Will this phone work with my carrier?
Contrary to what you might see or hear on commercials, every carrier uses and shares the same frequencies and the differences between technologies has little effect on the quality of the calls you make and receive. One of the more important factors is which carrier has better service in the particular areas in which you plan to use your phone — this is usually more dependent on which carrier has more cellular towers in the areas than anything else. Information regarding cellular protocols and frequencies is more important if you already have service with a carrier and you decide to purchase the phone by itself.
If you plan to use your phone in the U.S. you should accommodate the 800/850 and 1900 bands to operate in all areas shown on the network map. The 800 and 850 bands are actually the same, so don’t be confused by the two different numbers. 850 just means that the phone is GSM-only compatible, while 800 can be a GSM, CDMA, I-Den, or TDMA compatible. Any phone which lists the 800 or 850 + 1900 band in the phone specifications will work well in the U.S., as long as it is also supported by the carriers GSM, CDMA, I-den, and TDMA networks. Note that phones that are 1900 compatible but lack the 800/850 band will operate in some areas of the U.S. but not others; major metropolitan areas in particular tend to offer better 1900-band coverage.
If you live in a small town or go out in the deep country every once in awhile, you pretty much need to make sure that you have the 850mhz band because as we stated, the 1900mhz band isn't completely available everywhere in the nation as of yet. If you live in a large city or plan to travel mainly on major roads and highways, you might not need the 850mhz band.
Internet and MMS messaging?
Internet and picture message settings will have to be manually set up for services to work on all unbranded phones. This is not that difficult and we can give you detailed instructions or we can program Internet and MMS settings at no additional cost. Cingular, AT&T, T-Mobile and most GSM Providers in the Americas.
ATT - Cingular Internet / MMS Settings Internet (Case Sensitive)
Set Name: MEdia Net
Homepage: http://device.home
Connection Mode:
Proxy Address: wireless.cingular.com Or 66.209.011.032 Or 066.209.011.061
Proxy Port Number: 80 Or 8080
Security: Non-secure
Access Name: wap.cingular
Connection Title: MEdia Net
Bearer: GPRS
Authentication: PAP
User Name : WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM Or WAP@CINGULAR.COM
Password: CINGULAR1
APN: wap.cingular
MMS (Picture Messaging)
Name: AT&T MMS
MMSC URL: http://mmsc.cingular.com
MMSC Proxy: wireless.cingular.com Or 66.209.011.032 Or 066.209.011.061
MMSC Port: 80 or 8080
Connection Type: TCP with Proxy
Network Profile: MEdia Net
Adding a replacement phone to your current carrier, U.S. only.
The phone must be compatible with the 800/850 and/or 1900 bands. 1900 Is the most common band meaning PCS or digital service. 850 is mainly used in rural and hard to get service areas because it sacrifices data speed for distance. Check with your provider to see where your area stands with 1900 MHZ service before bidding on a non 850MHZ phone. International bands are 900/1800 MHZ and used mainly outside the US.
We are not responsible for incompatibility with your network. Please check with your provider about what frequencies are available in your area prior to bidding. Cell phones will not be refunded for this reason. No exception.
The phone's protocol technology, meaning CDMA, GSM, I-Den, or TDMA must match the technology your carrier is using. Please Don't Hesitate To Email Us We Will Help You Decide Which Is Best For You!
Make sure the phone is unlocked. This allows you to add the phone to your carriers network.
Cell phones only carry a 7 day DOA (Dead On Arrival) policy. And Prodigy-Electronics.com must be notified within this time frame to request a RMA number before return. We also offer a warranty with every phone purchase and can cover your purchase up to 3 years! Please take advantage of this.
What is GSM 850 ?
GSM 850 is simply GSM technology operating in the Cellular (800 MHz 850 MHz) frequency band. Both the technology and frequency band have been around for a long time, but only in 2002 were they combined.
In the U.S. prior to 2002, GSM technology only operated in the PCS (1900 MHz) frequency band. GSM 850 addresses the needs of carriers with Cellular licenses switching from other technologies to GSM.
Before the existence of GSM 850, the Cellular band was commonly referred to as the 800 MHz band. 850 MHz implies a different frequency band, but this is not the case. 800 MHz and 850 MHz refer to the exact same frequency band. 850 is technically a more accurate description of the frequency range, although 800 is still common when referring to CDMA and AMPS (analog) technology.
Below is a Carrier Technology and Frequency/Band Chart.
National Carriers
Alltel
Technology - CDMA
Bands - 800, 1900, 2100
Cingular ( At&t )
Technology - GSM
Bands - 850, 1900
Nextel
Technology - IDEN
Bands - 800, 1900
T-Mobile
Technology - GSM
Bands - 1900 only (now 850 some areas)
Sprint
Technology - CDMA/PCS
Bands - 1900, 2100
Verizon
Technology - CDMA
Bands - 800, 1900, 2100
Regional Carriers
SunCom
Technology - GSM
Bands - 1900 only
Metro PCS
Technology - CDMA
Bands - 800, 1900
U.S. Cellular
Technology - CDMA
Bands - 800, 1900
Edge Wireless
Technology - CDMA
Bands - 800, 1900
Sprint
Technology - CDMA/PCS
Bands - 1900, 2100
Verizon
Technology - CDMA
Bands - 800, 1900, 2100
Frequency Bands Used throughout the World.
U.S Bands – 800/850, 1900 (CDMA, GSM, TDMA, or I-Den), 2100 CDMA 2000/EVDO
Europe – 900, 1800, 1900 (GSM Standard) and 2100 WCDMA/UMTS
Japan – 900 (JTACS - Japan Total Access Communication Service)
Connection Title: MEdia Net
Bearer: GPRS
Authentication: PAP
User Name : WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM
Password: CINGULAR1
APN: wap.cingular
