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iPhone 5 on T-Mobile - anyone able to get "4G"?

aforty

aforty

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 27, 2007
1,496
781
Brooklyn, NY
So I took a T-Mobile SIM and put it in my unlocked iPhone 5. I'm only able to get Edge and when I call T-Mobile they say HSPA+ ("4G") is simply NOT supported on the iPhone.

I thought this was supposed to work... Anyone able to get this working? :confused:
 
You will get hspa+ when Tmobile updates their towers in your local area.
So far they have about 15-20 places in the US and keep rolling out more.
No one knows when or if it will be ready at your location.
 
Applejuiced said:
I guess not yet. It's been like that since the first iPhone in 2007.
You only get 2G with an iPhone on tmobile. It just started changing now with them refarming their network.
Click to expand...

That's terrible... Have they set a timeframe to fully refarm their network?

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DatRippelEffect said:
http://airportal.de/ check here to see where the towers are that are closest to u
Click to expand...

I saw that map, a few spots in NYC seem to have it but not where I live. :(
 
Tmonews website reported that 3G will be completed by year end in 25 major markets and by middle of next year LTE compatible with AT&T frequency will be completed. I am thus sticking with my SGS2 for now and in any case Apple does not sell non discounted iPhone 5 phones to any of the 30 million T-Mobile subscribers.


BklynKid said:
That's terrible... Have they set a timeframe to fully refarm their network?

----------



I saw that map, a few spots in NYC seem to have it but not where I live. :(
Click to expand...
 
upnorth85 said:
Tmonews website reported that 3G will be completed by year end in 25 major markets and by middle of next year LTE compatible with AT&T frequency will be completed. I am thus sticking with my SGS2 for now and in any case Apple does not sell non discounted iPhone 5 phones to any of the 30 million T-Mobile subscribers.
Click to expand...

Good to know.
That's not right about not being able to get an unlocked AT&T phone though. If you buy it at full price then it is unlocked. That's how I got mine. As the Apple Store employee said to me "they're all unlocked until we lock them when you buy at a subsidized price."
 
i get these speeds in 1 long area, and notice 3g signal turning on and off randomly a block away from my house recently

photo.png
 
So how did you buy your unlocked iPhone 5? I know one can not buy an unlocked phone on-line from Apple. I know Radio Shack sells for $50 more and one can keep trying by going early to an Apple Store to check if they have any in stock, which can be a frustrating experience if one is working full time and do not live close to an Apple store.
BklynKid said:
Good to know.
That's not right about not being able to get an unlocked AT&T phone though. If you buy it at full price then it is unlocked. That's how I got mine. As the Apple Store employee said to me "they're all unlocked until we lock them when you buy at a subsidized price."
Click to expand...
 
upnorth85 said:
So how did you buy your unlocked iPhone 5? I know one can not buy an unlocked phone on-line from Apple. I know Radio Shack sells for $50 more and one can keep trying by going early to an Apple Store to check if they have any in stock, which can be a frustrating experience if one is working full time and do not live close to an Apple store.
Click to expand...

I paid the $50 extra for a Verizon iPhone 5.
 
One of my friends has tmobile with an iphone 4... He intermittently started getting 3g on his ip4... Its sparse. He was saying he went to Vegas and that he was able to get 3g there, and in some spots in socal. He's on edge most of the time, but gets 3g here and there.
 
Best thing will be next summer when T-Mobile rolls out their LTE, the AT&T iPhone 5 will be able to use it without any issue because their LTE will use the same bands that AT&T's LTE uses.

As for anyone who got a Verizon iPhone 5.. they'll be stuck using the 3G speeds because that one won't support T-Mobile's LTE.
 
Minhimalism said:
Best thing will be next summer when T-Mobile rolls out their LTE, the AT&T iPhone 5 will be able to use it without any issue because their LTE will use the same bands that AT&T's LTE uses.

As for anyone who got a Verizon iPhone 5.. they'll be stuck using the 3G speeds because that one won't support T-Mobile's LTE.
Click to expand...

People with tmobile are just happy if they can just get regular 3G speeds with their iPhones.

I don't think thinking LTE with tmobile 12 months in the future is a deciding factor whether to get a Verizon LTE iPhone 5 vs at LTE iPhone 5.
 
aneftp said:
People with tmobile are just happy if they can just get regular 3G speeds with their iPhones.

I don't think thinking LTE with tmobile 12 months in the future is a deciding factor whether to get a Verizon LTE iPhone 5 vs at LTE iPhone 5.
Click to expand...

Why not get an AT&T one though? If you pay full price it's unlocked and both are just as capable as the other in getting T-Mobile's refarmed 3G speeds. Even if you buy one from someone who got it on contract an unlock is only five dollars. You're already paying for the data why would you not want the best when it comes around?
 
upnorth85 said:
So how did you buy your unlocked iPhone 5? I know one can not buy an unlocked phone on-line from Apple. I know Radio Shack sells for $50 more and one can keep trying by going early to an Apple Store to check if they have any in stock, which can be a frustrating experience if one is working full time and do not live close to an Apple store.
Click to expand...

Went to the Apple store on launch day, got on line and at checkout said I wanted to pay full price (get it unsubsidized). Got home and voila, unlocked AT&T iPhone.

To quote an Apple store employee that day: "They're all unlocked until we lock them because you get it subsidized."
 
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