Tru 3G using T-Mobile on 1900mHz in the USA

[rfranzq]

Tru 3G using T-Mobile on 1900mHz in the USA

Today, using an unlocked AT&T Huawei U2800A, when driving around, I received 3G with Tru using network name Tru[=T-Mobile]. The '3G' symbol was on my phone rather than the 'E' at my home. [See 'hole in the middle' below.] AT&T seems to only connect to Tru using Edge.
I do not do data so I really can't comment on performance, but I feel confident about 'connections'. T-Mobile is rapidly refarming 3G to 1900mHz band. So anyone with 1900 3G capibility should have confidence their phone can/will work 3G on Tru if you get to the USA. See map at below link.

Here is a website showing T-Mobile 1900mHz deployment in the USA. Use Zip Code 90240 to see my situation.
Sightings of T-Mobile 3G/4G/HSPA+ coverage on 1900MHz (PCS/UMTS band II) Sadly, I live in the hole in the middle of Los Angeles County.

[Bossman]

Yeah. My son's TMobile prepaid sim in an at&t phone shows 3G a lot now at my house. When I do network search in addition to AT&T, I see TMobile 2G and TMobile 3G.

[rfranzq]

Originally Posted by Bossman

........... When I do network search in addition to AT&T, I see TMobile 2G and TMobile 3G.

Now, if only I could find an inexpensive [read cheap!] 3G phone that let me do network searches.

I guess next on the list.

[Bossman]

The phone being used is a basic pantech link. I'm sure it can be found on eBay.

[rfranzq]

Originally Posted by rfranzq

Tru 3G using T-Mobile on 1900mHz in the USA

Today, using an unlocked AT&T Huawei U2800A, when driving around, I received 3G with Tru using network name Tru[=T-Mobile]. The '3G' symbol was on my phone rather than the 'E' at my home. [See 'hole in the middle' below.] AT&T seems to only connect to Tru using Edge.

I took a recent ekit SIM on a similar trip and got the same results. 3G on T-Mobile, 2G[edge] on AT&T.

[DRNewcomb]

One thing about T-Mobile is that they have 3G (AWS) in places where they have no 2G service (e.g. Port St. Joe & Apalachicola, Fla.) They may have decided that allowing roamers on 3G (AWS or 1900) is good for business. OTOH, in many places ATT's 3G service has been saturated.

[rfranzq]

Originally Posted by rfranzq

I took a recent ekit SIM on a similar trip and got the same results. 3G on T-Mobile, 2G[edge] on AT&T.

More of the same today. Unfortunately, the ekit seem prefers AT&T and thus 2G to T-Mobile. No way to manually switch networks with the phone either.

[rfranzq]

Today, when I got up, my T-Mobile SIM was showing 3G. It went on and off a lot during the day. I assume they are testing. Pity I don't use data.

[inquisitor]

Frequently disappearance and reappearance of 3G coverage has been reported from many places where T-Mobile are refarming the PCS band. Either this is caused by the cells actually being switched on and off during the intial setup or the network is providing new cell reselection criteria to your phone which then switches back to 2G. You could switch your phone to 3G-only so you can rule out that your phone has been ordered by the network to use 2G instead of 3G.

[rfranzq]

Originally Posted by inquisitor

Frequently disappearance and reappearance of 3G coverage has been reported from many places where T-Mobile are refarming the PCS band. Either this is caused by the cells actually being switched on and off during the intial setup or the network is providing new cell reselection criteria to your phone which then switches back to 2G. You could switch your phone to 3G-only so you can rule out that your phone has been ordered by the network to use 2G instead of 3G.

The phones I am using are unlocked AT&T Huawei U2800As.
I assume they are testing. Two days ago I had never seen 3G on T-Mobile here.
Phone is too simple to either have control of which network or 2G/3. And it goes back from 'E' to '3G' [2G/3G]. And back again. And back again. The airportal.de map for the first time today shows a 3G tower in the doughnut hole I talk about [zipcode=90240]. Not near me though. [Doughnut hole is bounded by following freeways: 60 to the North, 91 to the South, 710 to the West, 605 to the East {and out further East also}].

inquisitor, I always appreciate your knowledgable and wise insights.
thank you for responding.