All you need to know about iPhone 4/4S & 5 + T-Mobile HSPA+/LTE

[CEmajr]

Read the anandtech tech article plus read the FCC request by Apple. I posted it a few post above.

The 1700 WCDMA band has always been in the "old iPhone 5 A1428". It was just disabled by Apple at the carrier's request.

Once again. There is no hardware changes. Even Apple states to the FCC there is no hardware changes.

It had support for LTE on the 1700mhz AWS band before. This new one has a slight hardware change to support hspa+42 on the 1700mhz AWS band. That's the difference.

http://www.tmonews.com/2013/03/t-mobiles-iphone-5-passes-through-the-fcc-halls-on-its-way-to-april-12th-launch/

Think about it. Why would they even need to pass it through the FCC again of it was the exact same hardware as the current A1428? Also why would they increase their own manufacturing costs by replacing one model with the exact same model if they could just firmware update them? Just doesn't make sense.

That's what I think but We'll know for sure 100% on April 12th what the changes are.

 

[aneftp]

From the article above it doesnt seem apple actually made any physical changes...but we will know when ifixit tears down the "New/Tweaked" iPhone down to showcase if there really is a difference....it just seems that Apple has updated the baseband firmware to allow 1700MHz support because truthfully the chips have always been able to support 1700MHz ever since 4/4S launch but apple never added the support from their end.

Thank you. About time (I think u are the OP as well) have common sense.

We will wait to see what happens with the official tear down. But it's fairly obvious we can guess that the hardware is the same.

There are many phones that are released (say HTC Rezound with Verizon) that clearly had HSPA radios. But for some reason Verizon and HTC refused to acknowledge it. And the folks at xda were able to get it working on ATT pretty easily (excluding mms issues!). And the Nexus 4 has LTE band 4 but since it was "certified" by the FCC. Google/LG do not have to acknowledge its existence or "support" that LTE band.

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It had support for LTE on the 1700mhz AWS band before. This new one has a slight hardware change to support hspa+42 on the 1700mhz AWS band. That's the difference.

http://www.tmonews.com/2013/03/t-mobiles-iphone-5-passes-through-the-fcc-halls-on-its-way-to-april-12th-launch/

Think about it. Why would they even need to pass it through the FCC again of it was the exact same hardware as the current A1428? Also why would they increase their own manufacturing costs by replacing one model with the exact same model if they could just firmware update them? Just doesn't make sense.

That's what I think but We'll know for sure 100% on April 12th what the changes are.

Read the actual FCC changes Apple requested. It's posted in same anandtech article. Apple specifically said there are no hardware changes.

We can argue this until the tear down on April 12th. But even Apple says there are no hardware changes.

 

[Satnam1989]

It had support for LTE on the 1700mhz AWS band before. This new one has a slight hardware change to support hspa+42 on the 1700mhz AWS band. That's the difference.

http://www.tmonews.com/2013/03/t-mo...he-fcc-halls-on-its-way-to-april-12th-launch/

Think about it. Why would they even need to pass it through the FCC again of it was the exact same hardware as the current A1428? Also why would they increase their own manufacturing costs by replacing one model with the exact same model if they could just firmware update them? Just doesn't make sense.

That's what I think but We'll know for sure 100% on April 12th what the changes are.

Would like to see what hardware changes (model/part number) If anyone can find any before ifixit tears down the "New/Tweaked" iPhone 5 and who/when/where did anything about Apple's manufacturering costs come up? Apple makes silly mistakes like what they did with the iPad 3...it just didnt occur to them that they should include the hardware necessary for international LTE frequencies so instead they waited until they got slapped by consumers and regulators from various countries to make the change...that change was iPad 4.

As for getting approved by FCC...every wireless product (Routers, Computers, Cellphones, Tablets, wireless cards & so much more etc) has to pass their rules & regulations before being allowed to go on sale to consumers.

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It had support for LTE on the 1700mhz AWS band before. This new one has a slight hardware change to support hspa+42 on the 1700mhz AWS band. That's the difference.

http://www.tmonews.com/2013/03/t-mo...he-fcc-halls-on-its-way-to-april-12th-launch/

Think about it. Why would they even need to pass it through the FCC again of it was the exact same hardware as the current A1428? Also why would they increase their own manufacturing costs by replacing one model with the exact same model if they could just firmware update them? Just doesn't make sense.

That's what I think but We'll know for sure 100% on April 12th what the changes are.

Its a cheesy change on Apple's part, alot of consumers are going to fork out the extra $100-$200 per iPhone just to get on the "T-Mobile gold rush", I personally don't think it will be worth it for people do go through changing the iPhones as the next gen is due in few months...It will be best to wait and spend that extra cash on grabbing the next gen.

 

[Fdfan100]

I wouldn't be surprise if the both a1429 models will start shipping with AWS 3G band unlocked as well, since it utilizes the same Qualcomm chip as the A1428, it would officially make the 5 a world 3G ready phone.

 

[Satnam1989]

I wouldn't be surprise if the both a1429 models will start shipping with AWS 3G band unlocked as well, since it utilizes the same Qualcomm chip as the A1428, it would officially make the 5 a world 3G ready phone.

thats a possibility as well.

 

[BruiserB]

At one time I remember there being some sort of accounting problem associated with enabling new features at a later date that weren't paid for at the original time of purchase. I think this caused Apple to have to charge a fee for the original iOS upgrades and it seems to me that I paid $10 to enable a new feature on one of my old Mac minis....it was either to enable Bluetooth or the "n" wifi speeds. The chip was there from the beginning but Apple felt they were prohibited from giving away new features after sale of the hardware. I thought this had gone away since most recent iOS updates and even the enabling of the Bluetooth chip in the Apple TV have been free.

I was just wondering if there was some technicality along these lines that prohibited Apple from just enabling the upgrade on previously owned hardware? Or maybe it's an FCC rule? Since they didn't have approval for this band when the phone was originally sold, are they now prohibited from activating it....even though they now have FCC approval to sell the same hardware with this band activated going forward?

 

[ajumbaje]

I'm considering taking the jump from att. I don't mind waiting for LTE rollovers, but are the MHz spectrums gonna be adequate for people inside buildings most of the day?

 

[Shanpdx]

Thanks OP!.

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At one time I remember there being some sort of accounting problem associated with enabling new features at a later date that weren't paid for at the original time of purchase. I think this caused Apple to have to charge a fee for the original iOS upgrades and it seems to me that I paid $10 to enable a new feature on one of my old Mac minis....it was either to enable Bluetooth or the "n" wifi speeds. The chip was there from the beginning but Apple felt they were prohibited from giving away new features after sale of the hardware. I thought this had gone away since most recent iOS updates and even the enabling of the Bluetooth chip in the Apple TV have been free.

I was just wondering if there was some technicality along these lines that prohibited Apple from just enabling the upgrade on previously owned hardware? Or maybe it's an FCC rule? Since they didn't have approval for this band when the phone was originally sold, are they now prohibited from activating it....even though they now have FCC approval to sell the same hardware with this band activated going forward?

ATT is one of the best customer to Apple, enabling 3G on AWS frequency on a ATT iPhone not good for both their business.

They might enable it on unlocked iPhone and pretend they do not know about locked iPhone 5.

I do not know about Verizon's iPhone 5!

 

[viperGTS]

So basically the "T-Mobile ready" iPhone 5 will support all of T-Mobile's current 3G/4G/LTE just like any official T-Mobile phone?

 

[Satnam1989]

So basically the "T-Mobile ready" iPhone 5 will support all of T-Mobile's current 3G/4G/LTE just like any official T-Mobile phone?

Yup

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Thanks OP!.

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Np glad this thread is useful to you

 

[beeinformed]

Since Apple hasn't had the need to add "additional" hardware modifications to the "New/Tweaked" iPhone 5 A1428 I wonder if people can have a petition to force apple to update the modem firmware for the old A1428....I feel like apple is leaving a lot of people hanging with this minor issue...I understand with iPad 3 -> 4 they changed the chip which included support for more LTE frequencies that are used by other global carriers but this one is a easier fix than that..

[/COLOR]

that article is great, I just feel that we should have a petition and force apple into providing us a fix for our old A1428 since they have not physically changed anything in the "New/Tweaked" iPhone.....it seems to be a minor software related baseband firmware fix...I mean apple updates the baseband firmwares almost each and every iOS update but what do those updates really provide on the baseband level besides making Gevey/R-SIM's useless?

I think it is an interesting proposition to get Apple (via a petition) to upgrade the firmware so that current iPhone 5 users (myself included) can enjoy the AWS HSPA radio band. I"ll hop onboard if you choose to do so!

 

[beeinformed]

Apple is a bit strict and will only replace it if you have a defect present in the iPhone, you may be able to and it will cost $50 to do so.

I've been having some hardware issues with my iPhone 5 and been thinking of exchanging it. I have the Apple Care plan (without the accidental coverage protection) but wanted to ask you that if someone has the Apple Care + plan, could they possibly exchange the phone for $49 without it having a defect?

 

[Satnam1989]

I've been having some hardware issues with my iPhone 5 and been thinking of exchanging it. I have the Apple Care plan (without the accidental coverage protection) but wanted to ask you that if someone has the Apple Care + plan, could they possibly exchange the phone for $49 without it having a defect?

I wouldnt be able to answer your question 100% because I usually dont but applecare at all for my products...I always sell my current iPhone a month before next gen

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I think it is an interesting proposition to get Apple (via a petition) to upgrade the firmware so that current iPhone 5 users (myself included) can enjoy the AWS HSPA radio band. I"ll hop onboard if you choose to do so!

I would like to do it but I dont know where to get started on it, Also it may be "harder" for apple to ugprade the radio firmware to enable 1700MHz but I'm sure its nothing apple cant do if they tried hard enough.

 

[Satnam1989]

T-Mobile is pulling an AT&T on All iPhones (Not including the new Tweaked iPhone 5 A1428) replacing the HSPA+ 1900MHz 3G with "4G" on the status bar


Also Anyone receiving Carrier update on T-Mobile MVNO's to replace the "3G" in 1900MHz reaffirmed zones with "4G"

 

[cmm]

Will the new speeds work only in selected areas (if so, which?) or anywhere tmobile has service?

 

[bozzykid]

Will the new speeds work only in selected areas (if so, which?) or anywhere tmobile has service?

What new speeds? You mean the fact that they switched HSPA+ to show 4G in the status bar?

 

[cmm]

What new speeds? You mean the fact that they switched HSPA+ to show 4G in the status bar?

Well, I live in Cambridge and I still show E for EDGE on my phone 99% of the time. So this change really is just cosmetic, it's still 3G. I'd still appreciate 3G speeds....

 

[Satnam1989]

Well, I live in Cambridge and I still show E for EDGE on my phone 99% of the time. So this change really is just cosmetic, it's still 3G. I'd still appreciate 3G speeds....

that means your area does not yet have 1900MHz HSPA+ live, T-Mobile is mainly concentrating from the "Downtown's" of the cities and moving outwards slowly, so if you are close to a city/downtown area then you can possibly see it coming your way sooner than later but keep in mind that 1900MHz HSPA+ has poor building penetration much like the AWS 1700....and Soon to be Sprint LTE 1900MHz....only two good carriers are 1) AT&T (850MHz 3G/4G HSPA+, 700MHz LTE) 2) Verizon (700MHz LTE but crappy CDMA 3G)

More info:

AT&T:
- 850/1900 3G/4G HSPA+ 21Mbps
- 700MHz LTE & 1700/2100 AWS LTE

T-Mobile:
- 1700/2100 AWS 3G/4G HSPA+ 42Mbps
- 1900MHz 3G/4G HSPA+ 21Mbps
- 1700/2100 AWS LTE

Verizon:
- 850/1900 CDMA
- 700MHz & 1700/2100 AWS LTE

Sprint:
- 850/1900 CDMA
- 800MHz, 1900MHz, 2500MHz LTE

 

[cmm]

So, even if I buy the new iPhone 5, I'm going to be on 2G/EDGE speeds in Cambridge?

 

[bozzykid]

So, even if I buy the new iPhone 5, I'm going to be on 2G/EDGE speeds in Cambridge?

Not if they have AWS 3G in that area. The new iPhone coming out on the 12th will work with AWS and PCS bands so it will not matter if an area has been refarmed or not.

 

[cmm]

And how do I know if they have AWS 3G?

Holy crap, this is complicated.

 

[MVRL]

haha, damn, I had some dusts in the camera compartment, and exchanged my ip5 last week. I pbly shoulda waited as there still isn't LTE in NYC yet.

 

[cbronfman]

I hope this thread continues

that means your area does not yet have 1900MHz HSPA+ live, T-Mobile is mainly concentrating from the "Downtown's" of the cities and moving outwards slowly, so if you are close to a city/downtown area then you can possibly see it coming your way sooner than later but keep in mind that 1900MHz HSPA+ has poor building penetration much like the AWS 1700....and Soon to be Sprint LTE 1900MHz....only two good carriers are 1) AT&T (850MHz 3G/4G HSPA+, 700MHz LTE) 2) Verizon (700MHz LTE but crappy CDMA 3G)

More info:

AT&T:
- 850/1900 3G/4G HSPA+ 21Mbps
- 700MHz LTE & 1700/2100 AWS LTE

T-Mobile:
- 1700/2100 AWS 3G/4G HSPA+ 42Mbps
- 1900MHz 3G/4G HSPA+ 21Mbps
- 1700/2100 AWS LTE

Verizon:
- 850/1900 CDMA
- 700MHz & 1700/2100 AWS LTE

Sprint:
- 850/1900 CDMA
- 800MHz, 1900MHz, 2500MHz LTE

I live in Washington DC (Georgetown) and have had AT&T since the first iPhone in June 2007. My reception is not good, I'm getting nowhere near the speeds that people post, and in my home, AT&T doesn't really penetrate much past 10' from the windows. I was so looking forward to switching to T-Mobile when my contract was up this October, and then I read what you write and hope I can continue collecting data from these posts.

I have the 4S at present so no hope of LTE, but my phone will say 4G 4-5 bars (strong signal) and I rarely get much above 3.68 mps download and under 1 mps upload in Bethesda. Near my home (on the river) the results are much worse. I get dropped calls around AU, and also heading down Wisconsin near Reservoir.

I will be monitoring what performance others get between now and October.

 

[bozzykid]

And how do I know if they have AWS 3G?

Holy crap, this is complicated.

You can look at the coverage map on T-mobile.com.

 

[cbronfman]

Coverage maps are hypothetic depending on network congestion

On the coverage maps, AT&T looks awesome in most areas an states I'm in. By my experience, it isn't. It must be a question of network capacity in various locations, cell tower overload etc. I think we won't know about T-mobile until enough people are on it for awhile.