ZE552KL-S625-4G64G-DB

[bujee321]

Hi,

I am a current PM customer using a Nexus 5 phone that works fine. I just put my SIM card in a new phone (ASUS Zenfone 3 - ZE552KL-S625-4G64G-DB) to begin using it last night and I was only getting intermittent reception in an area where I get excellent reception with my old phone. Texts were taking a long time to send and phone calls took a few tries to make. Today, I am not getting any cell phone service at all no mattter where I am. I checked the IMEI and it should be compatible with PM. Is there any reason I might not be getting telephone service with this new phone?

[Taekgun]

@bujee321

I'd agree; it really seems like it's a faulty device.  There have been many posts in the past few months of people successfully setting up their Zenfone 3's on PM.

Hopefully you can get it swapped out without issue.

[bujee321]

In light of these responses, I think the phone might be defective. I tried putting a different PM sim card in and it didn't work. I also tried putting a Bell sim card in and still couldn't make phone calls.

[computergeek541]

For a large part, a phone not having specific LTE bands or even no LTE isn't going to affect the ability to use Public Mobile service.  It will just make is so that the customer does not have access to faster LTE speeds.  As all vocie services are done through the 3g network, LTE compatibility is really a non-factor to make phone calls.  Except in a few rare cases of LTE being deployed on 700MHz vs. 850MHz being the lowest MHz frequency for 3g, there aren't going to many places that have LTE service but not 3g service.

Since your phone has already been established as being compatible, this could mean that the signal is weak in your area, or it could mean that your phone is defective.  It is also entirely possbile that the phone does not have an actual defect but that it just has weaker signal (by design) than some other models.  That slight drop in signal quality/strength could just be enough to bump you into no signal territory.

[Luddite]

https://willmyphonework.net SUS Zenfone 3 -  Canada, Public Mobile

Sub-Model

2G

3G

4G LTE

ZE552KL (Global Version)

Carrier Network does not support 2G

 850MHz, 1900MHz

 Band7-2600MHz

ZE552KL (India, Indonesia, Thailand Version)

Carrier Network does not support 2G

 850MHz

 Band40-2300MHz

ZE552KL (Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong Version)

Carrier Network does not support 2G

 850MHz, 1900MHz

 Band2-1900MHz, Band40-2300MHz, Band7-2600MHz

ZE552KL (USA, Brazil Version)

Carrier Network does not support 2G

 850MHz, 1900MHz

 Band17-700MHz, Band4-AWS, Band2-1900MHz, Band7-2600MHz

ZE552KL (China Version)

Carrier Network does not support 2G

 850MHz, 1900MHz

 Band2-1900MHz, Band40-2300MHz, Band7-2600MHz

[Taekgun · Accepted solution]

@bujee321

Looking at all the varients under this model of phone, you should at the very least have a 3G connection.  While you had this last night and its disappeared it leads to the conclusion that one of two things have happened:

1) Your SIM card is bad and you need to get a replacement (though this is unlikely as SIM cards rarely fail..... but it has happened).  You would need to attened a Walmart, Wow Boutique or a K-Mobile location to purchase a new SIM.

2) Your device is the issue here and needs to be replaced.

To troubleshoot this problem and determine which is at fault here, try a different SIM card in this phone and see if you are able to get a 3G connection. 

- If no connection is established to the network = phone needs to be replaced. 

- Gets a connection with a different SIM = your PM SIM is bad and needs to be replaced.

Give this a try and let us know what you find out.

[bujee321]

From what I'm reading are the 3G and 4G bands only related to data download speeds. My phone cannot even get cell reception to make calls or text. If the phone wasn't compatible at all, then that wouldn't surprise me, but strangely the phone did have at least a poor signal last night and I could make calls after a few tries. Today however, there is no calling ability.

[bujee321]

There are several models of the zenfone and the specific one I have is in the subject line. Its just called zenfone 3 (not laser or max) and is the 4g ram, 64gb memory model (https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Phone/ZenFone-3-ZE552KL/). I tried putting in the APN, but it has not helped. I still cannot make calls. The phone was purchased in Toronto.

[bujee321]

Thanks, I will check the IMEI on these sites when I get home from work.

[stonechucker]

Band 4 is on the US/BR version of the phone, but the OP hasn't told us which version they are trying to use.  See my post above.

Edited to correct the countries (previously read US/GB)

[JDT]

Surprising (and disappointing) that a new phone sold at Canadian stores doesn't support band 4.

[Taekgun]

 I'll second what @will13am has said.  Likely culprit is a lack of band 4 being the issue with this device.  Possible 4G coverage in some city centers but without band 4 you'll mainly be on 3G.

[will13am]

The problem is band compatibility.  This phone works on 3G but doesn't support the most popular LTE band 4.  So, connectivity will be somewhat affected and data performance will be noticeably slower on 3G.

[koimr1]

As @stonechucker said there's several variants of this model - do you know which you have?

Where did you buy the phone?

Also, check the APN - I have a different Zenfone model and had to manually add the Public APN as it had Telus and Koodo only. Instructions are here. 

[passiveegg]

It seems like it is an hardware issue with your zenfone. Always try turning your phone off and taking the sim out and turning it back on. What would i suggest is to go to a phone store and ask them if you can try their demo sim and if that still doesnt work then something is wrong with your phone. Or the second probability is that the demo sim card work so it can be your sim card isnt working. 

[mimmo]

If sim works in your old phone and not your new one then it is a hardware issue.  I woud check the imei with the sites @ShawnC13 mentioned to doube check compatablity.  if compatable you might have a bad phone??   try a network setting reset or facrtory reset?

[stonechucker]

Found this on the ASUS Canada website.  Do you know which model specifically you have?

UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA/WCDMA/TD-SCDMA/LTE/TDD-LTE/FDD-LTE
Data Rate:
HSPA+: UL 5.76 / DL 5.76 Mbps 
DC-HSPA+: UL 5.76 / DL 42 Mbps
LTE Cat4:UL 50 / DL 150 Mbps 
LTE Cat6:UL 50 / DL 300 Mbps (TW/JP/HK version)
WW version:
3G:
WCDMA: Band: 1/2/5/8
4G:
FDD: Band: 1/2/3/5/7/8/20
ID/IN/TH version:
3G:
WCDMA: Band: 1/5/8
4G:
FDD: Band: 1/3/5/8
TD: Band: 40
TW/JP/HK/SG/PH version:
3G:
WCDMA: Band: 1/2/5/6/8/19
4G:
FDD: Band: 1/2/3/5/7/8/18/19/26/28
TD: Band: 38/39/40/41
US/BR version:
3G:
WCDMA: Band: 1/2/4/5/8
4G:
FDD: Band: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/17/28
CN version:
3G:
WCDMA: Band: 1/2/5/8
TD-SCDMA: Band: 34/39
CDMA: BC0 4G:
FDD: Band: 1/2/3/5/7/8
TD: Band: 38/39/40/41
CDMA: BC0
ASUS phone 4G/LTE band compatibility varies by region. Please check compatibility with local carriers If intending to use your ASUS phone outside the original purchase region.
DL Cat.12/13, UL Cat.11 speed vary with the mobile operator and regions. 4G LTE is supported in specific countries/regions only.

[ShawnC13]

@bujee321, the IMEI checker only checks to see if your phone is blacklisted and even at that it gives false reults at times.  A couple of other better sites are https://apn-canada.gishan.net/ and www.willmyphonework.net