topic Re: Unlocked Cellphones. in Get Support

Unlocked Cellphones.

Scribe_05 — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 12:28:35 GMT

Maybe one of the more experienced users can answer this question.

Why do some unlocked cellphones work on the Public Mobile system and others don't.

I always thought that if an unlocked phone worked on one provider it would work on all but my phone won't work on Public Mobile which is Telus, but does work on Roger's?

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

LovesToPM — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 18:12:37 GMT

@Scribe_05 wrote:
Maybe one of the more experienced users can answer this question.

Why do some unlocked cellphones work on the Public Mobile system and others don't.

I always thought that if an unlocked phone worked on one provider it would work on all but my phone won't work on Public Mobile which is Telus, but does work on Roger's?

These 2 companies use different frequencies.

However any unlocked phone sold in Canada recently should work on both carriers.

There are various sites to check phone compatibility.

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/get-started

https://willmyphonework.net/

https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

totalUser — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 18:29:07 GMT

1. They may not have the frequencies required for Telus network. 2g only phones will not work for sure

2. They may have lock to previous provider, though unlocked some actually can lock themselves or be locked. By law companies have right to lock it up to 90 days (and still call it unlocked), after that they are obliged to provide the user with the code free of charge. This is the most frequent reason for puk code i saw here in the community when I was reading past posts and every time the op had 'unlocked' phone

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

dabr — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 18:16:06 GMT

@Scribe_05 wrote:
Maybe one of the more experienced users can answer this question.

Why do some unlocked cellphones work on the Public Mobile system and others don't.

I always thought that if an unlocked phone worked on one provider it would work on all but my phone won't work on Public Mobile which is Telus, but does work on Roger's?

Coming from Rogers you should check your phone compatibility first, you can try here:

https://publicmobile.ca/en/on/get-started

Edit: I see @LovesToPM has included the link. Sorry didn't see that earlier:)

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

hairbag1 — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 18:14:52 GMT

@Scribe_05 wrote:
Maybe one of the more experienced users can answer this question.

Why do some unlocked cellphones work on the Public Mobile system and others don't.

I always thought that if an unlocked phone worked on one provider it would work on all but my phone won't work on Public Mobile which is Telus, but does work on Roger's?

If the phone is locked to a previous network, just call them and ask for a free unlock code. They should be able to provide that.

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

Jb456 — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 04:10:23 GMT

Stay Safe!

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

Triguy — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 18:35:20 GMT

Rogers uses different frequencies.

•2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
•3G Network HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100
•4G Network LTE 1700 / 2100 / 2600

Public Mobile uses the following frequency bands:

4G LTE and LTE Advanced: 700 MHz, 850 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2100 MHz downlink and 1700 MHz uplink (AWS).
HSPA: 850 MHz, 1900 MHz (UMTS).

Please note that this information is indicative only. Your phone's compatibility with our 4G or 4G LTE networks is based on the radio frequencies of your phone. Public Mobile does not guarantee that your phone will work on our mobile network.

PM uses the same cell towers as Bell and Telus.

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

computergeek541 — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 18:49:15 GMT

@Triguy wrote:
Rogers uses different frequencies.
•2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
•3G Network HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100
•4G Network LTE 1700 / 2100 / 2600

Public Mobile uses the following frequency bands:
4G LTE and LTE Advanced: 700 MHz, 850 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2100 MHz downlink and 1700 MHz uplink (AWS).
HSPA: 850 MHz, 1900 MHz (UMTS).
Please note that this information is indicative only. Your phone's compatibility with our 4G or 4G LTE networks is based on the radio frequencies of your phone. Public Mobile does not guarantee that your phone will work on our mobile network.

PM uses the same cell towers as Bell and Telus.

Rogers does not use anything that is commonly called 900 or 1800MHz for 2g, nor do they use anything usually referred to as 2100MHz for 3g.

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

computergeek541 — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 18:54:02 GMT

@LovesToPM wrote:
These 2 companies use different frequencies.
However any unlocked phone sold in Canada recently should work on both carriers.

The 3g frequencies that are required for phone call usage at Public Mobile is very close to the frequency range of Rogers. Any Rogers 3g-compatible phone will work at Public Mobile if it is unlocked. It's not so much about difference in frequencies, but more about the network technology types. Phones that are compable with the Rogers 2g network are not necessarily compatible with the Public Mobile UMTS-type network.

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

will13am — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 19:32:45 GMT

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

geopublic — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 19:07:52 GMT

@Scribe_05 Must be a old phone or you must have purchased it outside of NA for it to not work. Rogers is the only provider in Canads that still supports 2G so maybe that is the reason. Most new global phones will work on both Rogers and Telus.

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

Scribe_05 — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 21:24:00 GMT

Both the phones I have are fairly new and both work with Rogers.

The 3G frequencies of the one that work with Public Mobile are:-

UMTS : 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz
TD-SCDMA : 1880 - 1920 MHz
TD-SCDMA : 2010 - 2025 MHz

The 3G frequencies of the one that will not work with Public Mobile are:-

WCDMA 900 / 2100MHz

Which frequency is causing the problem?

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

GinYVR — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 21:34:53 GMT

@Scribe_05TD CDMA phones indictate your phones are designed primarily for the Chinese market since TD CDMA is propreitary to China.

Frequencies are not definite, since LTE and 3G overlap in frequencies. Here are the bands which are more definitive. The phone in question has to be compatible with (courtesy of @sheytoon): Your phone need to have B2 and B5 to work at the minimum.

Telus current LTE bands are (in order of band number):

B2 (1900 MHz or PCS)
B4 (2100 MHz or 1700 MHz or AWS / AWS-1)
B5 (850 MHz or CELLULAR / CLR)
B7 (2600 MHz or 2500 MHz or BRS)
B12/B17 (700 MHz or MBS)
B13 (700 MHz or MBS)
B29 (700 MHz or MBS), for downlink only (SCC for CA only)
B30 (2300 MHz or WCS), for TELUS only (not shared with Bell at this time)
B66 (2100 MHz or 1700 MHz or AWS-3), not deployed yet

Telus current 3G bands are:

B2 (1900 MHz or PCS)
B5 (850 MHz or CELLULAR / CLR)

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

Jb456 — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 04:09:52 GMT

Stay Safe!

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

Scribe_05 — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 21:46:04 GMT

The one that works with all is a Xiaomi Note 2

The one that will not work with Public Mobile is a Cubot Power

@Jb456 wrote:
Can you not just let us know the phones you have??

Phone and model number??

Go to settings == system == about phone .. usually provides that info..or maybe a bit different steps on other phones.

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

GinYVR — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 22:06:52 GMT

@Scribe_05

The Cubot doesn't have band 2and 5 from their website:

BTW Rogers are phasing out their 2G network at the end of the 2020.. so the phones that rely on 2G will no longer work then. https://www.rogers.com/customer/support/article/2G

4G FDD-LTE:
Band:1 / 3 / 7 / 8 / 20
3G WCDMA:
900 MHz / 2100 MHz
2G GSM:
850 MHz / 900 MHz / 1800 MHz / 1900 MHz

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

tehowennathe — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 00:21:55 GMT

It depends where you bought your unlocked phone. An unlocked phone should work if bought in Canada or the US. If you bought it outside of North America it may be missing required bands. If your going to buy a phone not available on any carrier or in store it's always best to go with Canadian company who specializes in brining out of market phones to Canada. They will make sure they have the proper bands to work in Canada. I have use jpmobiles.ca and they usually bring in phones made for Latin countries such as Mexico.

So make sure it uses the proper bands before using on PM. Also it important to always check when buying from eBay or Amazon what region the phone is made for. Don't assume just because it's unlocked it will have required bands. Have to do research first.

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

computergeek541 — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 01:42:28 GMT

@Scribe_05 wrote:
Both the phones I have are fairly new and both work with Rogers.

The 3G frequencies of the one that work with Public Mobile are:-
UMTS : 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz
TD-SCDMA : 1880 - 1920 MHz
TD-SCDMA : 2010 - 2025 MHz

The 3G frequencies of the one that will not work with Public Mobile are:-
WCDMA 900 / 2100MHz

Which frequency is causing the problem?

There was some incorrect informaiton posted earlier in this thread. No carrier in Canada uses Band 1 2100MHz for anything. If your phone's 3g frequencies are 900 and 2100MHz, you will not be able to use it for phone calls at Public Mobile.

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

Korth — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 01:50:39 GMT

Cubot Power will not work on any network in Canada. It doesn't support compatible radio frequencies/bands.

[Edit: it will work on 2G, in practice that means it will work with Rogers/Virgin/Chatr... in a few areas... for another year at most.]

https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker/CA/cubot-power

Re: Unlocked Cellphones.

geopublic — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 01:58:54 GMT

@Scribe_05 wrote:
Both the phones I have are fairly new and both work with Rogers.

The 3G frequencies of the one that work with Public Mobile are:-
UMTS : 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz
TD-SCDMA : 1880 - 1920 MHz
TD-SCDMA : 2010 - 2025 MHz

The 3G frequencies of the one that will not work with Public Mobile are:-
WCDMA 900 / 2100MHz

Which frequency is causing the problem?

PM uses 850 and 1900 for 3G.