Will an unlocked Android phone work on the ATT data network?

[reggie46]

I am looking at an unlocked G1 phone and wonder if it will work on the ATT data network.  I have the PDA data plan.

[hidden_dragon ACE - Champion]

It should, provided the settings have been changed from T-Mo to ATT.

[asatoran]

In the past, T-Mobile had their internet settings locked.  So even if you SIM unlocked it, the data settings couldn't be changed.  I just havne't heard of anyone trying a Android G1 yet.

[Planet-Ed ACE - Geek]

There have been documented cases of success here in getting it to work with ATT and how:

http://www.modmygphone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8661

[hidden_dragon ACE - Champion]

---

asatoran wrote:
In the past, T-Mobile had their internet settings locked.  So even if you SIM unlocked it, the data settings couldn't be changed.  I just havne't heard of anyone trying a Android G1 yet.

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FYI -- Smartphones stand a better chance of getting unlocked, even those on T-Mo.  Regular phones, however -- most likely not!

[Mister Xiado]

Yes, it's possible. You may need to speak to technical support. If you're lucky, the settings can be sent to your phone automatically.

Unlucky? Hope you have about 30 minutes to manually set everything. The settings SHOULD be out on the general web, though... You still need the appropriate data feature to make use of it all, though.

[BrianfromNO]

Does it have UMTS in the 850 or 1900 MHz band?  If not, then at best it would be limited to EDGE data.

[Planet-Ed ACE - Geek]

HTC Android G1

Modes:

GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900
WCDMA 1700 / WCDMA 2100

[Weiman]

The settings listed at http://www.modmygphone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8661 helped me achieve a wireless data connection. The settings have to be set manually because the phone is not a proprietary AT&T issued phone. For example: I am using General Mobile's Android phone - DSTL1. To achieve internet access I had to create a new APN with the settings detailed in the above link. On AT&T phones this preconfigued and is somehow configured with MediaNet (AT&T's proprietary internet software).

Unfortuntely I still could not get MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) to work - I recieved notifications telling me I have an MMS, but I could not download it nor send one to anybody. I could before on my AT&T Tilt, but even that required an MMS enabler third party app. I held a PDA data plan and unlimited SM.

To fix the issue I had to sit on the phone with Tech Support that was skeptical of helping somebody without a proprietary AT&T phone (and thus no MediaNet). I knew it was possible because other Android users reported having success. The tech and I were both at a loss because she could barely access my APN setup on her end, but when I read back to her that I was using Cingular's access points we were able to break through. She changed my ISP settings on her end to Cingular's and she was able to fully see what she couldn't before and likewise test my MMS by sending me a message. After a phone reboot everything worked like a charm! <--- very happy Android user on the AT&T network.

Message Edited by Weiman on 09-27-2009 01:23:05 PM