Which phones will work with 850Mhz refarming?

[G6q]

Since this is happening i need to upgrade, the list on this link:

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/get-help/articles/volte

Seems to be out of date, it says Pixel 7 and Samsung S23; will S24, 25 and Pixel 8, 9 and upcoming 10 be fine as well. I assume they will be but want to be sure before dropping money on a replacement phone. Also i assume they will all be VoLTE approved?

Also how long till this problem comes up again, would say a used S24 fall victim to the next reframing in a couple years? 

[sheytoon]

As @computergeek541 has said, it's because 850 MHz (band 5) has better coverage than 1900 MHz (band 2). It's actually a minority of customers impacted, just like in Winnipeg and Brandon when Telus left the Bell/Rogers RAN.

Outdoor street level coverage will generally be fine. Rural and indoor coverage can be affected, dependent on the customer's location. Most people won't be affected and won't complain. Those that are impacted will obviously complain about their service being degraded.

[computergeek541]

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@hTideGnow wrote:

hi @sheytoon 

why some Canadian phones that have both 850 and 1900 still suffer after Telus remove the 850 band in the area? 

there have been many posts with phones having both bands but have trouble with voice calls on 3G

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All customers still using 3G voice will have worse service because of band 5 refarming, regardless of the phone device being used (although band 2 should still be usable on 3G).   Taking away band 5 from 3G can only make the 3G/HSPA network worse, while it will improve the performance of the LTE network.

[hTideGnow]

hi @sheytoon 

why some Canadian phones that have both 850 and 1900 still suffer after Telus remove the 850 band in the area? 

there have been many posts with phones having both bands but have trouble with voice calls on 3G

[sheytoon]

1900 MHz 3G will be around for another 2-5 years.

[slusagm]

yes, phone that is in the same series and newer will work

i have a S22, S23, S24 and S25 for different members in the household, they all work with PM network without any problem

[G6q]

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@hTideGnow wrote:

hi @G6q 

mainly because it is not on PM's VoLTE whitelist   But it has both 850 and 1900 so it should work even PM retires 850 on 3G in your area

but your LG phone is no longer under LG's warranty and support anyway.  It was a phone released in 2019, maybe it is a time to get a new phone 🙂

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I see. However the newer phones than that Whitelist are actually whitelisted i am presuming?

I do like my phone but it seems i have little choice but to upgrade.

If i do upgrade will the new phone use 3G or will it use 4G/LTE if 5G is unavailable?

[hTideGnow]

hi @G6q 

mainly because it is not on PM's VoLTE whitelist   But it has both 850 and 1900 so it should work even PM retires 850 on 3G in your area

but your LG phone is no longer under LG's warranty and support anyway.  It was a phone released in 2019, maybe it is a time to get a new phone 🙂

[G6q]

My current phone has 4G (LG G8x) so curious why this 3G is an issue?

[hTideGnow]

hi @G6q 

the mist is right.  Any new generation of those model wil work too, like Samsung S25, Pixel 9

and no worries, the S24 would be good for years to come.  The 3G reframing is partly due to the upcoming sunset of 3G. 4G will be here for at least 5+ years, so you are good with S24