GSM?

[EpicMike]

Hey this for the Strat 2 owners. I know the phone has both CDMA and GSM technology...but is the GSM technology exclusive to that 4G LTE sim card? I keep reading that it can be used "globally" but I can't find anyone who has tried this out first hand.

I travel to Mexico a lot and I use the Movistar phone service there (Movistar appears to be second to Telcel). I have a cheapo phone that has the Movistar GSM sim card in it. I could easily get any GSM phone, pop the sim card in, and keep moving (provided the GSM phone is unlocked of course). Just wondering if it is possible to do that with the Stratosphere 2. I have gone to at least three different Verizon stores and no one at any of those stores could give me a straight answer. They basically said customers only do what I am talking about with iPhones, so they have no data to draw from.

 

[JoeFresco]

Well, the first thing is the next time you are there, pop a SIM in and see if it just works. You might also try calling Verizon to see if they will unlock your phone.

 

[EpicMike]

Well, the first thing is the next time you are there, pop a SIM in and see if it just works. You might also try calling Verizon to see if they will unlock your phone.

Thanks for the reply. Thing is, if I buy it and pop in the SIM and it doesn't work, well then basically I have a tablet.

Also, I talked to two Verizon reps (at two different times and two different locations). Both told me Verizon would not unlock the phone for me, but I had to explain the difference between GSM and CDMA to one of them, so...mileage varies. One guy at a third store at least admitted he didn't know anything about the phone so he couldn't tell me one way or the other.

This phone is a big question mark. No one knows much about it (hence the guessing by these Verizon reps), no development exists for it, its like the phone doesn't exist, yet its perhaps THE most powerful keyboard phone on the market right now. Mind-boggling.

 

[JoeFresco]

Oh, sorry. I didn't get that you hadn't bought the phone yet.

IMEI Unlock Codes - Cell Phones and Smartphones SIM Unlock Services! claims to unlock the Stratosphere i415 for $29. I'd like to find it somewhere else cheaper, but I might go ahead and give it a shot this weekend.

 

[EpicMike]

Oh, sorry. I didn't get that you hadn't bought the phone yet.

IMEI Unlock Codes - Cell Phones and Smartphones SIM Unlock Services! claims to unlock the Stratosphere i415 for $29. I'd like to find it somewhere else cheaper, but I might go ahead and give it a shot this weekend.

Last time I paid a service to unlock a phone for me...they refunded my money cause they couldn't. And it was the old, obsolete Gravity 2! So I'm a little skeptical about unlocking services.

This weekend I will just scour the net for any reports on people who have at least successfully unlocked the Stratosphere II. But I'm doubtful since again, this phone is like a ghost, no one knows it exists.

 

[freddt2790]

Hey this for the Strat 2 owners. I know the phone has both CDMA and GSM technology...but is the GSM technology exclusive to that 4G LTE sim card? I keep reading that it can be used "globally" but I can't find anyone who has tried this out first hand.

I travel to Mexico a lot and I use the Movistar phone service there (Movistar appears to be second to Telcel). I have a cheapo phone that has the Movistar GSM sim card in it. I could easily get any GSM phone, pop the sim card in, and keep moving (provided the GSM phone is unlocked of course). Just wondering if it is possible to do that with the Stratosphere 2. I have gone to at least three different Verizon stores and no one at any of those stores could give me a straight answer. They basically said customers only do what I am talking about with iPhones, so they have no data to draw from.

my feincee uses hers on att

 

[Paddy_]

3G phones will not work on CDMA and visa versa, 4G fones are not interchangeable between LTE networks. So be aware of this when unlocking your phone.

 

[EpicMike]

3G phones will not work on CDMA and visa versa, 4G fones are not interchangeable between LTE networks. So be aware of this when unlocking your phone.

I forgot all about this thread. After learning of the existence of the Relay 4G for T-Mobile I lost all interest.

Though still...even though the question is old and I've moved on, I still think you misunderstood the question. The difference between CDMA and GSM is obvious. However, all LTE phones have a sim slot that fits a regular sim. Apparently some of them can be configured to pick up the radios of regular 3G. Some folks have succeeded in doing this with the Strat 2 (like freddt2790 just said), it just seems to be something of a hassle but it can be done.

All the same though, I think the Relay 4G is a better phone, and it only needs a FREE unlock sequence to use it on AT&T. I won't get AT&T 4G/LTE, but I'll get 3G and data so I don't really care.

Thanks, though.

 

[Paddy_]

OK, I cant help with a free unlock as I don't know if its possible for 4G/LTE Smartphones

 

[Gagome]

The Stratosphere II is not SIM locked.
And it works without problems globally with GSM and UMTS (3G) networks.
Just put your micro SIM card into the slot and configure the APNs for your network provider.
I have done this with my Stratosphere II phones (I have three!) using Austrian network providers (A1, bob, aon, 3) and it worked every time.

There is only a notification that there is no Verizon SIM card. But when you root the phone you can disable this meaningless notification.
I have used Autostart to disable the app Setup Wizard and the non-verizon SIM notification is gone.

The only "small" problem you will have when the phone is not connected to a Verizon network is that it is not possible to update the firmware. Not even when the phone is connected to a PC with USB. The Verizon SW Updater simply says either that it is not able to verify if a new version exists or it says your version is up-to-date and there is no new version available.
The only way to upgrade is to get a ROM image and update using Odin.

Regards,
Gagome

 

[iviyth0s]

The Stratosphere II is not SIM locked.
And it works without problems globally with GSM and UMTS (3G) networks.
Just put your micro SIM card into the slot and configure the APNs for your network provider.
I have done this with my Stratosphere II phones (I have three!) using Austrian network providers (A1, bob, aon, 3) and it worked every time.

There is only a notification that there is no Verizon SIM card. But when you root the phone you can disable this meaningless notification.
I have used Autostart to disable the app Setup Wizard and the non-verizon SIM notification is gone.

The only "small" problem you will have when the phone is not connected to a Verizon network is that it is not possible to update the firmware. Not even when the phone is connected to a PC with USB. The Verizon SW Updater simply says either that it is not able to verify if a new version exists or it says your version is up-to-date and there is no new version available.
The only way to upgrade is to get a ROM image and update using Odin.

Regards,
Gagome

Not that they're giving us new android versions anyway haha. So really there's nothing but the annoying message (that can probably be removed from root)

The Strat II has all the band capability to use those networks in their entirety though??

 

[Gagome]

Not that they're giving us new android versions anyway haha. So really there's nothing but the annoying message (that can probably be removed from root)

There are SW updates from Verizon for the Strat II. See: Which version of the Android™ platform does my Samsung Galaxy™ Stratosphere™ II use? : Verizon Wireless Cell Phones | Samsung

The latest update is version I415VRBMJ2 from 12/17/2013.

The Strat II has all the band capability to use those networks in their entirety though??

Yes, the Strat II has the following network capabilities:

Cellular Networks: GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS2100 (B1)
Cellular Data Links: GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA
Secondary Cellular Networks: CDMA800 (BC0), CDMA1900 (BC14), LTE700 (B13)

See: Samsung SCH-i415 Galaxy Stratosphere II Detailed Specs | Technical Datasheet | PDAdb.net for more details.

 

[iviyth0s]

Interesting and good to know!