-
After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.
Locked/unlocked to most of us humans has to do with the type of network you are on. Specifically, Sprint and Verizon are CDMA carriers and the term "locked/unlocked" does not target them. GSM networks typically do the locked/unlocked thing and use little baby cards called SIM cards. A few moments with Goggle will fill in the blanks in my ridiculous response.
simple answer: you can't have it on verizon b/c they use an old standard called CDMA...
and really unlocked only means you can use it on T-mobile... the 3G frequencies, atleast in the States, are only supported by T-mobile. So you can use it on other GSM networks by popping in your sim but it will be slow b/c you can only use edge.... it's really beyond silly to advertise it as an "unlocked" phone. It is technically but b/c of the crappy way the carriers in the states are setup it's not really unlocked.
they all have their own little monopolies.
and really unlocked only means you can use it on T-mobile... the 3G frequencies, atleast in the States, are only supported by T-mobile. So you can use it on other GSM networks by popping in your sim but it will be slow b/c you can only use edge.... it's really beyond silly to advertise it as an "unlocked" phone. It is technically but b/c of the crappy way the carriers in the states are setup it's not really unlocked.
they all have their own little monopolies.
shrivelfig
Member
Quite true, but there's more to it than that.
More than 1.5 billion people in more than 200 countries use GSM. So, for the rest of the world (which is more than 95% of the world's population), "unlocked" has a real meaning.
And for those in the US, it means that you can travel to other countries without getting completely ruined by roaming charges when you return home. What do you think of when I say "travel overseas with an iPhone"? Try googling it.
mnemonicj
Android Enthusiast
Not being able to use 3G data on AT&T when you buy a phone made for T-mobile is not the fault of the carriers, it is the fault of the phone manufacturers. There are radios support all five 3G bands (850, 900, 1700, 1900, and 2100 MHz), but so far the only phone that I know that uses those radios is the Nokia N8. Manufacturers limit the frequencies based on the carrier that will support the phone to save costs.
Also, the reason that Verizon and Sprint are CDMA is because CMDA is better voice call quality than GSM. Until 3G came along, if you wanted good voice quality, you went with a CDMA carrier.
The Nexus S will have access to the AT&T 3G network through the GSM Quad band 850/1900 frequencies.
Connectivity of the Nexus S
- Quad-band GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900
=KLRS=ZERO
Android Enthusiast
dude, stop posting this. its not correct. GSM IS NOT 3G!!!!
Stand corrected - thanks. NO 3G for AT&T.
Nexus S 3G Network support:
HSPA: 900, 2100, 1700 (T-Mobile only)
(AT&T