Huawei P30 Lite - model MAR-LX1M

[lance_t81]

I recently got a new Huawei P30 Lite - model MAR-LX1M with 6GB/128GB. 

My currently phone is a Samsung Galaxy A5, and this phone works perfectly fine with the nano SIM card from Public Mobile. 

However, when I placed the Public Mobile SIM card into the new Huawei P30 Lite, I cannot make or receive any calls.  This phone works fine with my friend's BellMTS SIM card, so I know it's not the phone itself.  I also tried this phone with a Rogers SIM card, and it works fine too.

I had tried to restart the phone, power-cycled it, etc, but still unable to use it on Public Mobile. 

Does anyone know if this phone is compatible?
Thanks in advance!

[softech]

@lance_t81   if Nova 4e, it is quiet a different story then:

No B2 on 3G

where you got the model number than?  MAR-LX1M is P30 Lite.. 

[darlicious]

@Anonymous 

Umm.....if you could take Batman, Gandalf and Iron man and roll them into one cell technology expert you would get @sheytoon .

Here's a little light reading to get you up to speed.....on their expertise.

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Using-Your-Service/LTE-network-fundamentals/m-p/130581#M42676

[lance_t81]

@Anonymous  Nope the phone was intended for an elderly family member in Winnipeg.

I do have some friends in Selkirk, and I meant to visit them sometimes during the Xmas break anyway, so I thought I would give it a try while out there visiting.

@Anonymous 

I entered the S/N on the Huawei site, and it is listed as a Nova 4e, which to my understanding is the P30 Lite:

[softech]

..... sidenote.. interesting to find out some "runner" just run into here and bravos..

(just an observation.. I didn't tag anyone.. )

[Anonymous]

 @Anonymous : Then you put a challenge to sheytoon asking how he knows, like you challenge anybody that dares to question your posts. He's been posting here for years. Longer than you or I. Regulars here that read things here come to know who the experts are. sheytoon is one.

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous 

i do searching a lot and i like to found the correct nice information to help other people.

and not to hurt anyone,

[Anonymous]

 @Anonymous : The same way most other regulars here would come to learn of the experts here. Read. Interpret. Understand.

I am no expert. Same as you.

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous 

mister expert how i know all member the are expert in here! and where will reading information about all member!! mister Special expert.

[Anonymous]

 @Anonymous : It's a problem with not reading all responses in a thread that you think you might want to respond in. You would have come to learn that sheytoon is our resident expert. Amongst one or two others. He pipes in or is beckoned by others here to clear something up.

He da man in other words. (assuming genders and such of course 🙂 )

[Anonymous]

---

@sheytoon wrote:

@Anonymous PM does NOT use Bell in Winnipeg and Brandon.

---

@sheytoon 

i don't know that Area but i know the public mobile using network from Telus and Bell but how you know in there the using or not i'm not sure what system you using to you know!!

[Anonymous]

So get about maybe all the way to 50km away from these sites. Maybe less. Although you're on the prairies. The little clump in Brandon to the left. The bunch all around Winnipeg. Selkirk would not be a good spot. Was the phone destined for Selkirk?

[sheytoon]

@Anonymous PM does NOT use Bell in Winnipeg and Brandon.

[softech]

---

@lance_t81 wrote:

@sheytoon 
So then Selkirk, Manitoba should allow this phone to connect to Public Mobile on B5 for 3G, correct?

If yes, just to satisfy my own curiosity, I can drive out to Selkirk over the next few days, and test it out.

---

see.. you are our best field tester.. let us know what you found out from your road trip  🙂

[sheytoon]

@lance_t81 yes, but Selkirik isn't quite far enough! Use the map that @Anonymous provided:

http://ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/cancellsites.html

Find a place that has no Telus towers and you should be good to go. Somewhere like Beaconia, Teulon or Elie.

[Anonymous]

@lance_t81 

i think your device has some channel antenna issue,
do you check it out your  Warranty Period Query-HUAWEI warranty IMEI check | HUAWEI Support Canada.

[Anonymous]

 @lance_t81 : That's the theory. Without looking at a map...yes if you get far enough out of range of Winnipeg and Brandon towers, whatever their geographic coverage is, then you should be able to use that dastardly B5.

Before you head out, turn on airplane mode. Drive out. Turn off airplane mode. See what happens.

I'll just say it again...you've been an awesome sport through all this.

[Anonymous]

@lance_t81 

visit to Coverage Map Here 

and check it out Towers info in your area.. Public Mobile use Telus and Bell.

[lance_t81]

@sheytoon 
So then Selkirk, Manitoba should allow this phone to connect to Public Mobile on B5 for 3G, correct?

If yes, just to satisfy my own curiosity, I can drive out to Selkirk over the next few days, and test it out.

[sheytoon]

@softech not really. It would have to come from network signaling messages, which are not easily accessible to end users.

@Anonymous Telus users can get by with only B5 for 3G everywhere in Canada, except Winnipeg and Brandon. That's because Telus operates their own independent network, which doesn't have licenses for B5. There are other exceptions, like indoor sites or small cells all over Canada that only have 3G B2, but that's another topic.

[Anonymous]

---

@sheytoon wrote:

Telus users can get by with just B2 in Winnipeg and Brandon.

---

 @sheytoon : Ah! There's an important little piece. So this phone truly does not have B2 due to the PM SIM in the phone not being able to call.

Now I get it even more.

Dang MB.

Can Telus users get by with just B5 elsewhere? If so then again why can't this phone use B5 here? Or is it that B5 alone is not good enough for Telus? aaahhhh 🙂

Edit: sheytoon that's kinda what I was fishing for...whether the phone was using volte.

[softech]

@sheytoon   sorry.. question again.. is there any app that will easily show the available bands on the phone ?

[sheytoon]

So it's using LTE B4, and there's no VoLTE, therefore calls are falling back to 3G B5.

[lance_t81]

@Anonymous 

As per your request: P30 Lite + BellMTS SIM + 4G On + Mobile Data Off:

Then I tried to make a call - it worked: but icon dropped to 3G - took these screenshots while call was active:

[softech]

it's great to have some informative posts like this ..  and thanks @lance_t81  for being our field tester and @sheytoon for being our  trainer   🙂

for foreign phones, the only good thing is it has dual sims.. which somehow not exist in this country/continent (lol).. but the effort to confirm it will work and will work well is really a lot.  I usually try to avoid even some might argue it is cheaper to buy 

(this is something that open ticket with CS Agent won't help for sure.. not even a "live person" everyone is crying for LoL)

[sheytoon]

@Anonymous Cellmapper shows the current band in use.

But I know from experience that the networks are designed to send users to B2 if available, with fallback to B5 if user leaves B2 coverage.

Judging by the strong B5 signal, I would expect this area to have B2 coverage. If B5 was weaker (-105 or so), then maybe we could say there's only B5 available at this location.

Telus users can get by with just B2 in Winnipeg and Brandon.

[darlicious]

@sheytoon 

Thanks....for explaining the differences in band use in Winnipeg and Brandon compared to the rest of the province and which provider uses and/or shares band use with which others.

Everyone else unboggled now?

@lance_t81 

Thanks to your weird foreign phone and diligence testing and troubleshooting with @Anonymous  we can finally grasp the "Manitoba" calling issue and explain it to others and what phones to possibly avoid!

[Anonymous]

 @lance_t81 : sheytoon is the actual expert around here (well one or two others). The rest of us are enthusiasts. It's fortunate that he showed up.

Can you do that again with the Bell SIM in with the full 4G/LTE option on (not just WCDMA only) but keep mobile data off so as to not be able to use the internet. Then call and watch your top bar and this app. Of course all the other radios off too ie. wifi, gps, bluetooth, nfc.

Edit: @sheytoon : Is cellmapper saying there's _only_ B5 available? Or simply that it latched on to B5 anyway? Is there a way tell if there's any B2 to be had?

I guess this also proves from past confusing (to me) discussions that we do need both bands. Or can Telus get by with just B2 like apparently Bell can get by with just B5. It's very confusing with this MB spanner in the works.

[sheytoon]

That's just an icon implementation in the phone's software. Technically HSPA/HSPA+ is a data enhancement of 3G UMTS. If you turn off data, you'll be using basic 3G.

Your 3G channel number is the same (UARFCN 1012).

[lance_t81]

@sheytoon @Anonymous 
Same set up as before (P30 Lite + BellMTS Card + 4G off), only difference now is I turn "Mobile Data" off too - now the icon is 3G

[sheytoon]

Agree with @softech. Seems like your phone doesn't support B2.