LTE Band Support - willmyphonework.net report

[Jsauter]

Trying to wrap my head around the report from willmyphonework.net for a Xiaomi Mi5.

Any ideas about the LTE band?  From what I understand Public doesn't support band 7 2600, but why does the site return it as a possible working band?

These is the bands from the phone's site:

3G: WCDMA 850 /900 /1900 /2100MHz

4G: FDD LTE B5:850 /B8:900 /B4:1700 /B3:1800 /B1:2100 /B7:2600 /B2:1900 /B20:800 /B28:700  MHz
 TD LTE B40:2300MHz

[oscarjia]

there is one way to solve this problem by unlocking the lte band of the phone. You don't need root your phone or anything, it is really simple. I have confirmed that this method works for me on both global dev or stable rom. See post below:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note/general/unlock-lte-bands-step-step-xiaomi-mi-t3084774

[srlawren]

@sheytoon thanks!  🙂

[sheytoon]

About 2 years for B7 and at least 1.5 years for B2 and B5. Not too sure about bands 17/12, 13, 29.

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Phones-Hardware/Telus-using-LTE-Band-2-4-5-amp-7-in-B...

[srlawren]

@WearySky I can't speak to the timing of additional fequencies beyond the core AWS (band 4), as I wasn't really paying much attention to that prior to the thread I linked above.  @sheytoon do you happen to know when Telus deployed bands beyond 4 in the GVA?

[WearySky]

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@srlawren wrote:

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@WearySky wrote:

But @makkahn28, it varies depending on where you're located. Folks out west who are on the Telus network only get band 4, for example.

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@WearySky completely incorrect.  Here are some of the bands I experienced on my OnePlus 3 in the greater Vancouver area:  https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Phones-Hardware/Fun-with-LTE-Discovery-widget-LTE-ban....  TD;DR:  I personally saw bands 2, 4, 5, 7, 12, 17, and 30.  There may be more than my phone was either not capable of or I just never ran into, but those are all present in various areas of greater Vancouver, for example.  I suspect it would be a similar store in Calgary/Edmonton, not sure about other areas of the west though.

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Well then, that's great news for Western Canada folks - and it's certainly a relatively recent development (within the last year or so, possibly even less).  Looking at the cell tower map I am indeed seeing way more frequencies on the Telus towers in Vancouver, in particular of the 700 MHz variety which is great for those folks who may have been struggling on the Telus networks getting in-building penetration for their LTE data.  The band 2 and 5 would likely be Bell repurposing some of their old 3G spectrum for LTE purposes, which is something that's been slowly happening across the country too.  I wasn't aware that they'd done such a good job rolling out the added frequencies out west (last time I looked closely at the Telus towers out west was probably during the fall promo last year).  Certainly a welcome change, any way.  

[srlawren]

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@WearySky wrote:

But @makkahn28, it varies depending on where you're located. Folks out west who are on the Telus network only get band 4, for example.

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@WearySky completely incorrect.  Here are some of the bands I experienced on my OnePlus 3 in the greater Vancouver area:  https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Phones-Hardware/Fun-with-LTE-Discovery-widget-LTE-ban....  TD;DR:  I personally saw bands 2, 4, 5, 7, 12, 17, and 30.  There may be more than my phone was either not capable of or I just never ran into, but those are all present in various areas of greater Vancouver, for example.  I suspect it would be a similar store in Calgary/Edmonton, not sure about other areas of the west though.

[WearySky]

But @makkahn28, it varies depending on where you're located. Folks out west who are on the Telus network only get band 4, for example.

[makkahn28]

The LTE bands are these:

LTE: Band 17: 700MHz Band 4 AWS-1: 1700/2100MHz Band 2: 1900MHz Band 7: 2600MHz Band 40: 2300MHz

[WearySky]

And to add a bit more information on what @srlawren and @computergeek541 said, you can read the help page linked from the cell tower map, which gives some SUPER technical information:

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@The Help Page wrote:

Protocol/Technology/Generation

Information about the protocol being used on a transceiver is not present in the available data. However one can make an educated guess based on the provider, frequency band and bandwidth of the signal.

For example, GSM or 2G technology uses a 200kHz bandwidth and is typically operated by Rogers on 850 and 1900MHz bands. Basic CDMA(2G) operation requires 1.25MHz of bandwidth, while later versions that included data like 1xRTT(2.5G) or EVDO(3G) require multiples of 1.25MHz bandwidth. HSPA(3G) requires 5MHz with later versions of HSPA such as DC-HSPA, requiring multiples of 5MHz. LTE(4G) can operate with a wide range of bandwidths, but is typically deployed with 10 or 20MHz of bandwidth and most commonly on the 2100 and 2600MHz bands.

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So basically, if you see 5MHz bandwidth (or multiples) on a frequency, it's probably 3G.  10 or 20MHz (or multiples) is probably LTE.  But hard to say exactly which is which.

[srlawren]

@computergeek541 basically what I said.  😉  Great minds think alike!

[computergeek541]

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@maninz wrote:

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When I check this site for coverage, http://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/cancellsites.html I'm seeing a lot of 1900 and 2100 but not Band 4. This is when I filter to Bell towers as they are mostly in my area. I dont see Band 4 anywhere near my location and I'm getting LTE or LTE+ everywhere.

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The 2100MHz towers listed on that site are refering to band 4. The site just errorneously says "2100MHz" when no one ever calls it that because that would lead people to believe that there is Band I in use (when there isn't).  When talking frequencies, people always refer to the AWS that Telus uses as  1700 or 1700/2100MHz.

[srlawren]

@maninz admittedly it's a bit confusing.  LTE is usually done in bands, which map back to frequcnies, as per this chart:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_frequency_bands.  It's not quite as simple as frequency X means band Y though, because a combination of FDD and TDD are used at various frequencies.  

Band 4 is actually done on the AWS spectrum, which uses a combination of 1700MHz and 2100MHz (one is upload and the other is download, though I can never remember off-hand which is which).  While you are seeing 2100 on those maps, there is probably also 1700 with it, which makes up AWS-1. I don't believe either is ever on it own; if you have 1700 you have to also have 2100 and vice-versa.  The map probably just lists 2100 for brevity and omits mentioning 1700.

1900 is probably band 2 which I believe is used in some areas to augment band 4 but it could also mean 1900MHz UMTS/HSPA (3G network), since that map doesn't distinguish between the network types from what I can tell.

Clear as mud?  🙂

[maninz]

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@srlawren wrote:

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@Ionut wrote:

Telus have Band 17 (700Mhz), Band 7 (2600MHz), Band 4 (AWS)
Band 2 (1900Mhz), Band 5 (850Mhz), Band 29 (700Mhz), Band 13 (700Mhz)

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The core band is Band 4.  If you want LTE, make sure you have band 4 support.  The others you have listed are supplementary bands added to help with coverage (distance), capacity (network load), building penetration, etc., in some areas of the country, so they are helpful to have as well, but not strictly speaking required for LTE.  

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When I check this site for coverage, http://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/cancellsites.html I'm seeing a lot of 1900 and 2100 but not Band 4. This is when I filter to Bell towers as they are mostly in my area. I dont see Band 4 anywhere near my location and I'm getting LTE or LTE+ everywhere.

[hassantq]

Refer to this map as well: http://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/cancellsites.html It shows the towers in your area as well as what frequency they are running at. Just know that Bell/Telus share networks so you might have to check both.

o whoops looks like the person above me already stated this.

[WearySky]

I don't see it mentioned elsewhere in the thread, but Telus *does* have a tower sharing agreement with Bell where Telus customers  can get on Bell's 2600MHz LTE towers.  Bell's 2600 coverage isn't great though, but at least in the immediate Toronto area it definitely works.  Not as far out as Oakville, where I am, unfortunately, but definitely in the downtown core and somewhat into the outskirts.

An awesome map for reference, to see what frequencies are supported in your area, is Steven Nikkel's cell tower map

[srlawren]

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@Ionut wrote:

Telus have Band 17 (700Mhz), Band 7 (2600MHz), Band 4 (AWS)
Band 2 (1900Mhz), Band 5 (850Mhz), Band 29 (700Mhz), Band 13 (700Mhz)

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The core band is Band 4.  If you want LTE, make sure you have band 4 support.  The others you have listed are supplementary bands added to help with coverage (distance), capacity (network load), building penetration, etc., in some areas of the country, so they are helpful to have as well, but not strictly speaking required for LTE.  

[Ionut]

Telus have Band 17 (700Mhz), Band 7 (2600MHz), Band 4 (AWS)
Band 2 (1900Mhz), Band 5 (850Mhz), Band 29 (700Mhz), Band 13 (700Mhz)

Also i'm not sure but this are Universally for the Whole North America.

LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 17(700), 30(2300) - North America.  

Maybe i'm wrong but Xiomi mi5. Come's in 3 models. 

Pro

Prime

Standard

Also this is the LTE Band for Xiomi Mi5 

3G: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO & TD-SCDMA

4G: LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 7(2600), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500)

[domenicocortez]

3G = 850/1900

4G =1700/2100

Most cities are cover with this band in Canada

If you really want Xiaomi phones with 4G, go for redmi 3s or redmi note 3 pro (international version)

@geekbuying

[Jsauter]

Thanks! I'll see how the phone works when I get it. 3G is fine as it is a cheap phone and my father in law is using it and doesn't really care.

[srlawren]

@Jsauter as @Luddite has mentioned, you will get some LTE coverage with that phone.  The primary band is band 4, used throughout the country (wherever LTE coverage is available), and that's the band you really want to look for if you desire LTE speed.  The other bands are used to augment coverage, and only in use in some areas (though I've never seen listing of where what bands are deployed).

[Luddite · Accepted solution]

Public Mobile supports LTE on the 700 MHz band but not everywhere. So, LTE will be more variable for you.