2G networks TMO

[rsutoratosu]

So my BIL does the most asinine thing, buys smartphone but put them in 2g mode for his kids.. so all day long I get questions, does the galaxy s4 support 2g , nexus 4 2g? htc one? i have no f-ing idea

so when does 2g die off so I dont need to answer these questions.. and dont you pay the same amount on a tmobile plan if you're on 2g vs 3g ?

I assume these new phones still support 2g right ?

 

[shortylickens]

2g is digital and relatively easy to maintain on top of all the new stuff. Its not going to disappear for quite some time. Grandma still likes her Nokia Tracfone for emergencies.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I believe so. A good amount of this world is still on HSPA 3G, so they have 2G fallback. In the US though I can see 2G dying off a bit earlier if AT&T starts to need to refarm spectrum.

 

[isekii]

Edge speed on Tmo is not too shabby. A lot of the people with unlocked iphones were on Edge for the most part before the refarm.

 

[Thegonagle]

Why? To teach the kids patience?

 

[dagamer34]

AT&T is killing 2G by the end of 2016, I expect T-Mobile to do the same soon after.

 

[Thegonagle]

Is he actually forcing the phones to use 2G networks, or is he referring to T-Mobile's throttling to "2G speed" when the accounts reach a certain amount of data usage?

Because all phones support "2G speed," even when connected to the modern HSPA+ network, if that's all the HSPA+ network feeds the phone on a throttled account.

If he's actually forcing the phones to use the EDGE/GPRS network through the phone's settings, I really don't understand why. T-Mobile doesn't want people doing that, as it defeats the purpose of them upgrading to faster, more spectrum-efficient cellular equipment.

Just tell him that all T-Mobile phones support "2G speed" and let him figure it out from there.

 

[ElFenix]

edge is 3g.

 

[Bateluer]

edge is 3g.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_Data_Rates_for_GSM_Evolution#Technology

2.5G. And about useless for anything more than text only email.

EDGE/EGPRS is implemented as a bolt-on enhancement for 2.5G GSM/GPRS networks, making it easier for existing GSM carriers to upgrade to it. EDGE is a superset to GPRS and can function on any network with GPRS deployed on it, provided the carrier implements the necessary upgrade. EDGE requires no hardware or software changes to be made in GSM core networks.

 

[poofyhairguy]

So my BIL does the most asinine thing, buys smartphone but put them in 2g mode for his kids.. so all day long I get questions, does the galaxy s4 support 2g , nexus 4 2g? htc one? i have no f-ing idea

I would just answer yes every time. Thanks to carriers, nowadays G-levels equals speed. Can EVERY smartphone run at 2G speeds? Yes. So technically every phone is 2G.

When he asks how to do it, point to this app:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=speed.limiter&hl=en

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_Data_Rates_for_GSM_Evolution#Technology

2.5G. And about useless for anything more than text only email.

But the US likes to round up. My friend in Hong Kong was like WTF when I told him about FauxG this weekend. HPSA+ = 3.75G, but we call it 4G here.

 

[dagamer34]

I would just answer yes every time. Thanks to carriers, nowadays G-levels equals speed. Can EVERY smartphone run at 2G speeds? Yes. So technically every phone is 2G.

When he asks how to do it, point to this app:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=speed.limiter&hl=en

G-levels are advertising at this point.

 

[Deeko]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_Data_Rates_for_GSM_Evolution#Technology

2.5G. And about useless for anything more than text only email.

Not really. It's slow, but it can be used fine for basic web browsing, social networks, and yes - email. Not everyone is streaming video all of the time,

 

[ImDonly1]

Not sure what the OP is really asking, but t-mobile runs 2g on 850/1900 and pretty much any phone supports 2g for that.

Why not just buy a 3g compatible phone? Buying a new smartphone and running it on 2g is pointless.

 

[dagamer34]

Not sure what the OP is really asking, but t-mobile runs 2g on 850/1900 and pretty much any phone supports 2g for that.

Why not just buy a 3g compatible phone? Buying a new smartphone and running it on 2g is pointless.

T-Mobile owns almost no 850Mhz spectrum. Most of it is AWS/1900Mhz: http://specmap.sequence-omega.net