Unlocked 1520, no LTE, no Tethering

[khalidr]

I just purchased a factory unlocked Lumia 1520, inserted my AT&T sim and most functions work except I can't get LTE, or tethering to work. The phone displays H and alternates to H+ sometimes. All works when I put the sim back into my old phone and I get LTE in the same spot.

I've spoken to AT&T and they claim to have reset the sim OTA but still nothing. :unhappysweat:

Any suggestions from the community ?

 

[ItsMcDiddles]

Don't you need the MMS and Internet APN?

 

[5150 Joker]

What do you mean by "factory unlocked" because there's no such thing for RM-940. So I'm assuming you have the international version aka RM-937 which doesn't have the AT&T LTE band.

 

[Kebero]

If you bought the RM-937, all you will get is HSPA+. You should go ahead and switch your connection speed to 3G in your settings.

There is another thread here in the 1520 forum that addresses tethering.

 

[khalidr]

Amazon.com: Nokia Lumia 1520 Black Factory Unlocked RM-937 4G/LTE 800/900/1800/2100/2600: Cell Phones & Accessories
This is what I bought. Does this mean I cannot get the faster LTE speeds here the US ?

The details specify 4G LTE, was I mislead ?

 

[Kebero]

The details specify 4G LTE, was I mislead ?

You weren't mislead. The RM-930 simply doesn't have the LTE bands for the US and Canada.

 

[5150 Joker]

Amazon.com: Nokia Lumia 1520 Black Factory Unlocked RM-937 4G/LTE 800/900/1800/2100/2600: Cell Phones & Accessories
This is what I bought. Does this mean I cannot get the faster LTE speeds here the US ?

The details specify 4G LTE, was I mislead ?

That's the RM 937 which is clearly stated in the description. You should have researched it before purchasing it. Since you bought it from Amazon, you can return it and grab the AT&T 32 GB black version which has LTE but no Qi wireless. So if you are ok with having no Qi Wireless and being locked to AT&T, go for it. Otherwise the RM 937 is a fantastic phone (I own the yellow one) and HSPA+ speeds are more than fast enough for HD video in most areas.

 

[Alex Rodriguez]

Amazon.com: Nokia Lumia 1520 Black Factory Unlocked RM-937 4G/LTE 800/900/1800/2100/2600: Cell Phones & Accessories
This is what I bought. Does this mean I cannot get the faster LTE speeds here the US ?

The details specify 4G LTE, was I mislead ?

The phone you bought is a million times better than the one from AT&T. It is unlocked, you can use it in any GSM carrier you want.It has wireless built in unlike the AT&T version. It has Data sense to help you keep track of your data usage. It is LTE but the LTE bands it has are not the same AT&T use that's why you see H and H+. Unless you are an AT&T subscriber if I was you I stay with the phone you bought. If that is the case return it and buy the AT&T version and be ready to pay a lot for the service just for the LTE you are missing. I have a Nokia Lumia 920 from AT&T and i unlocked and change the ROM to an international one, just to get what AT&T doesn't offer. I use it with NET10 sim and it has H and H+ which is more than enough for me. 2.5 gb of data, unlimited text and voice for just $50 monthly. If I was going to pay that on AT&T it will come to $120 or more monthly. All the phones i buy are international since that 920. AT&T has no business with me.

You can check the frequency bands AT&T use here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT&T_Mobility

 

[palandri]

My wife is French, so we go to France a couple of times every year. I always buy unbranded/unlocked phones.

 

[khalidr]

That's the RM 937 which is clearly stated in the description. You should have researched it before purchasing it. Since you bought it from Amazon, you can return it and grab the AT&T 32 GB black version which has LTE but no Qi wireless. So if you are ok with having no Qi Wireless and being locked to AT&T, go for it. Otherwise the RM 937 is a fantastic phone (I own the yellow one) and HSPA+ speeds are more than fast enough for HD video in most areas.

Thank you. I should have done a little more research but overall I agree it's a fantastic phone. Still locked to AT&T for now with contract but at least I can use when I travel international.

 

[khalidr]

Can you please clarify for me

It is LTE but the LTE bands it has are not the same AT&T use that's why you see H and H+.

I understand LTE is faster but how does H+ compare to LTE in the real world ?

Also, my other (previous) phone is the AT&T 920 and I wanted to unlock it for some upcoming international travel. AT&T refuses and tells me I am still in contract. How did you manage to unlock ? I'd like to unlock my ATT 920 and an ATT 1020 I also own.

I doubt that I'll ever be buying locked phones in future.

 

[Citizen X]

I use it with NET10 sim and it has H and H+ which is more than enough for me. 2.5 gb of data, unlimited text and voice for just $50 monthly. If I was going to pay that on AT&T it will come to $120 or more monthly.

Not sure what plans you have looked at with at&t but the average at&t customer pays way less than that. Go to the at&t website and actually look at their plans. Not only do they pay less than that but they also get the 1520 for either free, $53, $99, or $125 vs the almost $600+ the unlocked international version goes for. They also get LTE. Only a minuscule number of people are aware of wireless charging cell phones and an even smaller number actually use them. Far more people use LTE.

One of the reasons I made fun of iphone users was they were paying $199 on contract for non-LTE phones when the Lumia 900 which had LTE was free. A phone's main purpose is communicating... not wireless charging.

Calculations by The Associated Press, based on AT&T's public statements, indicate that the average monthly bill for its smartphone subscribers has fallen from $88 to $80 in the space of a year.

Monthly smartphone bills down at AT&T – USATODAY.com

With unlimited LTE data and a modest voice and 200 text plan I pay way less than $80 on contract. Look for discounts through your school or work.

 

[Kebero]

Unless you were grandfathered in, there is no unlimited LTE on AT&T. Compare an unlimited talk and text plan, and you'll see the savings.

 

[Citizen X]

Unless you were grandfathered in, there is no unlimited LTE on AT&T. Compare an unlimited talk and text plan, and you'll see the savings.

The average at&t smartphone user pays about $80 on contract. $120 would be 50% above average. Please let's not use that number as being in any way indicative of the typical smartphone user. Whatever plan people choose to go with is a very individual thing. Even what cell phone company one uses depends on geography and travel habits. There is simply no one size fits all.

I explored dropping my plan and moving to pay as you go and discovered that I would not get anywhere near the service I am getting and there would be no savings. Unlimited talk and text is fine but in reality the majority of people don't need an unlimited talk plan. That's why every company has them. Unless you are a traveling salesman who doesn't have access to land lines during the day and you call land lines all the time during work hours it's impossible to use up all your minutes even on at&t's lowest al a cart plan. I am not going to trade "unlimited" LTE for unlimited talk when I don't even use 10% of my minutes in any given month.

Unlimited text could be useful but I use Whatsapp so a $5 texting plan works for me. Everyone is different. So people have to do what works for them.

Also, my other (previous) phone is the AT&T 920 and I wanted to unlock it for some upcoming international travel. AT&T refuses and tells me I am still in contract. How did you manage to unlock ? I'd like to unlock my ATT 920 and an ATT 1020 I also own.

I doubt that I'll ever be buying locked phones in future.

It all depends on how long you've been on contract. If you've been on contract 6+ months and pay your bills on time I've never had a problem simply calling and telling them I am going out of the country and I need the phone unlocked. Works every time. Your contract absolutely does not have to be over for an unlock. You just can't do it two months into your contract.

 

[rory753]

I recently did the same thing, except on tmobile. I researched it, and was expecting not to have LTE, but the thing I was expecting to have was tethering(internet sharing). I got the phone last week, and since then, I got an update an update to the firmware. Since Then, I've been able to get internet sharing to work. on 3g. since H+ is kind of spotty, I haven't really tried it on that band.

 

[lcjarvis]

As far as tethering is concerned you can get it there's a post on doing this short version change location to Spain and download the Spanish keyboard I don't remember the rest but it's on here I have the same phone I miss lte a lil bit but the rm-937 is the better phone trust!

 

[Mr Lebowski]

Unlimited talk, Text, 1GB data AT&T is $85. plus about $12. in fees and taxes.
So close to $100. a month

 

[Tim Bearden]

I have the 400 minute talk plan. Only use about 80 of that a month so I have 2300 roll over minutes too. I have 1500 texts for $15 and 2gb of data and pay $88 a month. I've never gone over with data or texts so this works for me. I didn't know this but just found out if I take my union card into the ATT store I'll get 18% off that too so I'm gonna do that asap. A friend of mine got a work discount of 30% too. I think they're keeping these discounts a secret so start asking around cuz you never know.They used to have a AAA too but I don't know anymore.

 

[Citizen X]

Unlimited talk, Text, 1GB data AT&T is $85. plus about $12. in fees and taxes.
So close to $100. a month

Don't know about the fees but whatever the total you came out with ignores the discounts at&t has for many people. It's okay not to know about the discounts but when someone tells you about them you should at least check and report back your results.

I didn't know about them and when I checked I found out I was eligible for a 25% off discount. Giving people the false choice of full current at&t pricing vs pay-as-you go on t-mobile with no LTE is doing them a disservice. FYI I only got a smartphone when at&t offered a free Lumia 900, unlimited LTE, and a 25% discount.

The average at&t customer pays about $80. Obviously they don't just go on the website and pick a plan at random without looking for discounts. And of course if you bring your own phone to at&t you pay even less.

I didn't know this but just found out if I take my union card into the ATT store I'll get 18% off that too so I'm gonna do that asap. A friend of mine got a work discount of 30% too.

.
Yeah. Not sure why people would turn down a cheap phone, a deep monthly discount, and LTE for inferior 3G coverage.

 

[palandri]

I have the 400 minute talk plan. Only use about 80 of that a month so I have 2300 roll over minutes too. I have 1500 texts for $15 and 2gb of data and pay $88 a month. I've never gone over with data or texts so this works for me. I didn't know this but just found out if I take my union card into the ATT store I'll get 18% off that too so I'm gonna do that asap. A friend of mine got a work discount of 30% too. I think they're keeping these discounts a secret so start asking around cuz you never know.They used to have a AAA too but I don't know anymore.

I am pretty sure you need to sign a 2 year contract to get the 18% discount.