Cingular and the 1900 band
So, I want to buy an unlocked phone that does not have the 850Mhz band, which I know is a bad idea. However, I really like this phone and the Cellmania function check on Ebay says it will work in my area, which is Washington, DC. However, I heard a rumor that Cingular was switching all their service to the 850 band, which would mean I would buy this phone and be screwed. Any advice? Is the 1900 band still viable in DC? Should I switch to T-Mobile, which only uses the 1900 band? And the long shot, does anyone own/use the Panasonic x800 in the DC area with Cingular? Thanks a lot everyone!
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Well, Cingular is not switching everything to the 800/850 band. They will continue to offer all of their current and future (HSDPA/UMTS) on both bands. Also, when you go to areas with no 1900 bands like here in Houston, it just switches you over to T Mobile. I am assuming they have a roaming agreement set up.
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Thanks, that's really good to know. I'm probably going to get the phone, I'm just being a chicken because I've never bought an unlocked phone before.
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I wouldn't recommend trying it at all unless it has the 850 band. I am in a market that should be all 1900, and I get significantly worse reception on an unlocked phone that I have that only has 1900.
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