nothing else in common.

You need to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. 2100 is the most common 3G freq in use globally. 2100 is not in widespread use here.

She should just get an iPhone and not worry about it.

Its hardware dependent right? It is not something that a firmware re-flash will change correct?

Do the phones actually have different antenna lengths? for the different frequencies?

Its hardware dependent right? It is not something that a firmware re-flash will change correct?

Do the phones actually have different antenna lengths? for the different frequencies?


Yes, hardware dependent. No antenna differences (look at the iPhone ;) )

Yes, hardware dependent. No antenna differences (look at the iPhone ;) )

I haven't looked at the iPhone tear downs. I didn't know if they had different sizes internally...

so she can get a 3G phone from overseas that supports 2100
and then use it on Tmobile USA when it is rolled out in Chicago?

or is the carrier implementation of HSDPA weird so even though the frequency is the same, it won't work?

So the only way to get a better 3G phone overseas, is if

1) you go with AT&T in the USA?

since tmobile has some weird frequency?

I'd classify all of the US as "weird" with Tmobile being the only "semi-non-weird" since they are looking at 2100.

But, since Tmobile is only running 3G n NYC and Las Vegas, if you want 3G you have to go with AT&T. I have no idea when tmobile will roll out 3G in Chicago.

Again, if you want her to be safe, she should just go with a SingTel iPhone. She'll be happy with it...

The resident nokia fans can correct me, but I don't believe that nokia makes a 850/1900/2100 umts
phone.

Its either GSM + 2100 UMTS, or the "American version" of GSM + 850/1900 UMTS.

I'd classify all of the US as "weird" with Tmobile being the only "semi-non-weird" since they are looking at 2100.

But, since Tmobile is only running 3G n NYC and Las Vegas, if you want 3G you have to go with AT&T. I have no idea when tmobile will roll out 3G in Chicago.

Again, if you want her to be safe, she should just go with a SingTel iPhone. She'll be happy with it...

got me before i could edit my message :)

so before it was tri-band GSM then quad-band GSM...

so does anyone make a GSM + 850/1900/2100 umts phone?

not sure what this means...

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1328378

so tmobile 2100 implementation different?

ok i been lurking at howardforums.

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1431208&highlight=nokia

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1431148&highlight=nokia

which makes things clear as mud.

so before it was tri-band GSM then quad-band GSM...

so does anyone make a GSM + 850/1900/2100 umts phone?

Yes. The iPhone and Samsung Blackjack II are 850/900/1800/1900 gsm, plus 850/1900/2100 UMTS.

Same bandwidth, nothing else in common.

You need to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. 2100 is the most common 3G freq in use globally. 2100 is not in widespread use here.

She should just get an iPhone and not worry about it.

While the iPHONE 3G is a decent device with an excellent OS, it is not the only handset capable of "true" world roaming. The SonyEricsson W760i is also tri-band UMTS (850MHz/1900MHz/2100MHz) and quad-band GSM (850MHz/900MHz/1800MHz/1900MHz) which has so far been an excellent performer in the USA and abroad.

With regards to T-Mobile USA, they are deploying their UMTS network in a hybrid 1700MHz/2100MHz configuration. Essentially, T-Mobile USA is going to use one frequency for the downlink and one frequency for the uplink. (I do not remember which is up and which is down.) So, a UMTS 2100MHz handset would NOT be able to properly function on the T-Mobile USA network.

Dan

The resident nokia fans can correct me, but I don't believe that nokia makes a 850/1900/2100 umts
phone.

Its either GSM + 2100 UMTS, or the "American version" of GSM + 850/1900 UMTS.

Consider yourself corrected. Kind of. :)

The Nokia N85 supports either 2100/1900/900, or 2100/1900/850, depending on version.

Of course, it won't be out until next month ;)

so before it was tri-band GSM then quad-band GSM...

so does anyone make a GSM + 850/1900/2100 umts phone?

Palm Treo, HTC Tytn II and Blackjack. IPhone needs an I Battery that you can change!

Palm Treo, HTC Tytn II and Blackjack. IPhone needs an I Battery that you can change!

iPhone needs a changable battery to be able to use different frequencies?

Yes, I understand that some people can't get over the fact they can't change the battery easily but that is not particularly relevant to this discussion is it?

The iPhone can do what the GP requested.

Sony's walkman 3G phones mostly speak 2100

Wrong, the current Sony Ericsson 3G phones all support 850/1900/2100 MHz HSDPA.

Wrong, the current Sony Ericsson 3G phones all support 850/1900/2100 MHz HSDPA.

Sorry to pop your bubble. I have a Walkman 880i as my Japan phone. It only speaks 2100 UMTS.

http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/specifications/w880i?cc=us&lc=en

Sony's 3G phones all do 2100. There are a few 3G multiband ones. I don't have the energy to look them all up.

Wrong, the current Sony Ericsson 3G phones all support 850/1900/2100 MHz HSDPA.

Uh, no.

There are almost no SE phones that do 3G on those 3 bands. Just like Nokia, SE don't understand the need for better 3G support.

Even the newest SE phones still only add 2100 3G support. SE suck at global 3G support.

iPhone needs a changable battery to be able to use different frequencies?

Yes, I understand that some people can't get over the fact they can't change the battery easily but that is not particularly relevant to this discussion is it?

The iPhone can do what the GP requested.

Of course, the lack of easy access to an unlocked iPhone 3G pretty much rules it out as a good solution. At $20/MB of data it's a really really bad idea to use an iPhone 3G abroad without using a prepaid sim with data enabled.

Even the newest SE phones still only add 2100 3G support. SE suck at global 3G support.

Which "newest" phones are you talking about? The W760 and the Z750?
They both support 850/1900/2100 HSDPA.

Which "newest" phones are you talking about? The W760 and the Z750?
They both support 850/1900/2100 HSDPA.

You went from "all 3G" to "2" :)

Like I said, All 3G SE phones support 2100. Only a few (including the X1) are 3G tri band. There are a bunch of 2100 only (Walkman line).

Scott is right, SE is right there with Nokia. They're still working on the strategy.

Which "newest" phones are you talking about? The W760 and the Z750?
They both support 850/1900/2100 HSDPA.

HAHA... You picked pretty much the only 2 that actually have triband HSDPA. The new phones I'm talking about are... ALL OF THEM. ALL (ok, the X1 does have quadband 3G)

All the other upcoming SE phones have just singleband 3G, even including their flagship C905.

And SE wonder why they are losing marketshare....

In all fairness, there are more tri-band UMTS SE handsets than there are Nokia/Motorola/Samsung/LG. However, I agree that most phones are not coming out that way and probably will not for some time.

I myself own a SE W760i which is tri-band UMTS and quad-band GSM.

As ScottC aptly points out, the iPHONE is hard to find unlocked.

Dan

iPhone needs a changable battery to be able to use different frequencies?

Yes, I understand that some people can't get over the fact they can't change the battery easily but that is not particularly relevant to this discussion is it?

The iPhone can do what the GP requested.

Just not a good product in my opinion

Just not a good product in my opinion

Do you own one?

I have played with the iPHONE in both 2G and 3G flavors and while I find the OS to be great, the engineering seems to be less than acceptable.

Without question it does best job of rendering websites on a mobile device and that alone is enough for me to praise the device. However, its reception issues (especially with the 3G model) and its nature to be a true DATA hog make it less than acceptable.

All in all, I kind of wish that APPLE would license the OS (I know, a pipe dream) to the other manufacturers as I find the OS to be almost superior to what else is available on the market.

Right now, UMTS 3G is in its infancy here in the USA and only now is starting to become more and more widespread. Surprisingly, Hawaii is probably the most widely deployed and most technologically sound 3G network as at&t Mobility worked closely with NTT docomo of Japan to deploy the network there.

Finding a tri-band unlocked UMTS phone at the moment is somewhat complicated strictly due to few number of handsets meeting that criteria. I imagine that as time progress, more and more handset manufacturers will start rolling out tri-band UMTS handsets.

It should be noted that manufacturers like Samsung and LG are still producing tri-band GSM phones for sales here in the USA.

Dan

My 17 year old has had a 1st gen iPhone for over about a year, and recently traded up to the 2nd gen iPhone. He treats his phones like the gorilla in the American Tourister ads treated his suitcase (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2ZeIoLz8FE). I have not heard a peep from him on either iPhone. Maybe we've been lucky, or maybe they just work...

Did not see this mentioned. The treo 750 is also triband 3G and quadband. I am currently using it on MTN Nigeria which just recently deployed 3G

OP: Nokia 3120 Classic (http://europe.nokia.com/A4817005), available in Singapore, has UMTS 850 and UMTS 2100, so will work in the US and everywhere else. It's a nice little phone with Bluetooth, decent camera, videocalling, FM radio, hi-res QVGA display,etc. Best part is I paid 129€ unlocked with an included 1GB MicroSD card.

Local Spore review here: http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=1935936 also mentions some local shops selling it.

OP: Nokia 3120 Classic (http://europe.nokia.com/A4817005), available in Singapore, has UMTS 850 and UMTS 2100, so will work in the US and everywhere else. It's a nice little phone with Bluetooth, decent camera, videocalling, FM radio, hi-res QVGA display,etc. Best part is I paid 129€ unlocked with an included 1GB MicroSD card.

Local Spore review here: http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=1935936 also mentions some local shops selling it.

Not exactly, currently in the USA at&t Mobility has deployed the majority of their UMTS (3G) network on their 1900Mhz spectrum. In the future as at&t Mobility transitions more of their customers to UMTS they will start to deploy more of their UMTS network on their 850Mhz spectrum.

Until that point, the Nokia 3120 will take advantage of very little of at&t Mobility's UMTS (3G) network.

Dan