back up band? can i use this phone?

cingular in my area uses 850/1900.

i really want the v80, but it runs on 900/1800/1900. the person at the cingular store said the 1900 is the back up band, and my phone will kinda work, but not really.

can someone explain this to me? does this mean i will get bad reception, or will i get lost signal all the time?

thanks

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v80 tri-band frequency only works if you out of the country.
each country uses diff frequency.
900mhz (asia) 1800mhz (europe) 850/1900 (u.s and canada)
if the phone is tri-band you can use that phone anywhere in the world if you unlock that phone except in japan and korea the use cdma and wcdma.

Originally Posted by erwin 10-4

v80 tri-band frequency only works if you out of the country.
each country uses diff frequency.
900mhz (asia) 1800mhz (europe) 850/1900 (u.s and canada)
if the phone is tri-band you can use that phone anywhere in the world if you unlock that phone except in japan and korea the use cdma and wcdma.

thanks for the info. i know t-mobile uses 1900 here, but i need Cingular (because my gf uses it and we get free calls), and this is the only reason for changing companies.

I am glad to know it will work. but i am a little confused on what 850/1900 actually means. I thought it means they operate on both the 850 and 1900. but the sales rep told me they use 850 as primary, and 1900 as back up. i wanted to know if this is true, and if i use a phone that will only work on the "back up" signal what kind of service should i be expecting.

Originally Posted by silversilvia

thanks for the info. i know t-mobile uses 1900 here, but i need Cingular (because my gf uses it and we get free calls), and this is the only reason for changing companies.

I am glad to know it will work. but i am a little confused on what 850/1900 actually means. I thought it means they operate on both the 850 and 1900. but the sales rep told me they use 850 as primary, and 1900 as back up. i wanted to know if this is true, and if i use a phone that will only work on the "back up" signal what kind of service should i be expecting.

By using the V80, you are setting yourself up for a decrease in reception - in some areas. It completely depends on the areas you will be using your phone. In certain areas one frequency is more prevalent than the other. The rep said 850 is primary in your area. GSM 850 has better penetration... meaning buildings (better indoor reception), and usually provides more consistent coverage (once again due to the better penetration).

Why get a Cingular phone?

Cingular-built towers are 850. Cingular bought/"merged" with AT&T, who had built out 1900 MHz GSM everywhere, HOWEVER in the markets where they own cellular spectrum the 1900 implementation is 'splotchy' per say. In those places you will definitely notice a difference between a phone with 850 support and a phone without it.

The ideal area is with 1900/850 overlay. In these areas of overlap, a 850/1900 Cingular phone's firmware will pick the strongest signal depending on the exact spot your phone is in.

Why have 1900 if 850 is better?
Basically, 1900 has a wider bandwidth which means it can handle more simultaneus calls than an 850, but that doesn't matter to you, just the provider when they start to reach maximum capacity. Some say there are other advantages.... like I said, nothing that really matters to you.

Find out what frequency your area uses by goint to wirelessadvisor.com and plugging in a ZIP code (though I think you already have the answer). If it is 850, I strongly recommend you find a phone that supports this frequency.