Compatable phones, what spec to look for

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Compatable phones, what spec to look for

1101

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#173215 15-May-2015 10:33

Hi there

What specific spec do I look for to ensure a new ph is 100% skinny compatable
Also, what spec do I look for to see if its 4G , is that the same as LTE

My current ph is 100% skinny 4g compatable (Galaxy Express), but Im looking at a dual sim Asus Zen5 (dual sim so I can get rid of my very old work ph)
And the Zen's Android ver is upgradable, there are no upgrades for the Samsung
Cheers

http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=MPHASU0004I&name=ASUS-ZENFONE-5-WHITE-2GB-RAM-8GB-STORAGE-5inch-Dua

old3eyes

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#1305664 15-May-2015 10:36

Anything that runs on Spark will run on Skinny. From the link above I suspect that the second SIM is GSM only so no go on Skinny or Spark..

Regards,

Old3eyes

1101

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#1305675 15-May-2015 10:43

Only one sim needs to run on Skinny, the main sim.
2nd sim will be 2degress, for work (and hardly used)

xpd

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#1305696 15-May-2015 11:04

old3eyes: Anything that runs on Spark will run on Skinny. From the link above I suspect that the second SIM is GSM only so no go on Skinny or Spark..

This...

Also this from Skinny website :

Please be aware that some services may be different or unavailable with a device that wasn't purchased from Skinny, also please make sure your device is unlocked.
The 3G WCDMA (UMTS) network uses the HSPDA 850 MHz and HSPDA 2100 MHz frequencies. Unless your phone is compatible with HSPDA 850 MHz, it's unlikely to work fully on the network.

XPD / Gavin

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#1305727 15-May-2015 11:47

For 3G services you need to look for a phone that uses the UMTS-850Mhz spectrum.

For 4G we use 1800Mhz, 2600Mhz and 700Mhz. 1800Mhz is currently the most frequently used in towns and cities. It is also currently the most common 4G frequency that phones have as this was the first frequency used for 4G globally. 700Mhz is being rolled out and will eventually cover the same footprint as the 850Mhz 3G network.

You are correct that LTE and 4G are terms that are used interchangeably

For the more technically minded:

Radio communication standards for spectrum planning are defined by the International Telecommunications Union Radio communicaitons Sector (ITU-R).

To connect to the Skinny Mobile Network a device must conform to the spectrum bands available in New Zealand as per UMTD-FDD, for 3G, and e-UTRA, for 4G.

These are UMTS-FDD Band5 (850MHz) and UMTS-FDD Band1 (2100) for 3G connectivity and e-UTRA Band3 (1800), e-UTRA Band7 (2600), or e-UTRA Band28 (APT700) for 4G connectivity.