Does New TM-506 Have A 3G Indicator???

[KA3SGM]

Just picked up the new Sony Ericsson T-Mobile TM-506 phone that supports 3G (UMTS and HSDPA?)on the AWS 1700-2100 bands.

Has anyone in a T-MO 3G market such as NYC noticed if the phone indicates whether you are on GSM or UMTS.

Any type of 3G reception indicator at all, or just the same plain bar type signal meter as the GSM signal provides.

I am in the Philadelphia, PA area, where T-Mobile 3G has yet to launch

I picked up a Nokia 6263 a few months back as well, and the stock T-MO firmware lacked a 3G indicator, but the latest Nokia OEM firmware re-flash gives you a 3G Icon, as well as the ability to force the phone to GSM Only, UMTS Only, or have the phone "Auto Select" for you..

I know this phone was just released a few days ago, and am not sure how many people have any experience with the phone at this point.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

[SmArTeStChIlD421]

actually Philly has just recently been turned on for 3G

[KA3SGM]

Originally Posted by SmArTeStChIlD421

actually Philly has just recently been turned on for 3G

Uh, I also have a T-Mobile Nokia 6263 with the latest Nokia OEM firmware, that provides a real 3G indicator(UMTS), but it still can't find a 3G signal in the Philadelphia area.

Maybe 3G is being tested in Center City, but nothing in the Suburbs.

The newest T-MO sites feature 9 "1710MHz-2100MHz" Dual-Pol" panel Antennas, with 18 coax runs, but only 12 connected to the existing GSM BTS.

Those sites are ready to connect those 6 remaining cables to 3G equipment, but the hardware is not yet on site.

As a comparison, Cricket has started building out this area, but they only have their Antennas up on existing towers, and NOTHING installed on the ground.

The Philly T-Mo market is only set up for EDGE data, with no legitimate UMTS/HSDPA coverage so far.

With an odd twist, T-Mobile has called me, and asked me to refrain from using my SonyEricsson TM-506 phone as a tethered Modem with my laptop, because it is causing them some severe network problems.

I don't know what is up with that issue....

[SmArTeStChIlD421]

well are you really tethering???

[KA3SGM]

Originally Posted by SmArTeStChIlD421

well are you really tethering???

yes, the USB cable does provide tethering between the TM-506 and my Dell laptop.

There is no specific PC USB driver for the TM-506, but the Sony Ericsson C902 driver works just fine.

The client utility indicates I am connected via GPRS, but the actual connection speed is in the 210-240kbps range, which leads me to believe it is actually an EDGE connection.

Full Internet connectivity at this point.

I can Browse, Email, IM, Upload/ Download files the same as I can with a dedicated data card.

I hope they solve the Phone/Network bugs that they are complaining about, because for Data use, the TM-506 seems to be able to pull in a usable signal far better than what my Sony Ericsson GC-89 data card can do, plus I don't need to be constantly swapping the SIM between a phone and data card.