Tutor
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6 Messages
What are AT&T's LTE Bands?
My current understanding of the LTE bands is as follows:
**MAIN BAND
12 –700 MHz Lower B/C/A. This is a superset of band 17, so band 17 is not required if band 12 is available in the phone.
**ADDITIONAL CAPACITY
2 – 1900 MHz PCS, provides bandwidth in many markets; 25 is a superset of band 2 but 25 is not required for some reason
4 – 1700/2100 MHz AWS, provides bandwidth in many markets
5 – 850 MHz CLR, the main band for areas lacking 700 lower B and/or C blocks
29 – 700 MHz Lower D/E – supplemental downlink bandwidth only; implemented in key markets
30 – 2300 MHz WCS, provides additional bandwidth in many markets
**OTHERS
40 – not sure if this has been implemented yet
66 – AWS, asymmetric favoring download speed, which is being implemented by AT&T now. Band 66 is a superset of band 4.
14 – Public Safety, 700MHz. Can also be used for commercial traffic but will have less priority. I do not believe it has been implemented yet, and don’t expect it matters if a phone bought today has it.
**QUESTION
If I buy a Samsung unlocked Note 8, it will lack bands 29, 30, and 66 found in the AT&T version of the Note 8. It appears that I would still get connection availability in all markets even without these 3 bands since they are used for additional capacity. Does someone know if this is true, and how widespread use of these 3 bands is?
formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.6K Messages
6 years ago
These are the current active bands. Notes may explain band 14 and the 700 MHz frequency.
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stlsailor
Tutor
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6 Messages
6 years ago
That seems to match pretty much what I thought except for hearing that 66 would be rolling out in 2017, and that 40 was in the works as well. And, some posts indicate that 66 is rolled out a few places (or at least installed). One A&T page (https://www.att.com/cellphones/prepaidphones/sim-card-kit-phone-prepaid.html#sku=sku7420309) says "AT&T uses a GSM based network operating on the following frequencies/bands: 4G LTE – 700/ 850/ 1900/ 1700/ 2100/ 2300MHz Bands 2, 4, 5, 12, 17, 29, 30, 40, 66." However if 40 and 66 are truly active, I'd suspect at this point they have small footprints. Of course your information above may be better - I don't know.
I suppose the bands of main interest in this case are 29, 30, and 66 which are the bands one would lose by going with the Samsung unlocked Note 8. My understanding of your information seems to say that even if these bands are active, they will be supplemental to other bands in an area on which one could get service. Is that an accurate deduction?
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.6K Messages
6 years ago
29 may be served by 12 or 17.
If 66 is the same as band 4 frequency, it’s a non issue also.
30 is the newest band and limited in deployment.
It is unlikely the unlocked phone will have an LTE problem if you are moving a sim from an existing phone. There are sometimes issues when starting from stratch with a new sim.
What you will not get is VoLTE or Wifi calling, which for many is a deal breaker.
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stlsailor
Tutor
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6 Messages
6 years ago
Band 66 is not exactly the same as band 4 – it is a superset of it. Band 4 includes blocks A-F whereas Band 66 includes blocks A-J. I understand that with MBFI Band 66 can be broadcasted as Band 4, but of course not vice versa. That said, since it’s new, I doubt there’s enough implementation in the additional blocks to be an issue right now, though I’m not sure how fast they’ll install it.
Yes, I see on further checking what you’re saying – that band 29 is unpaired downlink only so it has to be used in conjunction with other bands. I think that means at most that I could lose some download speed, though not sure I always would. Good point.
I’m reading mixed signals on how important band 30 is.
I would be moving the SIM from an unlocked S7 Edge assuming they are the same size – I haven’t checked. However, you are right – I don’t have VoLTE or Wi-Fi calling now, and there have been several instances where I really needed it. That’s definitely incentive to go with the AT&T version, as well as no band issues. If they would unlock it, I could live with the other downsides.
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.6K Messages
6 years ago
That last paragraph sums it up...
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QuickQuestion1
Teacher
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19 Messages
6 years ago
Hi. Please forgive me - I have a similar issue to the original poster's, but just can't make sense of all the technical information here. I'd like to pick up a Galaxy A3 2017. It looks like one particular version (a320F/DS - https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a3_(2017)-8336.php#a320fds ) is readily available.
It looks like it doesn't include all the bands listed above. Does that mean it will have signal issues on AT&T? Will the Galaxy Alpha ( https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_alpha-6573.php ), an AT&T-exclusive phone, be any better in that regard?
Thanks
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QuickQuestion1
Teacher
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19 Messages
6 years ago
Hi. Please forgive me - I have a similar issue to the original poster's, but just can't make sense of all the technical information here. I'd like to pick up a Galaxy A3 2017. It looks like one particular version (a320F/DS - https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a3_(2017)-8336.php#a320fds ) is readily available.
It doesn't include all the bands listed above. Does that mean it will have signal issues on AT&T? Will the Galaxy Alpha ( https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_alpha-6573.php ), an AT&T-exclusive phone, be any better in that regard?
Thanks
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GLIMMERMAN76
ACE - Expert
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23.9K Messages
6 years ago
@QuickQuestion1
The alpha was released in 2014 and is a piece of junk.... As for the A3 series it would work on 3g just fine but its not getting LTE if the GSM arena specs are right.
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.6K Messages
6 years ago
@QuickQuestion1
The A3 would be a 3G phone.
Actually I had a Samsung galaxy alpha, except for an extremely poor battery life and low screen resolution it was a well-built phone and I liked it very much. The fact that it was small, was at the time, a benefit. I finally knuckled under and sold the phone last year, I still kind of miss it. Had Samsung ever gone ahead and released a marshmallow update for it it might’ve been worth keeping with improved battery usage. But because it was stuck in the dinosaur age of lollipop OS, that little 1850 Battery lasted half a day at Best.
That said, there are a lot of other phones out there to choose from at a bargain price, I would suggest you go to Best Buy and look at the unlocked phones available for sale.
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prglor
Contributor
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3 Messages
6 years ago
What is your opinion of the Xiaomi mi A1 phone and how good would 3G, $G and LTE be for it? The model I am considering has the following set of bands:
Networks Supported: 4G FDD-LTE B1/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B20 TDD-LTE B38/B40 3G WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100MHz 2G GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
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