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

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.

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.

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

I guess next on the list.

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

ekit is the same
 

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.

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.

update
 

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.

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.

unlocked AT&T Huawei U2800A
 

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.

More MVNOs on 1900mHz
 

In case anyone is wondering, Spot Mobile and Piranha Mobile can and do operate on 3G on T-Mobile's refarmed 1900mHz band.

Thanks for the advice.
 

Thanks for the advice. Picked up an unlocked Pantech P7040. It does exactly what you said which is what I wanted.

One minute minimum on all US calls
 

Other Tru 'news' I just discovered.

A long while ago, Tru announced that they were charging 1 minute rates on all calls. My US to US experience was that US outbound calls were charged a minimum of 30 seconds ==9cents. Received calls were always 1 minute =17cents. In the last month or so that has changed. Outbound calls are now also charged the one minute rate of 17cents.
[This is all US$ and for US to US calls.]

I had been making short outbound calls to keep my [8] SIMs alive. I will be sending SMSs now.

I generally find Tru to do a nice job from a technical point of view, but that their savings in their home country don't make up for the higher fees in other countries. For example, not giving US and Australian subscribers EU statutory rates when roaming in the EU. I understand that they may not legally have to, but right now it gives folks like Piranha a huge edge. Even their US rates (as a US subcriber) aren't that great. Their data rates aren't bad, but they seem to have pushed their rates as far as the market will tolerate. If you are a frequent traveller between two Truphone countries, their plan makes sense, but I am struggling to see whether I'd come out ahead this year and I will be in the UK for a week and Oz for two this year.

Here is an update on my situation.
 

The map still looks the same with the doughnut hole. However, at home I can search for networks and see T-Mobile 3G. Since the web site is a volunteer effort and since no one is reporting near me the map stays the same. Almost anywhere I go [not too many places] in Southern California shows T-Mobile 3G on my phone when I search networks.
Unfortunately, where I live is iffy for 3G. It will show on a phone and I pick up the phone and lose 3G. I can see it when I search networks but almost never get it when I choose 3G. In a much smaller doughnut hole now of my own making.

Why don't you report your sightings? That's why I made that map!

Well, thank you!
 

Well, thanks for the map. It is kind of embarrassing to get that question. Unfortunately, I don't have the freedom and time to do the exploration necessary. My limited knowledge in this area might also be a factor.

I am surprised that T-Mobile has not announced Los Angeles as a market yet. Does that mean more is coming.

Thanks again.

Didn't mean to offend you. Actually you would need an iPhone or an Android device to obtain the network information required for submission.
I've no idea what TMo's roll out schedule is and why they haven't announced availability of UMTS1900 for markets like LA where coverage seems to be quite widespread now.

Thanks again!
 

Definitely no offense taken. I don't do data and my phones tend to be less than $20 off of ebay. No iPhones or Androids yet!


Thanks again for all your posts here and also the 1900mHz mapping site.

May 2013 update.
 

In the last couple of days. I have been getting 3G with T-Mobile and its MVNOs at home. [Piranha, Worldsim, Truphone, Spot, Ptel, Lycamobile]
About 70-80% of the time versus about 10-20% 3G is happening at my house.

August 2013 update
 

Now I would say that I am getting 3G over 95% of the time on the above MVNOs.
In fact, if I choose 2G it won't go or will only remain on it for a few minutes before going back to 3G.

Does your phone support 1700mhz HSPA or is this part of their refarming?

This is a GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Pantech [I have different models].
It shows network names and 2G & 3G. So I get a list of 4 when all show here in Southern California. Definitely refarmed.

I need to take a census and start a thread on which international SIM cards work on AT&T 3G. Piranha does. Don't know which frequency though.