1520 32gb Unlocked on Expansys

mhsnow

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I found that Expanses is offering a US Version of the Nokia Lumina 1520 32GB Unlocked and will work on the AT&T Network!!! Could this be a preview of the full version with Qi Wireless charging and 32GB built-in? Anyone have any knowledge of the listed unlocked device?, its shown in all four colors. I cannot seem to get confirmation of the full specs from Expanses.
Nokia Lumia 1520 (Unlocked, 32GB, Red) #LUMIA1520RD - Expansys USA
 

mhsnow

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Thank you for your reply!... The response I received from Expansys is as follows in Italics...
This will work on AT & T since

[FONT=Calibri,sans-serif]AT&T LTE Bands are 700/1700/2100 and it has the 2100 band[/FONT]
 

manicottiK

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The response I received from Expansys is as follows in Italics...
This will work on AT & T since AT&T LTE Bands are 700/1700/2100 and it has the 2100 band
They are incorrect. Just knowing a rounded frequency number isn't enough with LTE. While things were fairly easy in the 2G (GSM/EDGE) and 3G (UMTS/HSPA) times, things are a mess in LTE.

The 1520 that Expansys has is the RM-937 variant. THat phone has 2100 as part of LTE Band 1, but that's not how AT&T uses the 2100 MHz spectrum. (Band 1 LTE uses 2100 for downloads and 1900 for uploads.) AT&T uses 2100 with 1700 -- that's LTE Band 4. To be more clear: AT&T doesn't use 1700 in some areas and 2100 in others, it requires BOTH frequencies in one area for LTE Band 4. Since the RM-937 currently sold by Expansys does not support 1700 in any way, it cannot do Band 4 and thus isn't usable for LTE on the AT&T network.

You can find the frequencies for LTE at LTE Bands | LTE Frequency Bands Spectrum Allocations & Frequencies | Tables.

You can find the specs of the variants of the Lumia 1520 at Device Details -- Nokia Lumia 1520 (left side -- note: the AT&T variant, the RM-940, isn't listed. The RM-938, which is listed as the U.S. version is more like the non-AT&T North American version, since those same frequencies will work well in Canada, too.)
 

mhsnow

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Thank you for replying with some actual useful knowledge!, I asked them if they were listing the RM-938, but apparently its the international version. Do you know if there is plans to bring the RM938 to the US or just Canada?. Also will the RM938 take advantage of AT&T LTE or will it also be hampered and are you saying the RM937 will not work at all or will work on AT&T 4G only?

Thank you again for your knowledgeable input
 

manicottiK

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AT&T customers who want a full-featured Lumia 1520 want the RM-938. It will offer LTE as well as the older standards, 32 GB of storage and a MicroSD slot, and Qi wireless charging. It has the same dimensions as the RM-940 sold by AT&T, but weighs 3g more (that's 0.1 oz.).

I'm not a T-Mobile US user and I don't know what LTE Bands they use here, but know that it varies from city to city, so you'll need to do more investigation to see if the RM-938 will provide you with T-Mo LTE everywhere.

The bad news in all of this is that no one yet knows where or when the RM-938 will be offered. So far, it hasn't been announced by any mobile operators/carriers or electronics dealers. I suspect that many of us are waiting for this situation to change. (I am, although I'd prefer a 5" model with the 1020's camera module.)
 

mhsnow

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I am usually the Geek in my family, but I am going to elect you as Geek'er ..lol thank you for all the good data. Just looking at the RM-938 LTE bands it still looks to run on AT&T network or at least compatible.... That would be great if that was the case.... I searched everywhere for a release date, but as you stated there is nothing out there that I can find, but if this is the rumored coming soon to AT&T if I were them I would wait until after Xmas other wise they take the risk of not having successful ales numbers for the RM-940... My predicament like I am sure a lot of other people I went accessory crazy with the Qi wireless toys... A phone this big however will probably not charge very quickly wirelessly... if you don find an expected release date on the RM-938!, I would really appreciate it
 

manicottiK

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Out of curiosity, which US carrier would this device work best on?
If you are asking where the RM-937 sold by Expansys will work, the answer is AT&T and T-Mobile for 2G (GSM/EDGE) and 3G (UMTS/HSPA) and none of them for 4G (LTE). Obviously, any of the smaller carriers and pre-paid mobile operators that really use the AT&T and T-Mo networks will work, too, but they'll have the same no-LTE limitation.

Essentially, for LTE in the Americas, one needs the RM-938 or RM-940. The 940 is what AT&T sells, but they remove some features: half of the storage memory, the Qi wireless charging, and some of the communications things to make the phone less useful for T-Mo customers in some regions. (There may be other limitations, too, but I don't know for sure.) If you're willing to give up LTE speeds, the RM-937 sold by Expansys and others will provide you with

As tai4de2 said, the RM-938 will eventually come out. Since AT&T probably won't carry it (it would be confusing to have two 1520's), it could be picked up by T-Mobile. I think that it's more likely to be sold by a Canadian, Mexican, or Latin American carrier. (I don't know if the South American carriers use the same frequency bands for LTE as the U.S. does, but they might also be a future source for the 938.)

Until then, your choices are a hobbled 940 or wait. Or consider the 929 on Verizon when it comes out (now rumored for mid- to late-December). It has a 5" screen and no SD slot, and it works on Verizon's network instead of AT&T's. It also looks more like the 928 (black or white slab, not curvey, colored polycarbonate).
 

Lundon44

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I'm kinda curious though if it will get LTE on Rogers.. I realise it's missing the same LTE bands AT&T customers need but Rogers implemented the 2600mhz LTE with higher download speeds last year. I'm curious if that 2600mhz band will fill that gap for us Rogers people. Assuming we live in an area that utilizes the 2600mhz bands of course..
 

kevm14

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The reason you want the RM-938 on T-Mobile is to get HSPA on AWS. AT&T runs LTE on AWS, but not HSPA (so you would get LTE but relying on T-Mobile LTE is a little problematic for most). But AT&T has HSPA on PCS (1.9GHz) and T-Mobile has refarmed some market's PCS to HSPA from EDGE.
 

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