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> […] but my carrier in the US probably doesn't support such phones yet as far as I'm aware. Is there something specific about US carriers that prevents a phon

> […] but my carrier in the US probably doesn't support such phones yet as far as I'm aware. Is there something specific about US carriers that prevents a phone running Ubuntu Touch from working? My experience in Europe is that my Ubuntu Touch phone (Meizu Pro 5) just works, because it supports all the necessary bands and SIM-cards. I don't think my carrier really cares what phone I use.

soneil 10y ago
The US is still split between carriers using cdma, and gsm. So if the carrier is on cdma, SIM cards don't exist.
- BuuQu9hu 10y ago
  Are the CDMA ones planning on moving to LTE?
  - abrowne 10y ago
    They (Verizon, Sprint) already have, but they still use CDMA in outlying areas and for voice service. (Verizon, especially, is known for having the best rural service, at least in the rural areas near where I live.) Verizon does use SIM cards for LTE; I'm not sure about Spring but I'm guessing they do as well. Both still have the CDMA-carrier mindset of wanting only "their" devices on their networks. In the past they would not (usually?) activate a phone not sold by them even if could work, but I feel like I've heard of people using unlocked devices with Verizon, but it could just be iPhones.
    - tkdc926 10y ago
      I set my granddaughter up with an unlocked Nexus 6 on Verizon.
    - BuuQu9hu 10y ago
      Can you buy SIM cards for Verizon/Sprint and the GSM carriers? Or do they force you to buy a phone that includes a SIM?
      - giancarlostoro 10y ago
        You could technically buy an unlocked phone and ask for a SIM Card though I've never done this so I cannot say how well this works. I'm on Sprint and my last few phones have had an internal SIM.
    - digi_owl 10y ago
      My understanding is that Verizon CDMA use the 450mhz band. A band I have seen described as the butter zone for mobile communications (Also the band used for the initial Nordic NMT network).
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]

soneil 10y ago

The US is still split between carriers using cdma, and gsm. So if the carrier is on cdma, SIM cards don't exist.

BuuQu9hu 10y ago
Are the CDMA ones planning on moving to LTE?
- abrowne 10y ago
  They (Verizon, Sprint) already have, but they still use CDMA in outlying areas and for voice service. (Verizon, especially, is known for having the best rural service, at least in the rural areas near where I live.) Verizon does use SIM cards for LTE; I'm not sure about Spring but I'm guessing they do as well. Both still have the CDMA-carrier mindset of wanting only "their" devices on their networks. In the past they would not (usually?) activate a phone not sold by them even if could work, but I feel like I've heard of people using unlocked devices with Verizon, but it could just be iPhones.
  - tkdc926 10y ago
    I set my granddaughter up with an unlocked Nexus 6 on Verizon.
  - BuuQu9hu 10y ago
    Can you buy SIM cards for Verizon/Sprint and the GSM carriers? Or do they force you to buy a phone that includes a SIM?
    - giancarlostoro 10y ago
      You could technically buy an unlocked phone and ask for a SIM Card though I've never done this so I cannot say how well this works. I'm on Sprint and my last few phones have had an internal SIM.
  - digi_owl 10y ago
    My understanding is that Verizon CDMA use the 450mhz band. A band I have seen described as the butter zone for mobile communications (Also the band used for the initial Nordic NMT network).
deleted 10y ago
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