Will my handset lacking the 850 MHz band work on the at&t/Cingular network?

[char777]

(This has come up a lot, and I've even started my own thread, I've researched it, I've put some more salt into the dish, and people are tired of answering this, but it isn't in the FAQ. I asked a moderator to kindly put in a thread about it, but he/she didn't listen. I certainly hope this gets sticky-ed.)



>Will my handset lacking the 850 MHz band work on the at&t/Cingular network?

>>Answer: Yes, but not well.

In cities, it will work, but expect an increase in dropped calls. It will not work very well in rural areas, for 850 MHz is used in rural areas more than 1900 MHz.

Sure, it's a free country, and you're more than welcome to try it, and it might work adequately for you, but chances are that your experience will be sup-par and it is recommended that you choose a mobile phone with both 850 MHz and 1900 MHz. The at&t/Cingular network was designed to use both, and you handset should.


>But this site has a map that shows the at&t/Cingular network split into frequency, and my area is covered by 1900 MHz.

>>GSM World's maps are not that accurate to begin with, and most areas use both 1900 MHz and 850 MHz, which still will make your mobile phone work not as well as one with both frequencies. As stated above, try it if you want, but chances are that it won't work well.



(I really hope someone puts this in the FAQ. I was very surprised to not find it in there. I also hope that you like my answers.)

[ikjeft1b]

That's a nice, nearly-accurate summation (some coverage areas are 1900MHz only).

But the information is already available in the Cingular Wiki, which superceded the FAQ.

[smw0130]

this is good to kno because i wanted to get a w960 and my area has 1900MHz

[veriztd]

Friends don't let friends buy cell phones for At&t use without 850 mhz.

[ALCingularUser]

this is good to kno because i wanted to get a w960 and my area has 1900MHz

Just because your area has 1900 doesn't mean you're in the clear. Is the 1900 coverage as strong as the 850 coverage? Also, will capacity become an issue as AT&T allocates 1900 spectrum to 3G? If they have 850 in your area, they may be quite liberal in carving out 1900 spectrum and reallocating it to 3G, which will mean that you could run into capacity issues if your phone can't switch over to 850.

[i0wnj00]

Sure, it's a free country, and you're more than welcome to try it, and it might work adequately for you, but chances are that your experience will be sup-par and it is recommended that you choose a mobile phone with both 850 MHz and 1900 MHz. The at&t/Cingular network was designed to use both, and you handset should.

This reminds me of using my AirCard on 3G only mode, but that's only because AT&T currently has their 3G service on 1900 MHz. Let's hope they hurry up and deploy on 850 MHz, because bouncing between HSDPA and EDGE or dropping your connection isn't fun at all.

[MobileSlider]

I live in Omaha, Ne and they ONLY use the 1900 band here.

I still use my N75 which is quad band, but some cities don't even utilize 850 anymore.

I used an LG phone without 850 for several months without any major problems. Sure I would drop a call occasionally, but that still holds true with my N75 that is quad band.

[char777]

I live in Omaha, Ne and they ONLY use the 1900 band here.

I still use my N75 which is quad band, but some cities don't even utilize 850 anymore.

I used an LG phone without 850 more several months without any major problems. Sure I would drop a call occasionally, but that still holds true with my N75 that is quad band.

The one instance that I'm envious of The Big Zero!

[formercanuck]

Also, 850MHz and 1900MHz licenses are to be used between GSM and 3G as they wish.
Eg. If you're in an area with ... lets say
Cell A (25 MHz)
and
PCS D (10MHz)

They 'may' use the 10MHz for 3G, and you're 1900 MHz service will not work at all.

In some areas (e.g. here in SoCal), 1900 MHz isn't deployed on all cell sites, and where its in the hills/canyons, you may end up with no-service at all.

[MobileSlider]

The one instance that I'm envious of The Big Zero!

C'mon now.....your comment doesn't have anything to do with Husker Football....does it?

[char777]

C'mon now.....your comment doesn't have anything to do with Husker Football....does it?

Everything in Omaha has Everything to do with my comment.

(Just kidding. I like Omaha, I just think it's a better place to live than visit. Bad Mexican food, too.)

[MobileSlider]

Everything in Omaha has Everything to do with my comment.

(Just kidding. I like Omaha, I just think it's a better place to live than visit. Bad Mexican food, too.)

LOL....I am a little older (32) so it suits me fine. When I was younger I thought it was boring too. I have many friends in Denver as well. I am going to a wedding in Sept. to Denver.

BTW.....As far as Mexican food is concerned...you need to try Howard's Charro Cafe near the Rosenblatt Stadium and Henry Doorly Zoo.

It is some awesome Mexican food.

[char777]

LOL....I am a little older (32) so it suits me fine. When I was younger I thought it was boring too. I have many friends in Denver as well. I am going to a wedding in Sept. to Denver.

BTW.....As far as Mexican food is concerned...you need to try Howard's Charro Cafe near the Rosenblatt Stadium and Henry Doorly Zoo.

It is some awesome Mexican food.

Oh, okay. I tried Miguel's in the Old Market a few years ago, and it was about as spicy as Swiss Steak.

I suppose I'm also biased because I've lived in Denver all my life, too.

[bobolito]

That's a nice, nearly-accurate summation (some coverage areas are 1900MHz only).

But the information is already available in the Cingular Wiki, which superceded the FAQ.

But still people keep on asking the same question, so it's not a bad idea to have this all over the place.

[DRC72]

But still people keep on asking the same question, so it's not a bad idea to have this all over the place.

Awhile back we had another thread like this that was a sticky... What happened to that thread?