Will an "unlocked" 950XL work on Verizon?

[to_be_announced]

Don't die thread!!! I'm still sad that the phones won't be on Verizon.

 

[RumoredNow]

Verizon has sought a second opinion on the Windows Phone users found growing on their network...

 

[Generalheed]

Well looks like the 950 is going to be released soon. Anyone willing to attempt to be the guinea pig to try to activate a 950 on Verizon's network? Or place an already active SIM card from Verizon in the phone? Right now everything points to these phones theoretically and legally working on Verizon's network.

 

[jas o]

Well once a device is activated on Verizon's network, it's unlikely at that point that they'll block your access to their other LTE bands and spectrums. So this device, legally, should work on Verizon's network. Even without CDMA, it should work no problem and thanks to Verizon's roaming agreements, AT&T's and T-Mobile's networks should be able to fill in the gaps from the lack of CDMA. I hope...

Shouldn't we be able to test this theory now? Does anyone have a Lumia with similar bands that they could try to test see if this will work?

 

[to_be_announced]

Well looks like the 950 is going to be released soon. Anyone willing to attempt to be the guinea pig to try to activate a 950 on Verizon's network? Or place an already active SIM card from Verizon in the phone? Right now everything points to these phones theoretically and legally working on Verizon's network.

Actually, that's not true. Without CDMA support, stating that "everything points to these phones theoretically and legally working on Verizon's network" is not true.

 

[tgp]

Actually, that's not true. Without CDMA support, stating that "everything points to these phones theoretically and legally working on Verizon's network" is not true.

I actually wrote something like this, but deleted it before I posted it. It's a tough crowd here! Verizon does not yet support LTE-only devices. Someone got it to work on a Nexus 5, but it was data only. The 950/XL does not work on Verizon (based on what we know about it), even theoretically.

 

[Generalheed]

Shouldn't we be able to test this theory now? Does anyone have a Lumia with similar bands that they could try to test see if this will work?

Unfortunately I'm not aware of any similar Windows phones with similar bands as the 950. And the only way to know for sure is to directly test it on the 950 because there were reports that Verizon was actively blocking 950's on their network, which would be a breach of their agreement with the FCC if it's true.

I actually wrote something like this, but deleted it before I posted it. It's a tough crowd here! Verizon does not yet support LTE-only devices. Someone got it to work on a Nexus 5, but it was data only. The 950/XL does not work on Verizon (based on what we know about it), even theoretically.

I'm not sure when that test was done, but Verizon apparently Verizon only rolled out their VoLTE services somewhat recently, after the Nexus 5 was released. If that test was done before VoLTE was rolled out, then it'd have been data only of course. But Verizon is planning on releasing their first LTE-only phone within the next year or so and within a few more years, they plan to start phasing out their 3G CDMA network, going LTE-only. It's possible they've already begun readying their network for that.

 

[anon(7901790)]

Unfortunately I'm not aware of any similar Windows phones with similar bands as the 950. And the only way to know for sure is to directly test it on the 950 because there were reports that Verizon was actively blocking 950's on their network, which would be a breach of their agreement with the FCC if it's true.

It's not that they are actively blocking. It is the whole CDMA thing. Based upon the posts I've read in this thread, there are a LOT of people who don't understand how CDMA (or system on a chip (SoC)) works. CDMA requires a key that is controlled by the network provider; in this case Verizon. Verizon provides that key to the chip maker (Qualcomm), who then includes it into the firmware of the SoC. That is then provided to the OEM who incorporates it into the OS/Firmware build. Without that key, and if the CDMA radio is not enabled, the phone will not work on a CDMA network. Which is what Verizon uses for its voice and SMS network.

Here's a little more info about the SoC being used on the 950 and 950XL.

The Snap Dragon 810 (950XL) is also on the (gasp)... HTC One M9

The Snap Dragon 808 (950) is also on the...wait for it... LG G4

Both the M9 and G4 are on Verizon's network. Why? Because the CDMA radios on those two devices are enabled. By whom you ask? That would be Qualcomm. There are no hardware differences between the 810 on the M9 and the 950XL It isn't cost effective for Qualcomm to make two separate versions of a SoC. In fact doing so defeats the whole purpose of the SoC. All modern SoC's have CDMA, GSM, LTE, Bluetooth, WiFi, etc. built in.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994 Specs and Reviews

 

[OutlawFirebird]

Can you say how you acquired a production 950XL to try that?



Demo units aren't the same. I could be wrong but I read all threads on these and don't recall anyone posting they put ANY carrier SIM in a demo and making a call. I did read speculation that the demos had disabled SIM slots because they were made before all govt approvals had been obtained.

The bands for CDMA are not activated in the 950xl
How many phones use voice over lte on Verizon, That are not Verizon branded phones? don't think theres that many. sorry but this phone isn't going to be any different. I'm not happy with Verizon lack of care for windows either, but this phone is most likely not going to be able to use on Verizon. They rather have 50 Verizon branded androids than support windows.

 

[Generalheed]

It's not that they are actively blocking. It is the whole CDMA thing. Based upon the posts I've read in this thread, there are a LOT of people who don't understand how CDMA (or system on a chip (SoC)) works. CDMA requires a key that is controlled by the network provider; in this case Verizon. Verizon provides that key to the chip maker (Qualcomm), who then includes it into the firmware of the SoC. That is then provided to the OEM who incorporates it into the OS/Firmware build. Without that key, and if the CDMA radio is not enabled, the phone will not work on a CDMA network. Which is what Verizon uses for its voice and SMS network.

Here's a little more info about the SoC being used on the 950 and 950XL.

The Snap Dragon 810 (950XL) is also on the (gasp)... HTC One M9

The Snap Dragon 808 (950) is also on the...wait for it... LG G4

Both the M9 and G4 are on Verizon's network. Why? Because the CDMA radios on those two devices are enabled. By whom you ask? That would be Qualcomm. There are no hardware differences between the 810 on the M9 and the 950XL It isn't cost effective for Qualcomm to make two separate versions of a SoC. In fact doing so defeats the whole purpose of the SoC. All modern SoC's have CDMA, GSM, LTE, Bluetooth, WiFi, etc. built in.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994 Specs and Reviews

No CDMA isn't necessarily required anymore. Verizon has already rolled out VoLTE meaning you can makes calls and send texts over the LTE network. And according to a previous poster, it's been done before where someone managed to activate a Nexus 5 on Verizon but it was LTE-only. Also, Verizon is mandated by the FCC to accept any device on their LTE network for the recent bands they acquired. So even without CDMA radios, these phones might still work on Verizon's network as long as they're not actively blocking the devices.

 

[anon(7901790)]

No CDMA isn't necessarily required anymore. Verizon has already rolled out VoLTE meaning you can makes calls and send texts over the LTE network. And according to a previous poster, it's been done before where someone managed to activate a Nexus 5 on Verizon but it was LTE-only. Also, Verizon is mandated by the FCC to accept any device on their LTE network for the recent bands they acquired. So even without CDMA radios, these phones might still work on Verizon's network as long as they're not actively blocking the devices.

Yes, Verizon has rolled out VoLTE, it is branded as "Advanced Calling." The problem is for Advanced Calling to work, you: 1 - Must have an Advanced Calling enabled device, AND, 2 - you can only call other Advanced Calling enabled phones. So even you if could get the 950/950XL to work on Verizon's network, the people you could call would be small. Verizon still has a LOT of users that are not on the latest and greatest smart phone. Verizon has 27 phones that are advanced calling capable. That is out of a total of 59 different devices; which includes smartphones, basic phones, tablets, and mobile hot spots. What does that mean? Well you would not be able to talk to any of the users that have 1 of the 9 smartphones that are not Advanced Calling enabled or ANY of the basic phone users.

So with that being said, why would Verizon authorize a device that can only talk to limited customers? The devices that Verizon offer will talk to any other device on its network as well as any other device on any other network. That is what Verizon is concerned with.

 

[Zendroid1]

871 posts and here we stand with the answer nearly the same as it was day one: No one knows yet.

 

[RumoredNow]

871 posts and here we stand with the answer nearly the same as it was day one: No one knows yet.

 

[anywhereanytime]

871 posts and here we stand with the answer nearly the same as it was day one: No one knows yet.

YEP = that is exactly where we stand !!! I "pre-ordered" at a Silicon Valley Microsoft store in Valley Fair Mall - ON Oct 10, 2015 - with expected delivery on Oct 26!!!

Today is November 12, 2015 and I HAVE NOT heard squat !!!

I say, I NEVER said Verizon = NO US PHONES YET = WHY?

 

[Bobvfr]

I wonder what we will do on these dark winter nights when we know the answer to this question, life will seem so empty.

 

[anon(7901790)]

this post ends the thread. It's a pipedream folks. I hope I am wrong, but I wouldn't expect these phones to work on VZW for 6-12 months, if ever.

First off that article provided no substantive info. There were "might be's" and "it is claimed" through out the entire article. It's pure speculation.

Second, it is true that a MEID or IMEI can be blocked. What the article got wrong, is that GSM devices can't be blocked. GSM devices CAN be blocked using either the MEID or IMEI.

ALL mobile devices that use CDMA, GSM, or LTE have a MEID and IMEI. If your phone is lost or stolen and you report it, that device's MEID or IMEI is put on a universal blocked list so it can't be used again.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[anon(7901790)]

I wonder what we will do on these dark winter nights when we know the answer to this question, life will seem so empty.

 

[jas o]

I was speaking to my VZW B2B Rep ordering my VZW Surface 3 LTE and asked about the 950's. He looked them up in the system and it showed them as "blocked". He said when that happens that they will usually get their own version in about 6 months. Take that for what it is worth, but there must be some hope if there is VZW branded Surface 3.

 

[Zendroid1]

I wonder what we will do on these dark winter nights when we know the answer to this question, life will seem so empty.

Hey, I heard there's a surface phone coming out!? Do you know if it will work on Verizon?

 

[jmajid]

Hey, I heard there's a surface phone coming out!? Do you know if it will work on Verizon?

that may well be next years question of the year on WC