Why won't my Nokia E51 access Orange's 3G network?
April 22, 2008 10:39 AM Subscribe
Why won't my Nokia E51 access Orange (UK)'s 3G network?
So I got this new Nokia E51, unlocked. Its tech specs are supposed to be GSM 850/900/1800/1900, UTMS 850/2100. I've had no problems accessing Rogers/Fido's 3G UTMS network on the 850 band in Canada, but since I've returned to the UK I can only access the 2G network through Orange. I'm on PAYG if it's relevant. I was under the impression that Orange's 3G network in the UK operates on the 2100 band. The settings on the phone are to "dual-mode" (GSM/UTMS) so I don't think that's the problem. I can access data services (very slowly) so I know the WAP settings etc are correct too. Any thoughts?
So I got this new Nokia E51, unlocked. Its tech specs are supposed to be GSM 850/900/1800/1900, UTMS 850/2100. I've had no problems accessing Rogers/Fido's 3G UTMS network on the 850 band in Canada, but since I've returned to the UK I can only access the 2G network through Orange. I'm on PAYG if it's relevant. I was under the impression that Orange's 3G network in the UK operates on the 2100 band. The settings on the phone are to "dual-mode" (GSM/UTMS) so I don't think that's the problem. I can access data services (very slowly) so I know the WAP settings etc are correct too. Any thoughts?
Ah. Wikipedia again:
3G
UMTS / HSDPA / HSUPA devices operate in the UMTS frequency bands 800/850/1900/2100 or 850/1700/1900/2100 MHz:
2100 (downlink) / 1900 (uplink) for Europe, Brazil and Asia (usually referred simply as W-CDMA 2100)
...
2100 (downlink) / 1700 (uplink) for America (e.g. T-Mobile USA)
So: it doesn't work because European 3G networks use 2100 for the uplink and 1900 for the downlink, whereas North American 3G networks use 2100 for the uplink and 1700 for the downlink.
posted by Viomeda at 11:38 AM on April 22, 2008
3G
UMTS / HSDPA / HSUPA devices operate in the UMTS frequency bands 800/850/1900/2100 or 850/1700/1900/2100 MHz:
2100 (downlink) / 1900 (uplink) for Europe, Brazil and Asia (usually referred simply as W-CDMA 2100)
...
2100 (downlink) / 1700 (uplink) for America (e.g. T-Mobile USA)
So: it doesn't work because European 3G networks use 2100 for the uplink and 1900 for the downlink, whereas North American 3G networks use 2100 for the uplink and 1700 for the downlink.
posted by Viomeda at 11:38 AM on April 22, 2008
That would be my guess, anyhow. (I'm kind of out of my depth with phone networks.)
posted by Viomeda at 11:39 AM on April 22, 2008
posted by Viomeda at 11:39 AM on April 22, 2008
Best answer: Did you use the same SIM card in Canada and the UK? Is your UK card from a long time contract? I had the same problem once, and it turned out the card I got years ago could not do 3G. It got exchanged for a new one and 3G worked fine.
posted by uncle harold at 1:12 PM on April 22, 2008
posted by uncle harold at 1:12 PM on April 22, 2008
It wouldn't be a coverage issue, would it? I know I sometimes get 3G and sometimes not, but that's in the US.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 4:50 PM on April 22, 2008
posted by Mr. Gunn at 4:50 PM on April 22, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Viomeda at 11:25 AM on April 22, 2008