ClassicConnect

[LyraNovaHeart]

Heya~ Considering buying a new phone? Or want to use something that's not from the US? Then stay, you're on the right page.

Here we'll be looking at basically a one stop guide to all the US carriers (Spoiler: there's only 3), because all of them are VERY confusing. Like, it's never simple, and don't even think of asking customer support... it's not fun, some reps don't know anything, some will just lie to you. Just avoid the headache, I'll try to help with that here. First, let's get some info on these US carriers:

Carrier Bands

T-Mobile:

2G: Band 2 (1900MHz) (PCS) (GPRS, EDGE)
3G: None, discontinued in 2022
4G LTE: Band 4 (1700/2100MHz, Band 5 (850MHz)¹, Band 12 (700MHz)², Band 25 (1900MHz), Band 26 (850MHz), Band 41 (2500MHz), Band 66 (Extension of Band 4, 1700/2100MHz), Band 71 (600MHz)²
5G: Band 2 (1900MHz), Band 25 (1900MHz), Band 41 (2500MHz), Band 71 (Band 258 (24GHz)¹, Band 260 (39GHz)¹, Band 261 (28GHz)¹


AT&T:

2G: None
3G: None
4G LTE: Band 2 (1900MHz), Band 4 (1700/2100MHz), Band 5 (850MHz), Band 12/17/29 (700MHz, all bands are 700MHz), Band 14 (700MHz, Public Safety), Band 46 (5900MHz)¹, Band 48 (3600MHz)¹, Band 66 (Extension on AWS 1700/2100MHz)
5G: Band 2 (1900MHz), Band 5 (850MHz), Band 66 (1700MHz/2100MHz), Band 77 (3700MHz), Band 260 (39GHz)¹, Band 261 (28GHz)¹

Verizon:

2G: None
3G: None
4G LTE: Band 2 (1900MHz), Band 4 (1700MHz/2100MHz), Band 5 (850MHz), Band 13 (700MHz), Band 46 (5900MHz)¹, Band 48 (3600MHz)¹, Band 66 (Extension of Band 4, 1700MHz/2100MHz)
5G: Band 2 (1900MHz), Band 5 (850MHz), Band 66 (1700/2100MHz), Band 77 (3700MHz), Band 260 (39GHz)¹, Band 261 (28GHz)¹





¹: Limited Markets
²: Indicates Low Band Frequencies

Note on low bands: These may not seem essential but they absolutely are, they help supplement signal gaps and indoor coverage, without them your coverage will be spotty, at least 1 low band should be enough

Now that we have that out of the way, let's get on to compatibility:




Compatibility
T-Mobile: Generally the least strict when it comes to device activation, with T-Mobile, as long as your device is compatible (as in at least supports 1 band), you can use it just fine, no stringent requirements. 8.8/10 on compatibility, points docked off for not activating some that don't have VoLTE compatibility on T-Mobile US (More on that later)

Verizon: Mixed Bag, They won't consider a device compatible if it doesn't have their special band 13 LTE (Upper 700MHz), but if your device can recognize the SIM, Band 4 should work just fine, 6.2/10 on compatibility since it's much harder to get on VZ's network, but it doesn't have overly strict requirements. Does fully require VoLTE.

AT&T: The worst for compatibility, before AT&T was rather open, however since the 3G shutdown in 2022, International devices are basically a no on AT&T's network, since they will actively kick them off. 3.3/10 on compatibility.



Important: VoLTE

VoLTE or Voice over LTE is a newer standard meant to use the 4G LTE network for voice, it was developed later as the original 4G standard did not support voice, and if your device is a bit old or not from the US, not all networks will allow them to work with VoLTE, it is rather a gamble to test.

Okay... enough technical talk, onto devices


So, What can we use? That's a great question, there are a few do's and dont's with devices, and some more nuanced stuff

Do buy if:

- The device has the required bands for the network you want
- Is a US/EU/HK/SEA/TW model
- Is unlocked
- Is not carrier Branded

Don't buy if

- The device is carrier branded
- It's a Japan/China/Non EU or US device
- Only supports 1-2 bands
- Limited VoLTE support

You can check bands by going to https://www.frequencycheck.com or GSMArena, look for your specific device model (often on the listing or if you already bought it, in the settings). Make sure to check the model number as some different region models have different numbers (Ex, XQ-DQ62 for USA 1V, XQ-DQ54 for EU, XQ-DQ72 for HK/TW/SEA).


Wait, I already bought the phone, what can I do now?

Don't worry, your device may still work, if you already paid for it, insert your sim card, and if needed, add the APN, if it does not connect after, and you've confirmed there's no restrictions on your account, then you can safely say the device is incompatible, if it works fine, then great! You only need to be concerned if coverage is very spotty/unreliable.

Final notes:

Well that didn't feel that long, did it? That's because this is as simple as it gets, because dealing with carriers is difficult enough. This should help serve as a guide with purchasing decisions.
_________________
I'm one day closer to being who I wanna be~

[LyraNovaHeart]

Extra (since I forgot it)

You can check via your device's IMEI (*#06*# or in device settings), each carrier has a IMEI checker that should report if it is compatible

T-Mobile: https://www.t-mobile.com/resources/bring-your-own-phone
AT&T: https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/status
Verizon: https://www.verizon.com/sales/prepaid/byod/enterDeviceIMEI.html
_________________
I'm one day closer to being who I wanna be~

[VCSMaster]

Dang, how widespread is T-Mobile's 2G service? That might be interesting to try and get working on something.

Shame all the 3G is dead these days!

I could have sworn AT&T still had a functional EDGE network. During their major outage earlier this year, I was able to call, text, and use extraordinarily slow cellular data, and my phone reported that it was communicating via EDGE data.