Talk n Surf on ATT - Which WP8 devices?

[emergenic]

Just wondering if "Talk and Surf" capability has been confirmed for any of the upcoming WP8 devices rumored to be going to ATT yet.

Would hate to give this up...

 

[scottcraft]

I would expect that to be available for all WP8 devices on AT&T. I'm pretty sure all AT&T smartphones have that capability, it's built into the network.

 

[Duvi]

All current AT&T devices have that capabilities. AT&T's 3G network has the capability. So everything higher (3.5, FauxG, 4G LTE) can accomplish this.

 

[emergenic]

I would expect that to be available for all WP8 devices on AT&T. I'm pretty sure all AT&T smartphones have that capability, it's built into the network.

I thought this was standard on ATT as well, until my wife chose an HTC Inspire 4G phone that does not allow her to send/receive data while in a phone conversation.

So it would appear that it is not standard on all phones currently on ATT's network.

 

[emergenic]

All current AT&T devices have that capabilities. AT&T's 3G network has the capability. So everything higher (3.5, FauxG, 4G LTE) can accomplish this.

Could be something specific to her phone, or just an "Operator Error"...but will definitely confirm my next WP8 takes advantage of this feature on AT&T.

 

[anon(5335877)]

I thought this was standard on ATT as well, until my wife chose an HTC Inspire 4G phone that does not allow her to send/receive data while in a phone conversation.

So it would appear that it is not standard on all phones currently on ATT's network.

It should be able to talk and surf, as long as she has a 3G connection or higher. If it drops down to 2G (EDGE), then you can't.

 

[Duvi]

Could be something specific to her phone, or just an "Operator Error"...but will definitely confirm my next WP8 takes advantage of this feature on AT&T.

May want to check what whether you're on EDGE or 3G as I had that device and could do both. I'm in the NYC metro area, so I'm blanketed with 3G, FauxG and 4G LTE.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I was able to talk & surf simultaneously on AT&T 3G back in May 2009 when I used a BlackBerry 9000.

 

[jdevenberg]

Pretty sure it is user error as it is an inherent ability of the type of network that AT&T and T-Mobile both use. As long as you are on 3G or higher, you should be able to.

 

[larrynj]

I've been doing it for years on AT&T and just assumed every company could do it. It's a great feature that I regular use.

Is it only AT&T and T-mobile?

 

[bobsentell]

My Lumia 900 talks and surfs at the same time. I don't use it that often but it is beyond being gimmicky. You'll miss it when it isn't there.

 

[mdameron]

I thought this was standard on ATT as well, until my wife chose an HTC Inspire 4G phone that does not allow her to send/receive data while in a phone conversation.

So it would appear that it is not standard on all phones currently on ATT's network.

What happens when she puts someone on speakerphone and then hits the Home button on her phone?

 

[Old_Cus]

I've been doing it for years on AT&T and just assumed every company could do it. It's a great feature that I regular use.

Is it only AT&T and T-mobile?

Yep it's a feature of GSM. I remember reading awhile back that once Verizon had their LTE network running they would have the same capitablity but I haven't heard if indeed they do now.

 

[bobsentell]

Yep it's a feature of GSM. I remember reading awhile back that once Verizon had their LTE network running they would have the same capitablity but I haven't heard if indeed they do now.

My understanding (meaning I admit I could be way off) is that Verizon's LTE itself is unable to do Talk and Surf. So the talk falls back onto the old CDMA network while the data stays on the LTE network. In most places this isn't an issue as the CDMA network's footprint is larger than the LTE footprint. So you would have to have two radios in order for it to work.

As LTE is based on GSM technology it should follow the same rules and allow Talk and Surf. As to why Verizon's doesn't, I don't know. But AT&T's LTE should handle Talk and Surf just fine. But other than going up on the frequency, I'm not sure it'll fix the connection issues with AT&T.

Part of the reason Verizon 3G phones tend to have a better connection to the towers is GSM allows multiple connections at the same time while CDMA only allows one connection at a time. While that impares the ability to talk and surf, the phone is only working on one thing at a time which allows the signal to remain more solid.

The other reason is CDMA is constantly looking for the best signal possible while GSM finds a tower and sticks with it until it has reason to jump. That's why turning on and off Airplane mode will sometimes boost your reception on an AT&T phone.

 

[scottcraft]

All Verizon LTE phones can talk and surf at the same time, except for the iPhone 5. Some Verizon phones can do it on 3G too. Namely the HTC Thunderbolt and Rezound and the Galaxy S3.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I thought this was standard on ATT as well, until my wife chose an HTC Inspire 4G phone that does not allow her to send/receive data while in a phone conversation.

So it would appear that it is not standard on all phones currently on ATT's network.

It sounds like a mobile network settings issue or spotty coverage. If she is only getting EDGE, then simultaneous voice/data will not be possible.

The device itself definitely supports simultaneous voice/data. AT&T: HTC Inspire? 4G That's actually "fauxG", HSPA+, not LTE. Still, even 3G supports simultaneous voice/data.

I'd suggest perhaps asking the folks at the Android Central forums for help with the mobile network settings on the HTC Inspire. Hopefully, they can help.

 

[Duvi]

All the LTE capable devices on Sprint can talk and surf over 3G. The Galaxy Nexus may be the exception. I've never tried.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

The other reason is CDMA is constantly looking for the best signal possible while GSM finds a tower and sticks with it until it has reason to jump. That's why turning on and off Airplane mode will sometimes boost your reception on an AT&T phone.

So that's why I seem to get boosted signal by doing that every half hour or so on my 3 device... Now I get it! Thank you, I just learned something new there.