vB Easy Archive - 1800Mhz vs 900Mhz coverage in Germany

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1800Mhz vs 900Mhz coverage in Germany
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Posted by: greatgoogly

How much of T-Mobile's network in Germany is 1800Mhz vs. how much is 900 Mhz? If I buy a "tri-band" phone in the US that claims 850/1800/1900, how will the coverage be since the phone doesn't have the 900Mhz band?

Thanks,
-Mike

Posted by: TriBand81

T-Mobile Germany's coverage is primarily built out on GSM 900 so you won't do yourself a favor by buying a GSM 850/1800/1900 handset. GSM 1800 is used for backup/overflow purposes. Your best is to look for an unlocked GSM 900/1800 or GSM 900/1800/1900 handset on eBay.

Posted by: krazy

Or you could use E-Plus as your carrier in Germany since they're GSM1800-only and have Germany-wide coverage that's comparable to T-Mobile

Posted by: TriBand81

O2 is the second option, they're 1800-only and they roam on T-Mobile's network whenever O2's network has a roaming agreement set up for that area. Be aware that E-Plus has also acquired some GSM 900 spectrum since they gave up some GSM 1800 spectrum. This is a minor change since E-Plus' core network is still on GSM 1800.

Posted by: Walis

Quote:

Originally Posted by TriBand81

Your best is to look for an unlocked GSM 900/1800 or GSM 900/1800/1900 handset on eBay.

...or just get a quad-band phone.

Posted by: TriBand81

Yeah if the poster has an actual use for it later on back home or for a visit to any other part of the world except the US/Canada with GSM 850/1900 networks. Otherwise, a regular dual-band GSM 900/1800 handset will be sufficient for Europe.