Unlocked S2 on AT&T only offered 3G plan

[ChicagoSammo]

Hi all,

I have a unlocked Samsung Galaxy S2 which I am currently using on AT&T.
They tell me that as my IMEI cannot be recognised in their systems that they cannot put me on their 4G data plan.
Am I destined to be stuck on their 3G plan or is there any way around this?
I'm obviously not tied into a contract so is there another GSM network that will offer 4G data plan on an unlocked phone?
Cheers,

Paul

 

[Larry Sellers]

All they need to do is put in the IMEI for a different 4G phone. If I remember right, I think they used the Atrix when they did mine. Based on your name, I assume you are in Chicago. I did mine at the Clark/Kinzie store. Took about 15 minutes total. Only problem I had is that they deleted my text messaging plan and I had to call ATT to get it back up and running.

 

[Screech]

Well, the Imported SGS2 does not really support more than 3G. If you want to get technical most "4G" phone AT&T has been selling are not 4G, just a really high end 3G often called 3.5G. AT&T's marketing department decided that rounding 3.5G up to 4G would be fine. So 3G on your SGS2 is all you need. I get about 5.6Mbps down and 1.6Mbps up on mine with no 4G plan. That is faster than my current dsl at the house (5Mbps/768kbps) and more upload bandwidth than any option to my house timewarner is advertising (15Mbps/1Mbps).

Honestly with the data caps there is no need for more than 3G, why rush to running out??

 

[ChicagoSammo]

Thanks Larry, I will think about asking them to do the same. The only nagging doubt that I have is that in my brief period with ATT I have found that asking them to colour outside the lines can leave you without the correct data plan, any data plan, sms plans . . . I tried to get the portable WiFi hotspot function to work and ended up without a data plan before being put on a Blackberry data plan.

Thanks also Screech . . . yep, I did know that what i'm really talking about is just upgraded 3G rather than true 4G but it was easier to follow the marketing blurb when explaining my issue in the original post.

 

[ChicagoSammo]

I got my data plan changed to the "DataPro 2GB for 4G Smartphones" by getting the ATT chap to use a US IMEI in their system.
The difference is like night and day.
I was getting dreadful upload and download speeds but now I am up around 6mbps for downloads from less than 1mbps in my area.
One curious thing, though, is that my speeds when connected via my WiFi at home also went through the roof 27mbps dl, 6mbps ul.
Just curious as to why this happened at the same time as the data plan change.
Surely the phone will run at whatever WiFi capability is possible rather than related to which network data plan you are on.

 

[Trooper]

When I had my SGSII running on ATT, I had no problems running H+ on the device. If you are, go back to the store and have them put the IMEI number in.

 

[Screech]

Thanks also Screech . . . yep, I did know that what i'm really talking about is just upgraded 3G rather than true 4G but it was easier to follow the marketing blurb when explaining my issue in the original post.

OK, Just wanted to make sure. Now that AT&T is starting to roll out real 4G it is getting confusing as many normal folks don't know the difference. I hate "bad"/misleading marketing. Don't get me started on the Windows ver. 6.1 marketing team deciding to sell it as Windows 7. FYI, Vista was 6.0.