US Cellular Galaxy SIII LTE Bands

[lynyrd65]

I know that the Galaxy S Aviator (uscc droid charge) had a plethora of LTE bands. Is that still the case with the Galaxy S III? I only ask as it could point to roaming agreements and the possibility of including multiband LTE radios in future Sprint phones.

[jefbal99]

I know that the Galaxy S Aviator (uscc droid charge) had a plethora of LTE bands. Is that still the case with the Galaxy S III? I only ask as it could point to roaming agreements and the possibility of including multiband LTE radios in future Sprint phones.

 

Funny you mention that, I was just reading about the different GS3 variants on the wikipedia page

 

US Cellular is the SCH-R530 model and supports 700, 1700 (AWS) MHz for 4G LTE.

[WiWavelength]

The USCC Galaxy S3 was later than the other carrier variants in hitting the FCC OET. I tried to search it out a few days ago, but the authorization was uploaded just yesterday, apparently.

 

https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&RequestTimeout=500&calledFromFrame=N&application_id=945591&fcc_id=%27A3LSCHR530%27

 

AJ

[WiWavelength]

US Cellular is the SCH-R530 model and supports 700, 1700 (AWS) MHz for 4G LTE.

 

Only partly correct. In full, it supports both 5 MHz x 5 MHz and 10 MHz x 10 MHz LTE bandwidths in bands 2/4/5/12 (i.e. PCS 1900 MHz, AWS 2100+1700 MHz, Cellular 850 MHz, and Lower 700 MHz). Other than the LTE channel bandwidths, the LTE bands covered are the same as in the Aviator.

 

AJ

[WiWavelength]

Here is the antenna block diagram for the USCC version of the Galaxy S3:

 

 

AJ

[S4GRU]

Here is the antenna block diagram for the USCC version of the Galaxy S3:

 

AJ

 

Man, that's hot.

 

Now with FCC approval, the only thing to stop Sprint from including LTE 800 in their devices is just perhaps the OEMs. Its hard for me to imagine that they will wait until next February to start cranking out LTE 800 capable devices.

 

Robert via Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

[WiWavelength]

The Aviator was a nice harbinger, but the Galaxy S3 really drives the point home. USCC, a regional carrier, has been able to get Samsung to build a custom version with fully three CDMA2000 band classes and four LTE bands yet brings it in at the same size and subsidized price as the Galaxy S3 variants of the national carriers.

 

So, when the time comes, rest assured that Sprint will be able to get LTE 800 and TD-LTE 2600 aboard, no problem.

 

AJ

[WiWavelength]

Dare I even broach the subject, but there probably will be some kvetching now that the Sprint variant Galaxy S3 does not support LTE 800 but surely could have done so.

 

Sprint variant:

 

 

USCC variant:

 

 

AJ

[S4GRU]

Dare I even broach the subject' date=' but there probably will be some kvetching now that the Sprint variant Galaxy S3 does not support LTE 800 but surely could have done so.

 

Sprint variant:

 

USCC variant:

 

AJ[/quote']

 

Its a legitimate criticism now. I think Sprint would tell us that the FCC approval is too new that it was too late to get LTE 800 in these recent devices. And the ecosystem may be too immature to slap TD-LTE 2600 in a device right now. But come Fall, they wont be able to hold either of these excuses any more. They need to get cooking on it with their OEMs. There are a lot of people on the fence waiting to hear about LTE 800 devices.

 

Robert via Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

[pyroscott]

Its a legitimate criticism now. I think Sprint would tell us that the FCC approval is too new that it was too late to get LTE 800 in these recent devices. And the ecosystem may be too immature to slap TD-LTE 2600 in a device right now. But come Fall, they wont be able to hold either of these excuses any more. They need to get cooking on it with their OEMs. There are a lot of people on the fence waiting to hear about LTE 800 devices.

 

Robert via Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

 

I just got a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with iPhone so they sell more iPhones with it being the first 800/1900/2600 device, but everything I have read would say that I am wrong in that. I don't think they are all about making multiple models and if they put multiple LTE bands in the device, it will be 700/AWS/PCS.

[WiWavelength]

I just got a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with iPhone so they sell more iPhones with it being the first 800/1900/2600 device, but everything I have read would say that I am wrong in that. I don't think they are all about making multiple models and if they put multiple LTE bands in the device, it will be 700/AWS/PCS.

 

I will just about bet my bottom dollar that the next iPhone will be partly but not fully compatible with Sprint's Network Vision plans and/or Clearwire's TD-LTE overlay. Basically, it will lack something, be it CDMA1X 800 or LTE 800 or TD-LTE 2600. And I am okay with that, even silently hopeful for that, since it would give the rest of us a potential network refuge from the iHordes and the congestion that often comes in their wake.

 

AJ

[pyroscott]

I would agree with that, and if I had to guess, it would be 1900/2600.

 

Sent from my Jelly Bean Toro using Forum Runner

[Thomas L.]

I will just about bet my bottom dollar that the next iPhone will be partly but not fully compatible with Sprint's Network Vision plans and/or Clearwire's TD-LTE overlay. Basically, it will lack something, be it CDMA1X 800 or LTE 800 or TD-LTE 2600. And I am okay with that, even silently hopeful for that, since it would give the rest of us a potential network refuge from the iHordes and the congestion that often comes in their wake.

 

AJ

 

What do you think it will be that it is missing? I am thinking it would be the LTE 800 - with China Mobile doing TD-LTE 2600 I would think they would want to include that.

[lynyrd65]

Since the USCC LTE devices have 4 LTE bands I don't see why Sprint and others couldn't make quad band phones for themselves and their roaming partners. If 800 will be a universal international band it would make the most sense to me if the 800 radio could scale from smr to cellular to international 800. I don't know what the technological hurdles for this would be.

 

Never the less, seeing that these types of radios are possible debases claims by the likes of VZW and AT&T who refuse to allow roaming on the basis of technological incompatibility.

 

EDIT: One possible reason Sprint did not request that Samsung include the radio is that because Sprint didn't expect SMR LTE to be approved so quickly by the FCC, they didn't bother requesting it for fear that a model with an SMR LTE radio wouldn't pass FCC authorization. It also is possibly a contributing factor that SMR LTE hasnt been field tested, which might be a road block for ordering the OEMs to make an SMR LTE phone. It is notable that the EVO 3D received an SMR 1xAdvanced fairly early, late June of 2011. Sprint was only cleared for CDMA in the SMR in May of 2011.

 

If my memory serves me right, Sprint expected SMR LTE to be cleared in August so it may not be an unreasonable assertion to claim Sprint might start churning out LTE 800 devices in September.

[S4GRU]

As pointed out above, it probably is too soon after FCC approval to expect LTE 800 devices in the very near future. I think Fall is the earliest. I can tell you that 30 days ago, Sprint wasn't planning LTE 800 devices until Q1 2013. But I don't see why they'd wait that long at this point.

 

Robert via Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

[BenChase7]

I may be way off here, but Sprint did start launching devices that support 1x 800 well in advance of its deployment (such as the EVO 3D, SGSII, and even a couple others, I believe). So, I am hoping they do the same with LTE 800.

[supert0nes]

USCellular should enable SMR support in their phones and get a roaming contract for at least CDMA, and LTE too since it looks like this phone already supports LTE on 850.

[jefbal99]

USCellular should enable SMR support in their phones and get a roaming contract for at least CDMA, and LTE too since it looks like this phone already supports LTE on 850.

 

850 is the cellular spectrum that Verizon and at&t mostly use. SMR is lower 800Mhz, different band class from 850Mhz

[supert0nes]

850 is the cellular spectrum that Verizon and at&t mostly use. SMR is lower 800Mhz, different band class from 850Mhz

 

Sprint phones right now support CDMA over 800 and 850 on one antenna, correct? Why couldn't the same be done for LTE? I think that would be a nice roaming partnership for US Cellular and some extra change for Sprint. I just noticed that US Cellular had an antenna in this phone for LTE over 850, and this idea came to me.

[jefbal99]

Sprint phones right now support CDMA over 800 and 850 on one antenna, correct? Why couldn't the same be done for LTE? I think that would be a nice roaming partnership for US Cellular and some extra change for Sprint. I just noticed that US Cellular had an antenna in this phone for LTE over 850, and this idea came to me.

 

I think it depends on the antenna and the radio and the paths. You'd need a radio that supported SMR LTE, then you'd need that to an antenna that supported SMR.