AT&T Issues, not sure what to do.

[aeoniantech43]

Background: I've been an AT&T customer for a while. But for longer I've bought unlocked GSM phones, and brought them into a phone plan rather than buy from a carrier. Its was useful once being able to switch easily, and in general its cheaper. Recently (last August) I got a new Xiaomi Note 9, still my current daily workhorse. I got it for $180 USD on sale. Never really had an issue, we put sim cards in and they worked (well one had issues but they were fixed in under a day so..... meh still worth it). My mom has the Xiaomi note 9 pro, and my brother the 8 pro. Both awesome phones we paid under $260 USD, and $240 for. AT&T is the only provider we get at the house, so we're stuck with it. My father has a line, with a phone directly from AT&T. Link to my phone on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com

 

The Problem: I recently became aware that 3G was going away. Was not concerned, until I realized I live in the boonies, and I might be at risk if that was the only tower in the area. So I installed an application that tells info on the tower closest to you, that you use. Although my phone said I had "4G", I know that's not always what it appears to be. It informed me that I was using an advanced form of 3G, so I freak out because it still 3G. I Immediately looked to confirm my results by testing this on other devices. All the BYOP had the same issue, connecting to a the same 3G tower. The phone Samsung directly from AT&T connected to a 4G tower close to the one the rest of us were connecting to, but still different. I then explored around the county I lived in, and no matter where I went I only got HSPA+, advanced 3G, same with all the BYOP. Amazon has this about my phone signal ****2G bands: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G bands: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100, 4G bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41**** And ive checked elsewhere. I have a 4G phone, so do the rest of my family members. I did some digging, apparently AT&T doesn't do well with certain Chinese smartphones. Something to do with the IMEI. AT&T thinks the phone can't do 4G from my understanding of browsing forums. I found a workaround on AT&Ts own forums. Buy a $30 4g phone that AT&T can recognize, and use that ones IMEI on your phone, and it will activate 4G. I don't like the idea of wasting $30 if I don't have to. Also if it doesn't work, I'm out $30 and will still need to but a new phone come February 2022 when 3G goes away, and probably straight from AT&T(which is expensive). So I called the customer technical support line. Nothing they could do, aside from try and give me a deal on a new phone. Not the fault of the person who tried to help, its just a sucky situation. Its probably something that can only be solved by someone who gets paid hundreds of thousands a year, and not answering phones helping with generally simple issues. 

 

How do I know its an issue with AT&T and not my phone?: I cant be 100% sure to be honest. But I think I've narrowed it down. The fact that it only affects BYOP. The fact on how unique the situation is, and how there's precedence from others online. That I'm getting only 3G regardless of where I am, not just where I live. That other phones in the same place as me are getting 4G signal. In some ways it is a problem with my phone. I'm sure if I had an unlocked Samsung Galaxy I wouldn't be having this issue. This whole experience has made me second guess buying a Xiaomi, but for the wrong reasons.

 

Why did I post this?: I posted this here because I'm looking for advice, and hoping that someone will have some advice to help me out. I understand that my situation is so niche that I shouldn't holding my breath. I can't imagine that there would be that many people in the same situation. Also I've been waiting an hour to talk to a human, after being sent to a robot chat for the umpteenth time. Feeling a bit frustrated, and fed up. I've been watching Linus tech tip videos for a while, and always hear about the community, so I wanted to give it a try. 

 

What can I do?: I don't want to spend hundreds on a new phone when my current one works perfectly (current situation aside). I tired tweeting AT&T, got sent to a bot chat, waited for an hour, still no help (currently waiting still, 60 min in and counting, still no help). Not sure what else I can do with this aside for saving stupid amounts of money for a new phone in 9 months when 3G gets shut off, which I would rather save.

 

 

[comicsansms]

What I reckon's happening, you don't have a phone with the 4G bands that are compatible with your carrier's network

 

Check what 4G bands your phone has, and what your carrier has in your area.

 

Check the other carrier's bands in your area too.

 

If your phone doesn't support the 4G bands your carrier has, you either have to change carriers, or change phones.

 

Buying phones in America apparently sucks. Everything's either locked, or has only the bands to work on 1 carrier well. The rest of the world can buy any old phone and it'll work

[TetraSky]

The problem is this:

 

AT&T's main 4G bands are 12 and 17. Your phone does not support either of these.

So while it does technically support 4G, you can't use it with AT&T's network.
If you have access to T-Mobile, you would be fine, though.

 

https://www.whistleout.com/CellPhones/Guides/cell-phone-networks-and-frequencies-explained

[aeoniantech43]

9 hours ago, comicsansms said:

What I reckon's happening, you don't have a phone with the 4G bands that are compatible with your carrier's network

 

Check what 4G bands your phone has, and what your carrier has in your area.

 

Check the other carrier's bands in your area too.

 

If your phone doesn't support the 4G bands your carrier has, you either have to change carriers, or change phones.

 

Buying phones in America apparently sucks. Everything's either locked, or has only the bands to work on 1 carrier well. The rest of the world can buy any old phone and it'll work

• 700 MHz: Bands 12/17/29
• 850 MHz: Band 5
• 1900 MHz: Band 2
• 1700 MHz /2100 MHz: Bands 4/66
• 2300 MHz: Band 30

My phone ****1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41****

 

9 hours ago, TetraSky said:

The problem is this:

 

AT&T's main 4G bands are 12 and 17. Your phone does not support either of these.

So while it does technically support 4G, you can't use it with AT&T's network.
If you have access to T-Mobile, you would be fine, though.

 

https://www.whistleout.com/CellPhones/Guides/cell-phone-networks-and-frequencies-explained

OOF. Never saw this before. Seems to be my issue. Thanks kind sir. but no T-Mobile near me. Or Verizon. 

 

Thanks. Seriously, I'm beyond words with how happy I am to know why this wasn't working. It's upsetting I'll have to get a new phone but I'll grit my teeth and do it. At least I know now why it's happening. I've been through this problem over the phone with At&t. I tried multiple forms of communication with AT&t help. None of them have been as helpful as a few minutes of your time. But now I feel much more at ease. You have made my week. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 

[LogicalDrm]

-> Moved to Phones and Tablets

[Roswell]

On 5/27/2021 at 10:38 PM, aeoniantech43 said:

• 700 MHz: Bands 12/17/29
• 850 MHz: Band 5
• 1900 MHz: Band 2
• 1700 MHz /2100 MHz: Bands 4/66
• 2300 MHz: Band 30

My phone ****1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41****

 

OOF. Never saw this before. Seems to be my issue. Thanks kind sir. but no T-Mobile near me. Or Verizon. 

 

Thanks. Seriously, I'm beyond words with how happy I am to know why this wasn't working. It's upsetting I'll have to get a new phone but I'll grit my teeth and do it. At least I know now why it's happening. I've been through this problem over the phone with At&t. I tried multiple forms of communication with AT&t help. None of them have been as helpful as a few minutes of your time. But now I feel much more at ease. You have made my week. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 

Make sure that if you buy foreign unlocked phones that they also support VoLTE with your carrier. Because if they don't, they will also no longer work for phone calls once 3G is switched off.

 

Basically, most foreign phones support LTE for data but not calls and they fall back to 3G for voice. This is mainly due to US carriers blocking VoLTE access for phones that aren't sold by them. The only real exception to this are iPhones and Samsung S series phones since they have automatic firmware switching features based on what SIM you pop in it.