Are Unlocked Titans free from at&t throttling?

[Rocket_Girl]

I am considering options to deal with lousy data connection / low speeds on at&t branded Titan. For those of you who spent the big bucks for unlocked Titans... using them in the US on at&t - what are your experiences with data connection and download speeds?

I need global-capable WP7 phone, so Verizon, with their just about bulletproof connectivity is, sadly, out. I love the Titan - it is really the only device I want at this point, but the unreliable data connection/ signal strength issues on at&t are making me seriously reconsider my decision to sign on with at&t.

Unlocked, as crazy-expensive as it is, is appealing for the ease of SIM-swapping abroad. I really love everything about the device *except* the carrier!

 

[millahguy]

Every smartphone I've owned from AT&T I have SIM unlocked. If you've been a customer with AT&T for more than 1 or 2 years, just call up or E-mail support and tell them you're going overseas and need an unlock code. I've always gotten a phone call within a day or two and the rep will give you an 8 digit code.

In my instance, I use a friends T-Mobile SIM card, put that in and power on. It says enter unlock code. Key in the code and the phone loads. After that, if you insert another SIM card and the bands of coverage are there and work with your phone, everythings all good.

On my Tilt and Tilt 2, it was compatible with T-Mobile. My HD7S is not and I get no signal. There are services that do this, but if you've been a loyal customer they give it to you for free. Don't forget to have your IMEI on hand to give it to the rep. I think this solves your problem.

 

[Rocket_Girl]

Every smartphone I've owned from AT&T I have SIM unlocked. If you've been a customer with AT&T for more than 1 or 2 years, just call up or E-mail support and tell them you're going overseas and need an unlock code. I've always gotten a phone call within a day or two and the rep will give you an 8 digit code.

In my instance, I use a friends T-Mobile SIM card, put that in and power on. It says enter unlock code. Key in the code and the phone loads. After that, if you insert another SIM card and the bands of coverage are there and work with your phone, everythings all good.

On my Tilt and Tilt 2, it was compatible with T-Mobile. My HD7S is not and I get no signal. There are services that do this, but if you've been a loyal customer they give it to you for free. Don't forget to have your IMEI on hand to give it to the rep. I think this solves your problem.

Alas, I am new to at&t - trying to decide --within my 30 days -- whether I want to gamble on 2 yrs lock-in with them. I am disinclined to say the least... but need to be SURE I get the right freq and protocol if I try an unlocked Titan. That's a big spend to mess up!!

Would MUCH rather have an unlocked Titan that could work on T-Mobile without contract, then move to at&t if they ever get their act together. I do use overseas (mostly Europe), so international sim-swap would be so easy.

 

[Reflexx]

Just getting an AT&T phone SIM unlocked probably won't help. The internal settings are probably the same.

Hopefully someone outside of the US could give you an answer about what kind of data speeds they're getting.

 

[tmotytn]

Just getting an AT&T phone SIM unlocked probably won't help. The internal settings are probably the same.

I am pretty sure this statement is correct...I have unlocked lots of ATT phones for Tmobile customers, and have had a few that have just been unlocked for the sake of doing it...speeds with my ATT sim never changed between locked/unlocked units...

 

[pseudoware]

An unlocked Titan will get you slower data speeds w/T-Mobile than AT&T.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

 

[tmotytn]

An unlocked Titan will get you slower data speeds w/T-Mobile than AT&T.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

But I think she is asking if she stays with ATT, but uses a factory unlocked handset, will her speed improve...

Unfortunately, my circle of influence doen't include anyone that would be willing to shell out un-subsidized price for a handset...

 

[Rocket_Girl]

Clarifying - un BRANDED and unlocked

My initial question was unclear. I never expected to unlock an at&t titan and have a different experience. What i should have said was this: would an unbranded/unlocked titan (the $700 kind) be free from the at&t-specific lockdown at HSPA+=8 versus higher.

considering spending the money for an unbranded version (with the correct frequency/bands) to avoid contract, and occurred to me that it might also avoid whatever limits at&t may have set on their own branded titans.

 

[palandri]

What you need is a pentaband (5 bands) GSM phone. My Nokia N8 is a pentaband. It will work in the US on AT&T or T-Mobile and get 3.5G (they call it 4G) or in Europe it will get 3G on any network. The new Nokia WP7 phones are not pentband.

Carriers like to lock phones down to their service and US carriers are not fond of unlocked pentaband phones.

 

[Rocket_Girl]

What you need is a pentaband (5 bands) GSM phone. My Nokia N8 is a pentaband. It will work in the US on AT&T or T-Mobile and get 3.5G (they call it 4G) or in Europe it will get 3G on any network. The new Nokia WP7 phones are not pentband.

Carriers like to lock phones down to their service and US carriers are not fond of unlocked pentaband phones.

Unlocked Nokia in Canada - still only quad band: http://www.windowscentral.com/unlocked-nokia-lumia-800-available-canada-has-att-3g-bands

Where do you buy your pentaband phones - Europe? My next trip is quite soon (though my decision window for at&t ends sooner than that...)

 

[palandri]

Unlocked Nokia in Canada - still only quad band: http://www.windowscentral.com/unlocked-nokia-lumia-800-available-canada-has-att-3g-bands

Where do you buy your pentaband phones - Europe? My next trip is quite soon (though my decision window for at&t ends sooner than that...)

Nokia was big into pentaband phones. I read that Nokia had to agree to stop selling unbranded/unlocked phones in the US before the carriers in the US would start using them again. Look here and count the frequencies after UMTS, you see 5 3G bands on all the phones except the Lumia which has quadband > 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 MHz
Newegg.com - Cell Phones, Cell Phones & Accessories, No Contract Phones, Nokia The Lumia will work on AT&T 3G and Europe 3G. The phone will work on T-mobile for voice, but you will only get 2G for data.

This new Samsung Galaxy Nexus is pentaband: Newegg.com - Samsung Galaxy Nexus GT-i9250 Titanium Silver 3G Unlocked GSM Smart Phone w/ Android 4.0 / 5 MP Camera / 16GB Internal Memory

 

[jd914]

An unlocked Titan will get you slower data speeds w/T-Mobile than AT&T.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

EDGE speed/data is the only option on an unlocked Titan on Tmobile.

 

[Blacklac]

and let me tell you, dealing with EDGE speeds just to get a cool phone gets old very fast. Even with Wifi at home. I know you specifically want 4G speeds, but im just throwing that out there. Ive dont it before.

 

[Rocket_Girl]

Thanks for the warnings about EDGE on t-Mobile. Duly warned, and ruling out that option. May be worth waiting to see whether things change on at&t - with what should theoretically eventually be an HSPA+ phone... just leery after more than 10 yrs w/ Old Reliable (VZW).