will my phone work with Public Mobile

[RMF]

I am 72, so be patient if I seem to be asking a silly question, this is all new to me.

I went to Freedom and was told I could not get their service as they need 2100mhz.

I have a Galaxy Note 5, which I bought second hand from a used phone dealer.

My IE number is more than 15 digits, ending with a slash and two more numbers.

Will it work with Public Mobile?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

[mcbrideroberta]

The fastest way to find out if it will work. Take the phone to Koodo, they will tell you. If they say yes you can buy the sim card and Voucher to load your phone.

[RMF]

Hi PM Community, just to let you know I went yesterday to a Public Mobile and my phone worked!! The SIM card used while in Florida was taken out and then my Toronto number being used on a very old cell phone was ported from Rogers to my Galaxy Note 5.  I am so glad that Freedom would not work with my phone, discovering this community has made my day.  I know I will have more questions in the future, and having you there to "hold my hand" means a lot. Thanks Everyone

[RMF]

Hi there, sorry for delay.  I went on willmyphonework.net  and entered my IMEI and model    number, #SM-N920A, which I assumed was the same as N920A, and entered both Freedom and Public.  It stated it wouldn't work with Freedom (which means Freedom's website contains an error) and would work with Public. It said Freedom didn't support 3G, and Public did, so I have high hopes all will be well.  I am going this week to a Public location.  There is currently a Tracfone SIM card in the phone from when I was in the States and it used ATT.  I have an old cellphone now working with Rogers and intend to port the number to this phone, and when I return to Florida hope it will be just a matter of switching SIM cards.  Thanks to all who replied, and as mentioned will update the forum.  Maybe you should have a seniors category!!

[geopublic]

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@pm101helpu wrote:
Hello there; I hope the information I'm about to share with you helps you to resolve your issue with your current provider and allow you to transfer service to public mobile. First of all, you should never feel silly about asking a question regardless of your age. Age is only a number and we only learn by doing and experiencing! 1 you enter those numbers that you need to enter you cannot use slashes or spaces, because they are considered extra characters. I have some questions for you with regard to your situation. Do you currently have a public mobile self-serve account? Did you check to see if your phone was compatible with public mobile prior to considering your options? Your current phone that you have is considered the 5th generation of the Galaxy note family. Based on the knowledge that I have, if things are done correctly, your phone should work with public mobile network. I currently have an iPhone 4s. I know that my phone is not anything like the Galaxy that you have but, the point I'm trying to make is that my phone is older than yours and still works with public mobile. I hope this information was encouraging and helps you to make the best decision for yourself based on your situation. I would be willing to help you in whatever capacity I can, if you are interested you can send me a private message by hovering over my username and clicking on message. Good luck!

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@pm101helpu  There is no need for the OP to send you a private message regarding this issue. Most of the questions that you are asking have already been answered. The whole idea is for the PM community to share their insights and help new customers solve basic issues.

Here is a good reference on "how to get help" works at Public Mobile..

[GinYVR]

3G is a subset of cellphone standards. Because Freedom is a newer network, they chose not to support all the standards which guarantees all the phones from old bricks phones to the latest. 

The wrinkle in that statement is while some newer phones incorporate the standards for around the world. It can be cost prohibitive or space prohibitive to support every standard. So some phones are tailored for certain regions. That’s why Note ( might have different sub models.

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@RMF wrote:

Freedom doesn't have 3G and Public does.

Have no idea what that means, but have a feeling it means

I will  be able to use Public.

Will keep you updated.  Thanks for proving you CAN teach

an old dog new tricks LOL!!

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[pm101helpu]

Hello there; I hope the information I'm about to share with you helps you to resolve your issue with your current provider and allow you to transfer service to public mobile. First of all, you should never feel silly about asking a question regardless of your age. Age is only a number and we only learn by doing and experiencing! 1 you enter those numbers that you need to enter you cannot use slashes or spaces, because they are considered extra characters. I have some questions for you with regard to your situation. Do you currently have a public mobile self-serve account? Did you check to see if your phone was compatible with public mobile prior to considering your options? Your current phone that you have is considered the 5th generation of the Galaxy note family. Based on the knowledge that I have, if things are done correctly, your phone should work with public mobile network. I currently have an iPhone 4s. I know that my phone is not anything like the Galaxy that you have but, the point I'm trying to make is that my phone is older than yours and still works with public mobile. I hope this information was encouraging and helps you to make the best decision for yourself based on your situation. I would be willing to help you in whatever capacity I can, if you are interested you can send me a private message by hovering over my username and clicking on message. Good luck!

[bridonca]

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@RMF wrote:

Turns out my phone was made in Germany

While originally Freedom was my first choice,, the helpfulness of this forum, especially

the promptness of  the replies has made me change my mind.  At my age, being able to get questions answered means a lot to me. I will now try willmyphonework.net and if necessary

contact Public Mobile s suggested.  I will keep you updated. Thanks all.

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If you can give us any version number you can find on that phone, I can probably find out if this phone works for sure.  With the information you have already provided, it probably will work with Public Mobile.

Here are the versions of this phone.

Versions: N920T (T-Mobile); N920A (AT&T); N920I (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada); N920G (LATAM); N920G/DS (Brazil, India)

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note5-7431.php

[RMF]

Freedom doesn't have 3G and Public does.

Have no idea what that means, but have a feeling it means

I will  be able to use Public.

Will keep you updated.  Thanks for proving you CAN teach

an old dog new tricks LOL!!

[GinYVR]

You can easily get Public Mobile service at any Walmart or London Drugs (if you are out west)

It might be easiest just to borrow someone elses Public Mobile sim card and give it a go.

[RMF]

Turns out my phone was made in Germany

While originally Freedom was my first choice,, the helpfulness of this forum, especially

the promptness of  the replies has made me change my mind.  At my age, being able to get questions answered means a lot to me. I will now try willmyphonework.net and if necessary

contact Public Mobile s suggested.  I will keep you updated. Thanks all.

[Dunkman]

@RMF 

Different submodel (ie country origins) can make a difference.  You should be able to check your submodel in your phone settings section. 

It does looke like most submodels of your phone is not compatable with Freedom mobile.  Only the Canadian one SM-N920W8 (Canada) and one US SM-N920T (T-Mobile USA) works on 3G and partially  on LTE band with Freedom mobile.  

With Public mobile, all submodels should work according to the website.  

[geopublic]

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@RMF wrote:

but when I entered the IMEI number on Freedoms site, it said compatible, but the

booth at Cedarbrae said No!! 

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@RMF  Click here enter the 15 digit IMEI number what happens? If it says no, then it's possible that your phone is blacklisted. Do you have the exact model of your phone?

If you are still having issues and want to be absolutely sure of phone eligibility the it's best if you contact Public Mobile and provide them with the IMEI and the exact make and model of the phone and ask the to check it for you. To contact Public Mobile click here. The link sends you to the private message function and adds the moderator team as recipient for a private message. You just have to enter a title and text in the body of the message describing the problem and post. The message will be received by the moderator team and they will respond to it. You will receive the response in your private message inbox.

Moderator Hours: Monday-Friday 8 am(Eastern) to 12 am (Eastern) and Saturday, and Sunday from 8 am(Eastern) to 10 pm (Eastern).

[RMF]

Thank you for being so helpful.  Could it be that my phone was made in a country other than Canada or US.,would that make a difference?  I don't know how to check if it was or not.

I will check the site you suggested in the meantime.  Thanks again.

[Dunkman]

@RMF 

You can also try the following website to check on Freedom mobile or Public mobile:

willmyphonework.net

If you are more interested in Freedom Mobile, you could try another Freedom mobile booth or if you have a friends with Freedom mobile, try their SIM card in your phone.  

[RMF]

but when I entered the IMEI number on Freedoms site, it said compatible, but the

booth at Cedarbrae said No!! 

[geopublic]

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@RMF wrote:

thanks so much for replying, thats the problem my IMEI has more than 15 digits,

15 numbers, then /15

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@RMF  You can ignore the /15. That just signifies the software version on your phone.

[RMF]

Forgot to mention with Freedom without the /15 the phone showed as compatible, but I could

not enter the slash 15, just like I can't with Public Mobile, and when I went to a Freedom

Booth they said the phone would not work with their plan.  I am trying to avoid going to a Public

Mobile dealer before being sure it will work.....the slash 15 seems to be a problem.

[RMF]

thanks so much for replying, thats the problem my IMEI has more than 15 digits,

15 numbers, then /15

[geopublic]

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@RMF wrote:

I am 72, so be patient if I seem to be asking a silly question, this is all new to me.

@RMF  No such thing as a silly question.

I went to Freedom and was told I could not get their service as they need 2100mhz.

That is correct because that phone does not have the required band to work.

I have a Galaxy Note 5, which I bought second hand from a used phone dealer.

My IE number is more than 15 digits, ending with a slash and two more numbers.

Will it work with Public Mobile?

@RMF  Yes the phone will work. The best way to get your IMEI number is to use your dialer keypad and dial the following: *#06#

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

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