US to UK band on 4G network: will it work?

[Windows Central Question]

Hi - just wanted to know if I bought a Lumia 640 in the US whether it will work in the UK. The info on the phone I have is:

GSM 850/900/1800/1900
WCDMA 850/900/2100
FDD-LTE 800/900/1800/2100/2600

I have checked and my UK operates a 4G network at 800 MHz (0.8 GHz). But I don't really understand whether this is GSM or FDD-LTE ? so I would be really grateful if someone who knows could explain!

Many thanks.

 

[eusty]

Basically....
GSM=3G
FDD-LTE=4G

 

[AndyCalling]

It goes like this:
The US uses odd terms to describe mobile internet. For most of the world, G=GSM (2G), E=Edge (2G), H=HSPA (3G), H+=HSDPA (3G), 4G=4G.

The US considers H+ to be 4G for some weird reason (and I think Edge isn't considered 2G either?), so they need to come up with another name for the 4G speeds. So for US phones, they should show LTE when connected to a UK or EU 4G network and in fact almost anywhere else the world. In the UK, 4G never means H+. Of course, those same networks also provide 3G and 2G services for when you can't grab a 4G signal, but the reception is usually pretty good unless you're in a geographically challenging location. UK 4G is always LTE speeds, in US terms. So long as the phone supports the frequencies for the country/network concerned, of course. Looks like it should to me.

 

[RumoredNow]

It goes like this:
The US uses odd terms to describe mobile internet. For most of the world, G=GSM (2G), E=Edge (2G), H=HSPA (3G), H+=HSDPA (3G), 4G=4G.

The US considers H+ to be 4G for some weird reason (and I think Edge isn't considered 2G either?), so they need to come up with another name for the 4G speeds. So for US phones, they should show LTE when connected to a UK or EU 4G network and in fact almost anywhere else the world. In the UK, 4G never means H+. Of course, those same networks also provide 3G and 2G services for when you can't grab a 4G signal, but the reception is usually pretty good unless you're in a geographically challenging location. UK 4G is always LTE speeds, in US terms. So long as the phone supports the frequencies for the country/network concerned, of course. Looks like it should to me.

Like they say, "Two countries separated by a common language." :winktongue:

But AndyCalling is right, EDGE is not 2G, it is 2.5G and H+ is not 4G it is fauxG or 3.5G...

In the US, certain governmental agencies could not vacate spectrum by deadline so a couple of major players were behind rolling out LTE. T-MoUS took to labeling their H+ as "4G" and the naming race was on...

But that is a digression. The OP is asking about compatibility not naming conventions.

Hi - just wanted to know if I bought a Lumia 640 in the US whether it will work in the UK. The info on the phone I have is:

GSM 850/900/1800/1900
WCDMA 850/900/2100
FDD-LTE 800/900/1800/2100/2600

I have checked and my UK operates a 4G network at 800 MHz (0.8 GHz). But I don't really understand whether this is GSM or FDD-LTE — so I would be really grateful if someone who knows could explain!

Many thanks.

IF you are talking about the infamous $30 Lumia 640 GoPhone... I have one. Field Test Menu shows it has all bands on-board enabled right out of the box and those bands are thus:

GSM quad band which is the world standard
3G Bands 1 (2100) / 2 (1900) / 4 (US 1700) / 5 (US 850)
LTE Bands 2 (1900) / 4 (1700/2100) / 5 (850) / 7 (2600) / 17 (700) / 28 (700)

Microsoft US says the same about the Unlocked 640 for NA except it gets LTE Band 12 (700) as well. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/mobile/phone/lumia640/specifications/

On GSMArena they show what you listed, but that is the Euro spec or "world" radio they show: Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE - Full phone specifications

In short, a North American phone is not suited for UK carriers. To gauge more accurately I would need to know the name of the carrier(s) you hope to use it on in the UK.


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[Californium]

Thanks for the responses - really helpful.

Yes I noticed slight differences in the Europe and US bands for the 640, and that is what is causing my concern really. My network in the UK is Tesco Mobile. As far as I can see, they operate on the O2 network ? 4G is 800mhz; 3G is 900mhz & 2100mhz.

4G frequencies - Which UK networks will my phone work on?

So, as RumoredNow says above, not sure this would work. As far as I can see from the Microsoft page, the US model will not support 4G on my network, and only one band on 3G?.