3g sim card?

Effington

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Feb 4, 2011
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My AT&T rep told me I needed a 4G SIM card to get HSPA+ on the Atrix. Then he said they don't have any left and someone could give me a call when they got some in. LOL, that was in February.

I've looked far and wide for a concrete answer to this question - do I need a new SIM? Apparently I do not from what I have discovered, especially since HSPA+ is not 4G, just enhanced 3G.

You will probably need a new SIM when they roll out the LTE phones sometime in the near never. The AT&T reps are unbelievably stupid. But so is AT&T.... will we ever get access to Amazon Appstore (without sideloading of course).
 

jsntrenkler

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My AT&T rep told me I needed a 4G SIM card to get HSPA+ on the Atrix. Then he said they don't have any left and someone could give me a call when they got some in. LOL, that was in February.

I've looked far and wide for a concrete answer to this question - do I need a new SIM? Apparently I do not from what I have discovered, especially since HSPA+ is not 4G, just enhanced 3G.

You will probably need a new SIM when they roll out the LTE phones sometime in the near never. The AT&T reps are unbelievably stupid. But so is AT&T.... will we ever get access to Amazon Appstore (without sideloading of course).

The atrix is not compatible with LTE and never will be since LTE is a tech that is not supported by the radios of this phone. So you will not need a new SIM Card when LTE goes live. The at&t rep was wrong, I have a 3g Sim "Micro Sim with adapter from my iPhone 4" and have no issues at all.
 

Effington

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The atrix is not compatible with LTE and never will be since LTE is a tech that is not supported by the radios of this phone. So you will not need a new SIM Card when LTE goes live. The at&t rep was wrong, I have a 3g Sim "Micro Sim with adapter from my iPhone 4" and have no issues at all.

Apologies if I gave that impression that the Atrix would support LTE, I know it won't.

But are you sure a new SIM won't be required to use LTE? I know 3G SIMs work fine on HSPA+ but LTE is a totally new technology...
 

Cobra5mil

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Apologies if I gave that impression that the Atrix would support LTE, I know it won't.

But are you sure a new SIM won't be required to use LTE? I know 3G SIMs work fine on HSPA+ but LTE is a totally new technology...

I believe he was saying YOU won't need a new sim card when LTE is available IF you are still using the Atrix 4G.

All LTE phones will be provided with a new SIM card that will have the new handshaking protocols needed.

I was talking to a Tech 2 guy last week when they called me back about my complaints on HSUPA speeds. He told me that Atrix 4G had LTE and they would have it available in 2012. He continued to insist that his computer says Atrix 4G has LTE. I told him that I know the Qualcomm MDM6200 will never support LTE and the Atrix 4G would have to have hardware replaced before LTE would work. That was the end of that.

I have had similar conversions with AT&T reps regarding 3G vs 4G sim cards. They said that everyone has to have a new 4G sim card for the Atrix and Inspire. The funny thing is, they are completely confused when I explain that 4G phones are using the same radio bands as 3G, only the modems support higher speeds. 28.8K vs 56k anyone? Same bands, just faster hardware. The sim card is only needed for handshaking purposes, as it contains the authentication of the user and if they can access the towers or not. The actual phone's hardware is what negotiates the speed with the towers.

The funny thing about all of this is there was a memo sent to AT&T reps at stores saying they are not to give users 4G sim cards until all of the 3G cards are gone, as they want to clear out old stock. LOL
 
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Effington

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The funny thing about all of this is there was a memo sent to AT&T reps at stores saying they are not to give users 4G sim cards until all of the 3G cards are gone, as they want to clear out old stock. LOL

That explains a lot, but not the idiocy of all AT&T store reps. Can they all really be this confused about the difference between HSPA+ and LTE?

My guess is that AT&T is trying to intentionally confuse consumers by blurring the lines between HSPA+ and LTE. That's why they're falsely calling the Atrix and Inspire "4G."

When the rep told me I'd need a new 4G SIM card to get HSPA+ (he also told me it was available in our area now, which it is not) he didn't even offer the new SIM. I had to ask, and he said "I guess I could have someone call you when they come in. " He didn't even pretend to make a note of it.

My experience has really made me despise AT&T - especially HSUPA being disabled and the lockdown of 3rd party apps.
 

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