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How to check my phone compatability to network

bsridhardwh
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Hi Team,

 

I checked my phone IMEI compatability but it shows "may work" in results. But I want to make sure my phone will work with Public Mobile network or not. I am fan of Public mobile as my other phone with public mobile is work fine.

 

Please let me know.

34 REPLIES 34

Ella_C
Customer Support Agent

Thank you all for your responses!

 

Hi there, @bsridhardwh!

 

We have a section on our website where you can check the phone's compatibility with our network!

 

What you have to do is just to click on the following link and then to go to "1. Check your phone's compatibility"

 

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

 

All the best,

Ella PM Mod Team

You're right, I totally forgot about Freedom, Videotron etc. using B4 for 3G.


@sheytoon wrote:

@Icemaid yes that's right. For WCDMA, only bands 2 and 5 are available in Canada. So if your phone has them, that's the minimum requirement.


Band 4 is used for WCDMA in Canada, but you already knew that, although not used by Public. 

@Icemaid yes that's right. For WCDMA, only bands 2 and 5 are available in Canada. So if your phone has them, that's the minimum requirement.


@Icemaid wrote:

Thank you for your help.

 

So basically if the phone has a minimum of:

3G WCDMA:B1/B2/B4/B5/B8

it should work fine?


No, just 3g wcdma b2/b5. The others don't matter.

Icemaid
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Thank you for your help.

 

So basically if the phone has a minimum of:

3G WCDMA:B1/B2/B4/B5/B8

it should work fine?

Excellent explanation @srlawren!

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@Icemaid wrote:

Hspa are different from the gsm?


@Icemaid GSM is a very old 2G standard.  Rogers (Rogers, Fido, Chatr) is the only provider with a GSM network in Canada, and they are turning it off at the end of 2020.  

 

HSPA is a 3G standard, and is operated by Telus (Telus, Koodo, Public Mobile), Bell (Bell, Virgin, Lucky), and Rogers (Rogers, Fido, Chatr).  You may also see it listed as UMTS, or W-CDMA (the W- part is important, CMDA without the W- is different).  What you want is 850MHz (sometimes called Band 5 or B5, but not to be confused with 4G LTE Band 5) and 1900MHz (sometimes called Band 2 or B2, but not to be confused with 4G LTE Band 2).  You want both of these frequencies, listed as HSPA, HSDPA, UMTS, or W-CDMA.  Confusing, but that's what you're looking for at a minimum.

 

Despite your plan being a "3G" plan, you can actually get data on either the 3G network (as described above), or on the 4G LTE network, but limited to a speed that's similar to the 3G network.  You need the two 3G frequncies noted above, but any of the following (in approximate order of helpfulness) 4G LTE bands are a bonus if avialable:  B4, B2, B5, B7, B12, B13, B17, B30, possibly a couple of others.  


>>> ALERT: I am not a moderator. For account or activation assistance, please click here.


@Icemaid wrote:

What about these specs.  I only have 3g data on my plan

2G GSM:850/900/1800/1900MHz

3G TD-SCDMA:B34/B39

3G WCDMA:B1/B2/B4/B5/B8

4G TD-LTE:B34/B38/B39/B40/B41

4G FDD-LTE:B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B8

4G+ FD-LTE:B38C/B39C/B40C/B41C/B39A+B41A

4G+ FDD-LTE:B1C/B3C/B1A+B3A


That could be for mutiple versions. You have to get the right one.  You need 3g wcdma b2/b5.

Icemaid
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

What about these specs.  I only have 3g data on my plan

2G GSM:850/900/1800/1900MHz

3G TD-SCDMA:B34/B39

3G WCDMA:B1/B2/B4/B5/B8

4G TD-LTE:B34/B38/B39/B40/B41

4G FDD-LTE:B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B8

4G+ FD-LTE:B38C/B39C/B40C/B41C/B39A+B41A

4G+ FDD-LTE:B1C/B3C/B1A+B3A

yanzhiqiang
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

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

You can check here or go to google.

Icemaid
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Looking for new, bought a few used and they never lasted long


@Icemaid wrote:

Sorry new at this.   Looking at lots of different phones so if they only show GSM850/900/1800/1900MHz, but not hspa they won’t work?

i am on a budget and can’t spend hundreds on a new phone


It might if it has more but if that's all it has, don't buy. It won't work at Public and soon it won't work anywhere in Canada.

88cranston
Model Citizen / Citoyen Modèle

@Icemaid wrote:

Sorry new at this.   Looking at lots of different phones so if they only show GSM850/900/1800/1900MHz, but not hspa they won’t work?

i am on a budget and can’t spend hundreds on a new phone


Are you looking for new or used. 

 

I like iPhones and have bought very successfully of of Craigslist. 

If you want some tips...let me know.  I have never been let down. 

Icemaid
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Sorry new at this.   Looking at lots of different phones so if they only show GSM850/900/1800/1900MHz, but not hspa they won’t work?

i am on a budget and can’t spend hundreds on a new phone


@Icemaid wrote:

Hspa are different from the gsm?


Public Mobile doesn't have 2g GSM. That is being phase out in Canada. HSPA is a 3g network.

Icemaid
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Hspa are different from the gsm?


@Dunkman wrote:

For talk and text, the HSPA bands are important.


It's more than important. It's a must for talk. It won't work without.

@Icemaid 


@Icemaid wrote:

Looking at buying an unbranded Chinese phone, these are the frequency specs:

Frequency: GSM850/900/1800/1900MHz, 3G: WCDMA850/2100MHz,4G LTE

the other 1 I am looking at is 4G LTE B2/B4/B7/B173G and GSM+3G 900/2100 networks.

Would these work?


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).

For talk and text, the HSPA bands are important.

Icemaid
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Looking at buying an unbranded Chinese phone, these are the frequency specs:

Frequency: GSM850/900/1800/1900MHz, 3G: WCDMA850/2100MHz,4G LTE

the other 1 I am looking at is 4G LTE B2/B4/B7/B173G and GSM+3G 900/2100 networks.

Would these work?

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@sheytoon wrote:
It's a good question! I'm not 100% sure the link I provided is official, but assuming that it is.... I wonder if @bsridhardwh has his phone set to auto 2G/3G/4G mode, or locked to one mode only? Also, it would help if we knew whether Chatr was connected on 2G only or not.

@bsridhardwh are you able to answer these questions?  


>>> ALERT: I am not a moderator. For account or activation assistance, please click here.

It's a good question! I'm not 100% sure the link I provided is official, but assuming that it is.... I wonder if @bsridhardwh has his phone set to auto 2G/3G/4G mode, or locked to one mode only? Also, it would help if we knew whether Chatr was connected on 2G only or not.

Duplicate.

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@sheytoon thanks for the correction!  I was having a hard time finding specs on that model, glad you were able to!  Being that it's got the requried 850+1900 3G support, and that OnePlus phones come carrier unlocked (unless that's different in China?--I doubt it?), do you have any other ideas why @bsridhardwh isn't getting a signal?


>>> ALERT: I am not a moderator. For account or activation assistance, please click here.

According to this page:

https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/oneplus-x-regional-versions.398205/

 

It should work on PM's 3G network, and limited LTE connectivity on B5 and B7.

bsridhardwh
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Thank you So much

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@bsridhardwh is that a Chinese market version of a OnePlus X?  If so, it's likely working only on 2G GSM with Chatr, since Rogers is the only provider in Canada that operates a GSM network and Chatr runs on Rogers' network.  Chatr/Fido/Rogers will run many overseas models that Telus/Koodo/PublicMobile and Bell/Virgin can't for that reason.

 

EDIT:  @sheytoon's reply below blows my theory out of the water.  Sorry for the incorrect information, @bsridhardwh!


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bsridhardwh
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Make : OnePlus
Model : ONE E1003 (A3000)
Android Version : 6.0.1
OxygenOS version: 3.1.4

No Frequency details

bsridhardwh
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Make : OnePlus
Model : ONE E1003 (A3000)
Android Version : 6.0.1
OxygenOS version: 3.1.4

No Frequency details

bsridhardwh
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

http://willmyphonework.net is not giving any results.

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