HT201415: If you can't connect to a cellular network or cellular data
Learn about If you can't connect to a cellular network or cellular dataQ: How to enable LTE connection in Sri Lanka? Local carrier Etisalat & Dialog offers LTE connections but is not available on iPho ... How to enable LTE connection in Sri Lanka? Local carrier Etisalat & Dialog offers LTE connections but is not available on iPhone5. more
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Helpful answers
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Sep 11, 2013 9:05 AM in response to AJH@LKby wegras,Apple does not have any supported carriers in Sri Lanka in fact I doubt the iPhone is sold there officially
So answer is no
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Oct 17, 2013 8:53 AM in response to AJH@LKby DJMalaka,But Apple's LTE page says if the local service provider supports 4G with an LTE band the phone supports, the user could have 4G LTE outside the usual countries Apple has specified. (Apple also says it's the service provider that won't be able to provide you with 4G even if the phone has the same 4G band that the service provider supports.) But when I contacted Mobitel (my service provider in Sri Lanka), they said it's Apple who hasn't authorized 4G use in Sri Lanka. I'm utterly confused as to who is telling the truth here.
And frankly, it's a bit absurd to believe Apple blocks 4G support on a phone if the phone itself has the 4G bands the service providers support for.
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Oct 17, 2013 8:56 AM in response to DJMalakaby raymond73,Apples blocks 4G support in foreign countries for phones that have been purchased in the US. This is to protect the suppliers in the foreign country.
When you buy a device in another country there are risks. You took the risk and it did not work out well. Don't blame Apple or your provider.
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Oct 17, 2013 8:59 AM in response to raymond73by DJMalaka,Yeah, what you're telling could be true if the phone isn't a factory unlocked phone. Apple sells factory unlocked phones for a reason, and that is for you to use the phone all around the world. This isn't helping. But thanks for taking your time to reply.
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Oct 17, 2013 9:09 AM in response to raymond73by KiltedTim,raymond73 wrote:
Apples blocks 4G support in foreign countries for phones that have been purchased in the US. This is to protect the suppliers in the foreign country.
You have absolutely NO idea what you're talking about. Different parts of the world use different LTE frequencies. The frequencies used in the US are not compatible with the rest of the world. Since there is no "universal" chipset for phones that would support all available frequencies, the phones in the US do not support foreign LTE networks, and phones purchased outside of North America will not work on American LTE networks.
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Oct 17, 2013 12:05 PM in response to KiltedTimby raymond73,By Apple only supporting certain frequencies in certain countries that effectively blocks the use of 4G in those countries. It is possible to make phones that support 4G frequencies in other countries. Other phone maker do this, Apple does not. Apple IS protecting suppliers in these countries. In fact it goes so far with Apple that even within the US it is not possible to get support for all the GSM frequencies in use in the US for use on 4G networks. A phone purchased for Straightalk will not work with T-Mobile for 4G speeds. Yet many Android phones will work just fine as they support all the necessary frequencies. Apple is protecting suppliers.
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Oct 17, 2013 12:45 PM in response to raymond73by KiltedTim,They are not "blocking" anything. It is possible to make phones that support LTE frequencies in other countries and THEY DO. They sell those phones in the markets where those frequencies are used. Apple isn't "protecting the suppliers" anywhere. What "suppliers" are they supposedly protecting?
You are making a fool of yourself. Just stop before you make it worse.
raymond73 wrote:
A phone purchased for Straightalk will not work with T-Mobile for 4G speeds.
Hello.... Straighttalk is a CDMA carrier!
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Nov 1, 2013 9:39 AM in response to AJH@LKby kaushalls,Based on my research on this issue of LTE and the iPhone in Sri Lanka the current status is as follows:
- Both operators (Dialog & Mobitel) currently offering LTE in Sri Lanka use Band 3 (1800 MHz, FDD) which is supported by all GSM versions of the iPhone 5s/5c and the GSM A1429 model of the iPhone 5 (I actually have a factory unlocked GSM A1429 version) - so frequency band support is not an issue for these iPhone models.
- The 4th generation iPad (A1460) and the 1st generation iPad mini (A1455) works on LTE networks in Sri Lanka
- Enabling LTE on the iPhones for Sri Lanka could only be done by Apple via a carrier settings update sent OTA to the phone
- For Apple to send the Carrier settings update for Sri Lanka, the local carries (Dialog and Mobitel) probably need to provide some info/data about their LTE networks although I have no idea how this should work or for that matter if such a thing is actually required considering the fact that LTE on iPads is working in Sri Lanka
- Apple does not officially sell the iPhone in Sri Lanka - probably the biggest reason LTE is not yet supported/enabled and its not about protecting suppliers!
- At least 1 Sri Lankan operator claims that the ball is in Apple's court - http://www.dialog.lk/faq/why-does-my-apple-device-not-work-on-lte/
Highly appreciate if someone could shed some light on how we could get Apple to add the Sri Lankan operators offering LTE to their suppported LTE Networks for the iPhone.
Cheers..
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Nov 1, 2013 10:13 AM in response to kaushallsby KiltedTim,Neither carrier is approved or supported by Apple. Using LTE on an iPad is an entirely different animal from using LTE on an iPhone.
The iPhone does NOT do voice over LTE. On an iPad, that's not an issue because there is no data/voice handover to worry about. On an iPhone, that can be a problem. If the carrier network is not configured correctly and up to speed, and/or they do not have the provisioning profiles in place to handle iPhones and the LTE/3G handoff, the user experience will be a disaster.
The carriers need to do more than provide some data, they need to have their networks tested and certified.
There is nothing you or I or anyone here can do to gt Apple to add the Sri Lankan operators. That is entirely up to the carriers.
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Nov 8, 2013 9:38 AM in response to KiltedTimby raymond73,KiltedTim wrote:
They are not "blocking" anything. It is possible to make phones that support LTE frequencies in other countries and THEY DO. They sell those phones in the markets where those frequencies are used. Apple isn't "protecting the suppliers" anywhere. What "suppliers" are they supposedly protecting?
You are making a fool of yourself. Just stop before you make it worse.
raymond73 wrote:
A phone purchased for Straightalk will not work with T-Mobile for 4G speeds.
Hello.... Straighttalk is a CDMA carrier!
Hello...... I never stated that Straighttalk is not CDMA. Straighttalk does both CDMA and GSM and which you get depends on the phone that you purchase.
My statement is still true. T-Mobile is GSM, not CDMA. Purchase a phone for Straighttalk that is GSM and you will NOT get 4G speeds on Straighttalk. Been there, done that.
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Nov 8, 2013 11:51 AM in response to raymond73by KiltedTim,Now that StraightTalk is a supported CDMA carrier, they do not support, or knowingly allow unlocked GSM phones on their service.
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Dec 5, 2013 9:15 AM in response to AJH@LKby Dinuksha,Dialog In Sri Lanka is Supported by Iphone 5, 5C and Iphone 5S which has 1800Mhz (Band 3)
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Dec 6, 2013 7:07 PM in response to Dinukshaby kaushalls,Hooray!!! Just got the carrier settings update on my iPhone 5 enabling 4G on Dialog. This might also mean that Apple may soon launch the iPhone officially in Sri Lanka.
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Dec 11, 2013 11:03 PM in response to kaushallsby DJMalaka,That's fantastic. Could you tell me how you managed to get the settings on your iPhone? And does 4G work well on your phone now? I do hope Mobitel would take a leaf out of Dialog's book soon. Thanks for keeping things updated here.