How come so many unlocked phones are only partially compatitable with tmobile?

sjay11 · Aug 24, 2016

I'm looking for a 4.5" phone for tmobile (limited options) and it seems that unlocked phones are abundantly more compatible with ATT on 3g/4g.

Using Amazon

s5 mini unlocked
att 3g compatible, 4g partial
tmobile 3g partial, 4g none

alcatel 4.7
att fully compataible
tmobile 3g compatible 4 partial

iphone 5 unlocked
att 3g compatiable 4g partial
tmobile 3g partial 4g none

Why are phones limited on tmobile?
Should I port my phone # to google voice and switch to an att sim card?
what bands are necessary for tmobile 3g/4g?

basroil · Aug 24, 2016

It's called bands. Just like your wifi has different channels (and your devices must be on the same channel as the router), cell service has bands that are exclusive to a specific company. If your phone doesn't support that band, you can't connect. That easy.

There's also a matter of encoding, but basically everyone uses LTE nowadays

sjay11 · Aug 24, 2016

basroil :

Okay, but Tmobile is a large provider. Why are manufacturers designing phones that are compatible with ATT and not Tmobile?

basroil · Aug 24, 2016

sjay11 :

Why? Because the units you're buying aren't built for tmobile, and that manufacturer doesn't want to pay money to make for a provider that doesn't give them money directly.

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How come so many unlocked phones are only partially compatitable with tmobile?

sjay11

Commendable

basroil

basroil

Glorious

sjay11

Commendable

basroil

Glorious

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