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Is the internal radio and SOC identical across all US carriers? (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint)
I am looking to unlock a Sprint GS3 that I can get as an employee and use it on AT&T. (Apple appears to include both CDMA and GSM support in their 4S units) and I am hoping Samsung did the same to get the device out to all the carriers.
Thanks in advance!
Unfortunately, sprint opted to make the sim internal so it can't be swapped. If you see some of the video reviews out right now, it shows the sim slot missing.
Protocols and frequencies
themyst said:
Is the internal radio and SOC identical across all US carriers? (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint)
I am looking to unlock a Sprint GS3 that I can get as an employee and use it on AT&T. (Apple appears to include both CDMA and GSM support in their 4S units) and I am hoping Samsung did the same to get the device out to all the carriers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not a professional on this but I believe that the SoC(processor, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc) is identical but the radios are different.
All the carriers use unique frequencies to communicate with their towers. Many carriers use separate protocols to communicate as well(HSPA+, CDMA, GSM) Its possible for 2 carriers to use the same protocol but they will always be using different frequencies.
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think its possible to re-program your phone to use a different frequency(i.e. change from 1900MHz to 800MHz)
I do not believe you can "unlock" a sprint phone. The radio simply will not work on any other carrier. Now, if said sprint phone were a "Global Phone", then it has an additional GSM radio in it as well. I don't know if this could be used to connect to another US carrier like AT&T though.
I'm looking to bring an unlocked AT&T Note 5 over to use on VZ.
Is it possible to flash VZ firmware and have the phone work just as if it was a VZ to begin with (and receive 3g data, text, and calls) or is that something that's hardware related and flashing the new firmware won't help?
I've found this information, so I know the consequences of using an AT&T phone on VZ normally...
"If you're hoping to use your unlocked AT&T phone on T-Mobile, you should have no problems. Both carriers run their networks on GSM technology, so once your phone is unlocked, just pop in your new T-Mobile SIM card and you'll be up and running. AT&T and T-Mobile both use Band 4 for their LTE service, so 4G LTE devices should be able to access the network without issue.
Although Verizon uses the CDMA standard and not GSM, you still may be able to use your AT&T 4G LTE device on Verizon's LTE network, as they both run on the same spectrum; so LTE data should, theoretically, work fine. However, it's unlikely that you will be able to make or receive calls and texts, or access data over Verizon's 3G service.
Sprint is also a CDMA carrier, but runs its LTE network on a different band of spectrum than T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon; it may accept selected AT&T devices on its plans, but you'll need to check first."
I'm curious, because I rooted an flashed the unlocked software on a friends VZ's s7 for use on Republic wireless, so I know this sort of thing can be done. I'm just not knowledgeable about the differences in these 2 scenarios.
Thanks so much in advance!
You can't flash any firmware on the AT&T note 5 other than official AT&T note 5 firmware because the bootloader is locked. I'm not sure about the part of using this Note 5 on Verizon.
try willmyphonework.net
I've really enjoyed my S7 and want to upgrade to the S9. Later in the year I'll be overseas for almost a year, so I want something that will work with all Verizon bands of LTE, but also not have a firmware lock that would cause it to not work on other bands of LTE overseas. (planning to just use prepaid dataplan sim cards overseas)
I think my two options are to either get a US 'unlocked' version or wait for the 'international' version. My understanding is the primary differences between the unlocked and international version is the 2G/3G coverage for CDMA and possibly slightly different hardware. I'd rather have a phone with CDMA backwards capability, but my prime concern lacking full access to all LTE bands available wherever I am.
I'm not really interested in going any route that would require me to root the phone if there is a way to do it without.
Well the only way to get VZW compatibility is the VZW phone or a US unlocked model. So you're looking at the US Unlocked model at this point.
A listing of all the different model numbers available (per country and carrier) is available here: https://www.techwalls.com/samsung-galaxy-s9-sm-g960-g965-model-number-differences/
You will probably want to get the phone that works with your primary location the most. I am not sure which countries use which frequencies for LTE in Europe; you will need to research that to see what you may be missing out on.
With my T-Mobile S7, I haven't had any issues when traveling in Europe or Asia. It connects to LTE usually.
So I just did a deep dive of that list:
It looks like the Verizon and Unlocked versions are almost identical (the unlocked US version has B46(5200) 4G TDD LTE, but I'm not sure anyone who uses it)
Looking at 4G FDD LTE it looks like a Verizon or US unlocked phone will have almost complete coverage around the world, notable gaps are B30(2300) in China/Canada/US AT&T, B32(1500) in UK and B71(600) (US Tmobile). I thought that was a bit confusing as you'd expect a US Unlocked phone to service all LTE bands available in the US yet it lacks AT&T and Tmobile bands.
So based on all that information looks like I should just get an unlocked US phone to be totally safe, and I'd likely also be fine getting a Verizon version also.
StykerB said:
Well the only way to get VZW compatibility is the VZW phone or a US unlocked model. So you're looking at the US Unlocked model at this point.
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Relcan said:
So I just did a deep dive of that list:
It looks like the Verizon and Unlocked versions are almost identical (the unlocked US version has B46(5200) 4G TDD LTE, but I'm not sure anyone who uses it)
Looking at 4G FDD LTE it looks like a Verizon or US unlocked phone will have almost complete coverage around the world, notable gaps are B30(2300) in China/Canada/US AT&T, B32(1500) in UK and B71(600) (US Tmobile). I thought that was a bit confusing as you'd expect a US Unlocked phone to service all LTE bands available in the US yet it lacks AT&T and Tmobile bands.
So based on all that information looks like I should just get an unlocked US phone to be totally safe, and I'd likely also be fine getting a Verizon version also.
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So I'm new to Android but i use Verizon prepaid. Will I lose anything by going with the unlocked version or should i stick with a Verizon S9?
I don't use video calling. All i do is text and talk but I've heard that people on Verizon prepaid have issues with unlocked Android phones.
Thanks
Would Wifi Calling work with the US unlocked on verizon? I thought that required a Verizon FW to be flashed. I imagine all the other features such as voLTE / HD calling, etc to work on the US unlocked.
testinguser said:
Would Wifi Calling work with the US unlocked on verizon? I thought that required a Verizon FW to be flashed. I imagine all the other features such as voLTE / HD calling, etc to work on the US unlocked.
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Curious about that also
testinguser said:
Would Wifi Calling work with the US unlocked on verizon? I thought that required a Verizon FW to be flashed. I imagine all the other features such as voLTE / HD calling, etc to work on the US unlocked.
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Throwinrocks said:
Curious about that also
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I did a cursory review of the wifi-calling FAQ on their website. They don't mention anything about compatibility with Unlocked versions of phones (that I saw). I'd call tech support to ask, but I'd expect there to be a 50% chance of getting the wrong answer from the tech based on my interactions with their support.
There might be some good experience based anecdotes in the Galaxy S8 forum, if it works on an unlocked S8 its a safe bet it will work on an unlocked S9
I think I'll ask in the Verizon subreddit, it seems like they normally have really good information as well.
I'm mostly curious about the LTE TDD Band 46 (5200) - its the only band an unlocked US phone has that a Verizon phone doesn't. 5200 is in the U-NII frequency range, no cellphone service providers use it, but I wonder if it may be used for local LTE networks in the near future. The other advantage is avoiding all the verizon bloat wear, but that may be what allows the Wifi Calling to work!
All this has me thinking I might have to add the extra $80 and just buy the Verizon version. I don't get phones on contract and I've always just paid full price. (Page 2 404 error?)
Apparently the Nov/Dec Samsung s8 firmware update added an option for BYOD carrier provisioning for unlocked s8. Given the similarity, I'd imagine the same to be true for s9. Can someone who has an unlocked s8 confirm?
Well after a little more research I see that if you use Verizon prepaid you lose visual voicemail and WiFi calling even if you use a Verizon phone so there's no need in me paying extra for a Verizon S9. Unlocked it is.
Throwinrocks said:
Well after a little more research I see that if you use Verizon prepaid you lose visual voicemail and WiFi calling even if you use a Verizon phone so there's no need in me paying extra for a Verizon S9. Unlocked it is.
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You might wanna check this as Verizon is starting to implement network locks on some devices as to deter thefts more
Dont know when or what devices but it was a statement Verizon made
So, you're saying the prepaid SIM might not work in an unlocked S9?
I don't think Verizon is keeping Verizon prepaid SIMS from working in unlocked phones they are just locking their phones like Sprint and AT&T still do.
I had no problems with my unlocked Pixel 2 XL that I purchased from Google and my Verizon prepaid, just no visual voicemail.
Hi,
If I take a AT&T S9, Unlock the bootloader (if possible), root it, and flash a custom rom on it will I then be able to use it on Verizon?
Thank you in Advance.
Kc0r8y said:
Hi,
If I take a AT&T S9, Unlock the bootloader (if possible), root it, and flash a custom rom on it will I then be able to use it on Verizon?
Thank you in Advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ATz&T is GSM Verizon is CDMA incompatible
Perhaps @sw1173 is a dinosaur or a forum troll?
Verizon 4G LTE is not CDMA. It's 4G LTE and fully compatible with 4G LTE used by other carriers around the globe. Verizon 2g and 3g is CDMA, and only still exists to support older cellular data and IoT devices and some dinosaurs using ancients relics for devices. Verizon announced they were planning on completely shutting down their CDMA network the end of 2019, but just recently decided to postpone the shutdown for up to another year. Verizon has been permitting activation of an ever expanding list of unlocked phones for some time now, including devices like the OnePlus 6T that has no CDMA support, just 4G LTE. If you already have a 4G LTE device activated, you can swap the SIM into another 4G LTE device and as long as it has radio band support for Verizon's spectrum (use frequencycheck.com) as well as software support for Verizon's VoLTE settings, you're good to go. They don't seem to have a VoLTE whitelist like AT&T.
Sadly, the bootloader on the US Snapdragon S9 can not be unlocked at this point (no hacks) like the foreign SM-G960F(D)/965F(D) (Exynos with unlocked bootloader) or the SM-G9600/9650 (Snapdragon with unlocked bootloader) in order to install custom ROMs. I suggest everyone avoid US Samsung phones, period, because of this, and be sure to share your discontent with Samsung. Personally, if I were you, I would get the SM-G9600 or SM-G9650 (China / Latin America Version), root it (easy), and flash the files here to get Verizon support:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s9/how-to/guide-sm-g9600-sm-g9650-verizon-t3890695
If you buy or have a carrier unlocked US S9, including from AT&T, you can use it with any US carrier, including Verizon. You'll probably want to flash the Verizon firmware on it to get Verizon features including WiFi calling though:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS9/comments/85ci7c/convert_atttmosprint_to_unlocked_s9_guide/
Presently you can't unlock the boot loader on the n960u therefore you can't flash Verizon's firmware. Call Verizon and you will be told they are CDMA and are not changing but are adding capability for 5G after 1/1/2020, which will allow the use of various GSM devices to use their CDMA network.. I just spoke with Verizon sales and their technical support.
sw1173 said:
ATz&T is GSM Verizon is CDMA incompatible
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Click to collapse
incorrect, this has been incorrect since the S8 when Sammy decided to not make different models for the US market. All S9's built for the US market are physically identical
mobileanimal said:
Perhaps @sw1173 is a dinosaur or a forum troll?
Verizon 4G LTE is not CDMA. It's 4G LTE and fully compatible with 4G LTE used by other carriers around the globe. Verizon 2g and 3g is CDMA, and only still exists to support older cellular data and IoT devices and some dinosaurs using ancients relics for devices. Verizon announced they were planning on completely shutting down their CDMA network the end of 2019, but just recently decided to postpone the shutdown for up to another year. Verizon has been permitting activation of an ever expanding list of unlocked phones for some time now, including devices like the OnePlus 6T that has no CDMA support, just 4G LTE. If you already have a 4G LTE device activated, you can swap the SIM into another 4G LTE device and as long as it has radio band support for Verizon's spectrum (use frequencycheck.com) as well as software support for Verizon's VoLTE settings, you're good to go. They don't seem to have a VoLTE whitelist like AT&T.
Sadly, the bootloader on the US Snapdragon S9 can not be unlocked at this point (no hacks) like the foreign SM-G960F(D)/965F(D) (Exynos with unlocked bootloader) or the SM-G9600/9650 (Snapdragon with unlocked bootloader) in order to install custom ROMs. I suggest everyone avoid US Samsung phones, period, because of this, and be sure to share your discontent with Samsung. Personally, if I were you, I would get the SM-G9600 or SM-G9650 (China / Latin America Version), root it (easy), and flash the files here to get Verizon support:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s9/how-to/guide-sm-g9600-sm-g9650-verizon-t3890695
If you buy or have a carrier unlocked US S9, including from AT&T, you can use it with any US carrier, including Verizon. You'll probably want to flash the Verizon firmware on it to get Verizon features including WiFi calling though:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS9/comments/85ci7c/convert_atttmosprint_to_unlocked_s9_guide/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in addition to this correct information, id like to add that phones can be debranded by flashing the U1 firmware, but will require a modded Odin in order to get around the write protections put in place meant to stop us from doing that
sw1173 said:
Presently you can't unlock the boot loader on the n960u therefore you can't flash Verizon's firmware. Call Verizon and you will be told they are CDMA and are not changing but are adding capability for 5G after 1/1/2020, which will allow the use of various GSM devices to use their CDMA network.. I just spoke with Verizon sales and their technical support.
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incorrect. Well, youre right in saying that it cant currently be unlocked or rooted, but you CAN flash verizons firmware. Verizon hasnt been a cdma carrier strictly speaking for a decade. LTE has always been GSM, and ever since vzw jumped on board, theyve been a hybrid at best. On top of that, with VoLTE becoming more and more popular, their cdma transceivers have been getting less and less usage every day. 5G isnt going to be the splash a lot of folks think it will either. New handsets to support a new communication method that just isnt needed in most places. And finally, most handsets produced in the last few years are hybrids, especially those sold in several countries. The biggest exception to that rule is the chinese phones that dont even have cdma radios in them.
I'm looking to spend on Note 10 plus 5G, currently on Verizon but the biggest question that I couldn't find the answer is if in the future, I will have to stay with Verizon forever if I want to use 5G on this phone.
Samsung released different snapdragon models for each carrier, but what if I want to switch to Tmobile or AT&T with this phone? Is there a workaround to make these phones work with different carriers, especially with 5G?
S10 5G is out for many months, but I couldn't find a thread showing portability. Although selling the phone for a discounted price and buying other one that works on different carrier is an option, looking to find if it is practical to use 5G when we switch carrier.
Thank you
Cashreedhar said:
I'm looking to spend on Note 10 plus 5G, currently on Verizon but the biggest question that I couldn't find the answer is if in the future, I will have to stay with Verizon forever if I want to use 5G on this phone.
Samsung released different snapdragon models for each carrier, but what if I want to switch to Tmobile or AT&T with this phone? Is there a workaround to make these phones work with different carriers, especially with 5G?
S10 5G is out for many months, but I couldn't find a thread showing portability. Although selling the phone for a discounted price and buying other one that works on different carrier is an option, looking to find if it is practical to use 5G when we switch carrier.
Thank you
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Click to collapse
once its sim unlicked it will workbwith other carriers.. ive tried it on multiole sims from dif carriers
The lte radios should be the same, the 5g will never work across carriers for now considering theyre taping into different spectrum. Modems and antenna designs are different between the different 5g methodology each carrier adopted.
elliwigy said:
once its sim unlicked it will workbwith other carriers.. ive tried it on multiole sims from dif carriers
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That is very nice to hear. Does the phone work with other carriers once sim unlocked without changing the phone software? Does 5G work on other carriers too, if the bandwidths match? Thanks
coilbio said:
The lte radios should be the same, the 5g will never work across carriers for now considering theyre taping into different spectrum. Modems and antenna designs are different between the different 5g methodology each carrier adopted.
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I may not understand much details of these modems, however my understanding is that there are some 5G bands common between carriers.
Verizon holds 76% of total available 28GHz spectrum bands and and 48% 39GHz 5g spectrum bands.
At&T holds 40% of 39GHz bands and Tmobile holds 12% of 28GHz bands. If I'm not mistaken the modem in Note 10 5G model supports 600MHz which is new Tmobile band. So, if Note 10 modem supports those 2 5G bands on verizon, technically it should work on at&t and t-mobile too? Although these may work in different cities as of now
Yes and no, I don't know if it has the right antennas, they matter to match the signal length and the obvious is how locked the radio is.
You forget Verizon are evil about keeping their phones there.
It could be the phone is capable but will never be able because it's a Verizon phone and they nerfed something.
coilbio said:
Yes and no, I don't know if it has the right antennas, they matter to match the signal length and the obvious is how locked the radio is.
You forget Verizon are evil about keeping their phones there.
It could be the phone is capable but will never be able because it's a Verizon phone and they nerfed something.
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In the past we were able to unlock blocked antenna bands using Qualcomm QPST tool and hope there will be possibilities in the future. It's not that Verizon is evil, it applies to all carriers. There has been court ruled regulations that enabled users to take their device to other networks, but blocking 5G would be inconvenience to users, as we all know 5G is the future. I'm going to grab a Note 10 plus 5G for now
Cashreedhar said:
In the past we were able to unlock blocked antenna bands using Qualcomm QPST tool and hope there will be possibilities in the future. It's not that Verizon is evil, it applies to all carriers. There has been court ruled regulations that enabled users to take their device to other networks, but blocking 5G would be inconvenience to users, as we all know 5G is the future. I'm going to grab a Note 10 plus 5G for now
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Click to collapse
technically they wouldnt be blocking anything if they just dont include the antennae/functionailt.. its then up to the user to research and purchase if it suits their needs.
Follow up:
After Verizon unlocked the phone, surprisingly 5G works with Tmobile without any modification. Of course not all the bands. Haven't had 5G signal so far and suddenly when I'm standing near a 5G antenna in downtown Manhattan, I had full signal
I have the same phone. I was not able to see 5G with TMobile or AT&T. I am also not able to get the Verizon hardware off my phone. ( boot logo, etc.) Any work arounds?
Odd. I have the 5G on VZW thats unlocked. My phone works fine with my TM SIM but does not pickup 5G even though my OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren gets 5G.
Milyenair said:
I have the same phone. I was not able to see 5G with TMobile or AT&T. I am also not able to get the Verizon hardware off my phone. ( boot logo, etc.) Any work arounds?
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Click to collapse
nope.
the n976v only has vzw and gcf csc codes on it which both use the vzw sales code n network code.. changing carriers should work but on network as the csc should recognize this and load the correct apns n such but the bootani n vzw stuff is there to stay..
Mike02z said:
Odd. I have the 5G on VZW thats unlocked. My phone works fine with my TM SIM but does not pickup 5G even though my OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren gets 5G.
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not odd.. its a vzw branded 5g device.. its hit or miss on other 5g networks.. they typically use different bands and frequencies and 5g variants dont contain full csc for other carriers like the non 5g devices
So I'm having an issue, I'm trying to get my phone to work with Total Wireless but for some reason I cannot adjust the APN and they can't send me an update to my sim card. I can get the calls and text to work and it shows 4g but no data due to the incorrect APN. Its all grayed out with no way to add or configure it. The IMEI also says its not compatible with Total Wireless which is weird since all other verizon phones have worked before except this Note 10+ 5g.
CamachoDjr said:
So I'm having an issue, I'm trying to get my phone to work with Total Wireless but for some reason I cannot adjust the APN and they can't send me an update to my sim card. I can get the calls and text to work and it shows 4g but no data due to the incorrect APN. Its all grayed out with no way to add or configure it. The IMEI also says its not compatible with Total Wireless which is weird since all other verizon phones have worked before except this Note 10+ 5g.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
probably need root
CamachoDjr said:
So I'm having an issue, I'm trying to get my phone to work with Total Wireless but for some reason I cannot adjust the APN and they can't send me an update to my sim card. I can get the calls and text to work and it shows 4g but no data due to the incorrect APN. Its all grayed out with no way to add or configure it. The IMEI also says its not compatible with Total Wireless which is weird since all other verizon phones have worked before except this Note 10+ 5g.
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Click to collapse
Where did you buy this phone? I had the same issue, when I changed the code to GCF from VZW. I had to send the phone back to Samsung, as the local samsung experience store couldn't even understand the problem. GCF is for Samsung diagnostic purposes only and they had to change the motherboard board on the phone in order to fix the issue. If your carrier 5g mmwave band is one of the band used by Verizon, you'll be able to use 5G with this phone. I was able to use 5G in NYC with TMOBILE, but not when I moved to a different state.
Mike02z said:
Odd. I have the 5G on VZW thats unlocked. My phone works fine with my TM SIM but does not pickup 5G even though my OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren gets 5G.
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I can relate the issue you're facing. I was using this phone with TMobile 5G in NYC, but when I moved to different state, I can't get the 5G reception. In order to understand this further, you need to understand the frequencies supported by TMobile and frequencies owned by Verizon. TMobile shares one of Verizon's mmwave band (only around 25%) and these antennas are limited to only few metro cities. Even if you live in one of those big cities, you need to stand close to the 5G antenna in order to get the 5G signal. I remember that I had to stand within 50ft from the antenna in order to get 5G signal (downtown Manhattan near Meridian Lane and Water st).
So I'm new to this. Ive got a Note10+ 5G from Verizon (SM-N976V). Ported over from Verizon to At&t. Works fine accept its on 4G LTE (no 5G... the Samsung S9+ went over to 5G no issues). I am told if I flash the phone to the unlocked firmware it should get rid of the Verizon "lock" and work. I have tried this as per help form Android Central however having no success flashing... I am not exactly that savvy with this stuff... Please help
elliwigy said:
once its sim unlicked it will workbwith other carriers.. ive tried it on multiole sims from dif carriers
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elliwigy, please let me know how you got your SM-N976V to work on other carriers. I've been trying to get mine to work on Visible and I can not change the APN settings.
mbmallette said:
elliwigy, please let me know how you got your SM-N976V to work on other carriers. I've been trying to get mine to work on Visible and I can not change the APN settings.
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Click to collapse
You can network unlock it pretty easily even if the phone isn't paid off yet. Download setedit by 4a from the play store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=xyz.paphonb.systemuituner
and change the setting "vzw_network_lock" from a 1 to a 0. You'll have to buy the expansion pack from 4a to have a foreground guardian that'll prevent it from going back to a 1.
(
https://imgur.com/qaZl4d9
)