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Will my phone work on the Fido network?

Cawtau
Senior MVP Senior MVP
Senior MVP

Hello,

 

Your device must be compatible with the Fido/Rogers network, which uses:

 

GSM ~ EDGE (2G) ~ on band 5 (850MHz).

UMTS or WCDMA ~ HSPA (3G) / HSPA+ (4G) ~ on band 5 (850 MHz).

 

To access LTE, the device must be compatible with one or more of the following:

  • 700 MHz on Band 12;
  • 850MHz on Band 5;
  • 1900 MHz on Band 2, Band 25;
  • 1700/2100 MHz on Band 4, Band 66;
  • 2600 MHz on Band 7.

 

  The more compatible bands/frequencies a phone has, the greater likelihood of service. That said, the phone does not need to be compatible with all of the bands/frequencies in order for it to work with the Fido/Rogers networks. Access to the networks would depend on the bands/frequencies of the surrounding towers. Not all of the towers use all of the bands/frequencies. For more info, see here.

 

 Hope this helps Smiley

 

Cheers


68 REPLIES 68

sanwich
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

Hi Cawtau,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I appreciate you clarifying the difference between SIM card signals and APN settings. I had thought they were connected. I am hoping to use this phone for data, wifi, messaging and phone calls.

 

The good news is I am able to connect to Wifi and LTE Data successfully. Yay! Since your reply, I have tried two more locations to check the SIM card signal, but unfortunately I'm still getting an X for the signal bars, I will keep trying different locations. Plus I will use the "find network" setting featured in the phone (I forget the exact wording)

 

If I'm reading your message correctly, are you saying roaming should be disabled or enabled? I have had it only disabled.

 

Do Fido and Rogers share the same cellular tower frequencies? When I chatted with the phone seller (from Japan) he mentioned that he had Canadian customers with Rogers who managed to get the phone to work.

 

And yes, thank you, it is a nice phone. 😎 [P.S. This brings me back, when forums would convert 8.) to the sunglasses emoji] 

 

EDIT: Formatting for paragraphs.

Hello again,

 

  Thank you for the additional information.

 


@sanwich wrote:

...If I'm reading your message correctly, are you saying roaming should be disabled or enabled? I have had it only disabled....


  I think it's worth trying to enable roaming on your device. Some devices from abroad are intended for particular markets. They might regulate usage outside of those markets by requiring roaming settings to be enabled. Those settings might still need to be enabled even if a local SIM card is used. As long as the Fido SIM card is connected to Canadian cellular networks, you won't incur roaming charges.

 


@sanwich wrote:

...The good news is I am able to connect to Wifi and LTE Data successfully. Yay! Since your reply, I have tried two more locations to check the SIM card signal, but unfortunately I'm still getting an X for the signal bars, I will keep trying different locations. ..


  Glad to hear you're able to connect to LTE data. That's strange you're still receiving the X for signal bars though as access to LTE networks would require LTE signal. It's possible that symbol is only for voice and messaging??

 


@sanwich wrote:

...Do Fido and Rogers share the same cellular tower frequencies? When I chatted with the phone seller (from Japan) he mentioned that he had Canadian customers with Rogers who managed to get the phone to work...


  Yes, Fido and Rogers share the same cellular towers and frequencies. However, as mentioned, cellular service would depend on a number of factors. Your particular set of circumstances would be different from those other Rogers customers. With my old phone, I remember having to drive across town just to send/receive MMS. Calls and SMS were working at my location, but the signal strength was not sufficient to send the data within MMS until I drove to another area. Same phone, same Fido/Rogers network, different set of external circumstances. Incidentally, that was the impetus for me to abandon my beloved flip-phone.

 

  It's also possible those Rogers customers are also affected by the reduced GSM footprint (or complete GSM shut-down). The phone seller might not be aware of Canada's intent on decommissioning the GSM network.

 

  Unfortunately, if your phone is unable to access the GSM network given your circumstances, you might not be able to use that device for voice or messaging on the Fido/Rogers networks. Depending on your location, you might be able to use functions with other providers. Some Canadian providers do use 1700/2100MHz (Band 4) for their '3G' (WCDMA/UMTS) network. Though, they might not operate the same LTE bands/frequencies.

 


@sanwich wrote:

...[P.S. This brings me back, when forums would convert 8.) to the sunglasses emoji] ...


  Yes, I made a mental note to add a space between those characters to prevent the emoji, but I forgot 🤣

 

Hope this helps 😀

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


phdude
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

Hello all,

I want to buy a Samsung Galaxy A22 4G A225M LTE factory-unlocked phone (on-line purchase).  This model (SM-A225M-4GB-64GB-D) is marketed primarily to Latin America I think (LATAM region code), but I believe it should work in Canada on the Fido network. Can anyone confirm this please ?


Should there be anything else to watch out for, e.g. compatibility of my old Fido SIM card with the new phone ?

 

Hello Phdude,

 

  Welcome to the community!

 

  As far as I can tell, these should be the band/frequency specifications for that phone:

GSM Mhz band Quad-Band 850/900/1800/1900
Primary 2G network GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Primary 3G network UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100
Primary 4G network LTE Cat6 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 26, 28, 66)
TD-LTE (38, 40, 41)

~taken from here.

 

   Does that appear to be the version of the phone in which you're interested? According to those specifications, that phone should have most of the compatible bands/frequencies used on the networks. While the phone should work on the networks, you should note that since the phone was not purchased from Fido (and is not a Canadian version), it's unlikely certain features (ie voLTE and/or Wifi-calling) will work. 

 

  If your new phone uses a different sized SIM card, you might need to purchase a new SIM card. You can either go to a Fido Store to purchase a new one or contact customer service to order another SIM card. In addition, they can also be contacted via Live Chat, Facebook, or Twitter. Those methods can be accessed via the contact page posted above. Once you receive your new SIM card, you would be able to update your SIM card via your My Account (see here).

 

Hope this helps 😀

 

Cheers

 

 

 


phdude
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

Thanks so much Cawtau for your reply and the info.  Indeed it looks like the phone supports most of the Fido bands

 

On the other hand, it seems that a lot of new phones use Nano-SIM cards whereas my current one is a Micro-SIM.  They just keep getting smaller & smaller !  I hope it doesn't cost too much to purchase a new one.  Has Micro-SIM become obsolete ?

 

Best regards.

Hello Phdude,

 

  I think the use of smaller SIMs is a space saving measure. Real estate is a premium in phones. Phone manufacturers want to pack as much technology as they can into relatively small spaces. The reduction in SIM size makes additional room for other parts. 

 

  If I remember correctly, I believe the cost of a new SIM is approximately $10 (before taxes). While fewer and fewer devices might be designed with micro-SIMs in mind, that sized-SIM would still work in older devices. In fact, I believe most newer SIMs are now tri-SIMs (see image here). That is, they are designed to be either standard-, micro-, or nano-sized, depending on one's needs.

 

Hope this helps 😀

 

Cheers


phdude
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

As always, your responses are very helpful Cawtau.  Cudos !

 

Best regards.

Sonny875
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

it wont download ,data is on .

Sonny875
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

i got a new sony xperia xa2 ultra .pic wont donwload .i got texts from diff numbers with pics. data is no issue .

Hello Sonny875,

 

  Have you verified whether the phone has the necessary compatible bands/frequencies? You can verify those at the beginning of this thread.

 

  Have you verified that the phone is using the proper APN settings? If the phone is LTE-capable, it should be using ltemobile.apn. You can verify the proper settings here. You should also verify that the APN includes the MMSC, MMS Proxy, and MMS Port settings.

 

Hope this helps Smiley

 

Cheers


jpcaron
I'm a contributor level 1
I'm a contributor level 1

Since its not a FIDO phone you wont get all the feature like WiFi Calling and VoLTE, One guy from fido shop in Quebec told me i should change carrier

Hey @jpcaron. We answered your other post

 

 



Croustibat
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

Hello, I'm thinking of buying Xiaomi Mi 9 which was announced and should come out very soon.

 

From what I've seen on the internet, I should support LTE bands 4, 7 and 12 but not 17.

 

On a previous post, you said LTE band 12 is used by Fido in certain provinces. Is it used in QC and more precisely in Montreal ?

 

From what I see, using this phone shouldn't be a problem at all, even though it's missing band 17. Am I right ?

 

Thank you !

Hey @Croustibat

 

We're not able to provide the exact regional breakdown of which provinces are covered by this LTE band. We also cannot confirm 100% guaranteed service on non-Fido phones. That being said, if you're phone is compatible with Band 4 and or Band 7, the LTE should work well. Smiley 



Croustibat
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

Ok thank you !

My pleasure @Croustibat! Smiley 



jaggu2001
I'm a participant level 1
I'm a participant level 1

Hi, I have unlocked iphone 6s and gettimg only 3g network. How do I get LTE? I have added APN but no luck. 

Thnaks,

JP


@jaggu2001wrote:

Hi, I have unlocked iphone 6s and gettimg only 3g network. How do I get LTE? I have added APN but no luck. 

Thnaks,

JP


Do you have an LTE SIM card? What type of mobile network is selected?

Hey @jaggu2001!

 

Were you able to connect to LTE in the end?

 

The Community would like to know!



Hey @jaggu2001

 

Welcome to the Community!

 

iPhones do not require APNs to be added manually. Can you please confirm how and where did you add it?

 

Have you checked your device's settings and enabled LTE?

 

Let me know how it goes.

 

 



samgabbay
I'm helpful level 2
I'm helpful level 2

Hey @Cawtau, Fantastic post, but it would be good to note on the answer post that the 2G Frequencies are to be disconnected in 2018, and users should maybe avoid using that band.

 

Cheers