iPhone 5: A confusing mess of network support

iPhone 5: A confusing mess of network support
Yesterday, Apple introduced the new iPhone 5 to the world.

to the world. The notable feature of the iPhone 5 is the support for what Apple calls “ultrafast” networks. With support for these networks, the iPhone now joins the club of 4G-supporting devices in both the Android and Windows Phone camps. However, the way Apple has done it will confuse several people.

At first glance, it appears that there are three distinct models with different network technologies supported. After all, that’s what Apple shows on its website, right? However, there’s actually only two models. WiFi and Bluetooth support is the same (dual-band WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 LE), but cellular network connectivity differs.

Model A1428 – GSM for North America

This iPhone is the one that most Americans and Canadians on GSM networks will get. This model supports quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) and quad-band UMTS (850/900/1900/2100MHz), with single cell and dual cell HSPA+ modes. Officially, Apple states that it supports LTE band class 17 (lower 700MHz without A block) and LTE band class 4 (AWS-1, 1.7GHz/2.1GHz) for Release 9 LTE. However, the FCC documents for the device state that it also supports LTE band class 2 (PCS, 1.9GHz) and LTE band class 5 (Cellular 850, 850MHz) as well. That means that this device actually supports four LTE bands, not two.

This means that it will support GSM networks all over the world and UMTS/HSPA networks in most parts of the world. Notably, it does not support AWS HSPA for T-Mobile USA, WIND Mobile, Mobilicity, and Videotron. On the LTE side, it will work on all LTE networks in Canada today, as well as the LTE networks for AT&T, Cricket, MetroPCS, and C Spire Wireless. With T-Mobile’s deployment of HSPA+ on PCS later this year and LTE in 2013 on AWS, this model will work well on there too.

Model A1429 – CDMA/GSM Global Model

This iPhone is the one that CDMA carriers and all European and Asian carriers will sell. Like Model A1428, it supports quad-band GSM and quad-band UMTS with single cell and dual cell HSPA+ modes. This model trades in support for LTE band classes 2, 4, 5, and 17 for LTE band classes 1 (IMT, 2.1GHz), 3 (DCS, 1.8GHz), 5 (Cellular 850, 850MHz), 13 (Upper 700MHz C block), and 25 (US Extended PCS, 1.9GHz). Additionally, it supports CDMA2000 on band classes 0 (Cellular 850, 850MHz), 1 (PCS, 1.9GHz), 10 (ESMR 800, 800MHz), and 6 (IMT, 2.1GHz).

This means that it will work on all the same GSM and UMTS/HSPA networks that Model A1428 works on, as well as Verizon Wireless and Sprint’s CDMA2000 and LTE networks in the United States. However, this model is largely intended for Asia-Pacific LTE deployments on 850/1800/2100 MHz. Telstra and Optus in Australia, Softbank and KDDI in Japan, SK Telecom and KT in South Korea, SmarTone (formerly SmarTone-Vodafone) in Hong Kong, and M1 and SingTel in Singapore will be able to offer LTE connectivity on the iPhone 5.

It only incidentally works on Deutsche Telekom’s LTE network in Germany and Everything Everywhere’s LTE network in the United Kingdom because they both use the DCS band for LTE. There will be more networks across Europe deploying on DCS in the coming months, so this should quickly expand. Europe’s EU Digital Dividend (LTE band class 20, 800MHz) and IMT-E (LTE band class 7, 2.6GHz) are not supported in this iPhone largely because there are very few deployments on those bands. Next year’s iPhone will support it, or Apple may release yet another model that includes those bands.

Quirks about Model A1429

For CDMA users, there are some caveats. While the iPhone 5 does support EV-DO Rev. A (maxing out at 3.1Mbps) and EV-DO Rev. B (maxing out at 14Mbps), the FCC documents seem to indicate that there’s no SV-DO or SV-LTE support. This means that voice and data cannot be used at the same time on CDMA with EV-DO or CDMA with LTE. It is a rather perplexing omission since the Qualcomm radio chip onboard supports both SV-DO and SV-LTE. There are also very few networks with EV-DO Rev. B support, mostly in Asia. American CDMA2000 networks do not have EV-DO Rev. B support, so the iPhone 5 will top out at 3.1Mbps on CDMA2000.

Additionally, the wideband audio support is only for GSM and UMTS HSPA+ networks. There’s no HD voicesupport for CDMA networks. Considering how much Sprint was hyping that up with the Evo 4G LTE, it is a curious omission for the Sprint iPhone 5.

If it isn’t purchased in the United States or Japan, then the CDMA2000 support and the US LTE bands (band classes 13 and 25) are disabled. European owners can pretty much count on no LTE roaming capability at all unless the network happens to live on the IMT, DCS, or Cellular 850 bands. That largely rules out the Americas and leaves them with limited European LTE and full Asian LTE support.

Conclusion: Americans and Canadians on GSM should get A1428 unless they are globetrotters

The iPhone 5 offers a far more expanded selection of network connectivity options, as long as you get the US/Japan A1429 model and use a network that offers nano-SIMs. For regular globetrotters, Model A1429 is the clear winner with support for GSM, UMTS with HSPA+, CDMA2000, and Asia-Pacific LTE support with limited European LTE support.

However, if you don’t care for that, Model A1428 (if available) is a perfectly good choice, and offers a decent level of cross-carrier compatibility by itself. Don’t forget that you need a new nano-SIM to be able use the iPhone 5 on your network of choice, though.

Of course, users who are on CDMA networks have to get Model A1429 anyway, so be comforted in the fact that you have a device that gives you the freedom to pick from a large variety of networks whenever you want!

Read: What is LTE?