Spectrum global capabilities?

[npo]

Has anyone been able to sort out the details on the Spectrum's global capabilities? I've been waiting to upgrade to an Verizon LTE phone that can also use GSM networks in the UK and S America. The news snippet a week or 2 ago about this & D4 being global after some sort of network update was promising but vague. I called Verizon today, but the rep had no clue.

 

[andyroid56]

Talked to verizon today, the rep didn't know despite all the news reports. But she did get an LG rep on the line who confirmed it DOES have GSM ability, making it a "Worldphone". It uses the same simcard for LTE.

 

[gcims]

Why is this phone NOT being promoted for being their first World Phone with 4G LTE? I know so many people with an iPhone that want to jump to 4G but cannot do without global capabilities.

 

[knightshade]

This would be of interest...
I travel to Canada a few times a year, and being able to get data there via GSM would be of value to me.

 

[Droid800]

Why is this phone NOT being promoted for being their first World Phone with 4G LTE? I know so many people with an iPhone that want to jump to 4G but cannot do without global capabilities.

Because it isn't capable of it yet?

 

[npo]

A theory...
...the radios in Spectrum, D4 and perhaps some of Verizon's other new LTE phones have the ability to use the GSM frequencies used internationally & here in the US by ATT. These phones will work on those networks now if one uses a GSM sim card in the LTE sim slot (still might require a hack to get data, from what I've read). This functionality is unannounced because Verizon's software and current batch of LTE sim cards aren't capable of switching from LTE to GSM. So Verizon isn't able to switch the phones to global mode with a quick reprogram... in other words, they're not able to charge users for global roaming, and don't want the masses to figure out that they could pop in a prepaid foreign sim card. If someone figures out how to program the phones to get full functionality with a foreign sim card, Verizon will lose alot of $$ over the life of these phones. Verizon is working on software and a dual LTE/GSM sim card that will make these phones work within their current pricing structure.

Complete speculation, but it's the most reasonable explanation I can think of. Is it complete BS?

 

[bloodycape77]

I would say try a GSM card in there and see what happens? I say this because apparently the Rezound is global capable, with no need to use a unlock code. There is a user over at XDA that was even able to get data on T-Mobile UK, so I am sure a phone such ans the Spectrum can get GSM easily working, since it has been mentioned to support GSM, unlike the Rezound, which Verizon and HTC supposedly claim it doesn't even have GSM chip.