Can an unlocked 5S model A1453 support both GSM and CDMA?
I want to buy an unlocked 5S to use in Canada, USA and the UK.
Issue is I need access to both GSM and CDMA bands.
I live in Canada and while the Rogers GSM service is good in major centers and along main highways, it is completly absent once you travel to smaller communities. However CDMA service from Telus and Bell is great almost everywhere. And I spend a lot of time in smaller communities off the beaten path.
In the UK the only option is GSM. While in the USA CDMA holds top spot, but GSM has lots of coverage as well. So either service will be OK while I am there.
I am tired of having multipal phones. I would like to reduce it to "1".
The technical literature for the 5S model A1453 lists both GSM and CDMA bands as being supported. However I spoke with a tech support person today and when confronted with the question - "How do I use the 5S across both bands and how do I select which service I use if a region is covered by both?" I was met with silence - for a while - then a non-informative answer of "The phone will select the best signal and use that band."
I am rather reluctant to drop the better part of a grand on a phone only to find out it is half baked on one band or the other, or does not allow me to choose which service provider I use in a region that has both GSM and CDMA.
I asked how I could make the GSM carrier the primary choice and only select CDMA on a need to basis. I did not get a reply to that. Can I leave a Simm card plugged in at all times if I want to use CDMA? ???????? No answer.
Does anybody know how this works? Can I leave a simm card in for GSM at al times. How do you go about selecting which band to use if both are available? Does the phone support both services equally?
iPhone 5