AT&T Wireless

it might have been your phone.

 

Either that or they are still working on the integration in that area of CA & they forgot to update the towers to give the right broadcast information.
Unless they are testing some for the future name if the merger gets approved. (But I highly doubt it).

 

There wasn't any integration in CA in the sense that Cingular picked up the old AT&T Wireless towers and T-Mobile got the old Cingular towers. Neither network has switched their towers to use the MNC code they're using in other regions: T-Mobile is still running the 310-170 and Cingular is still running 310-380. Phones that show the network name based on the internal database may still show AT&T Wireless name.

Unless it's the testing that you mentioned the phone would be the most likely cause.

 

That's exactly what I was thinking. I am guessing the phone that showed AT&T was purchased before, or very shortly after the merger? If so the plmn_text_table.bin file on the phone will show that network in California as being ATT and not Cingular. This is on a related note with other threads of TMO customers in California saying that their phones read Cingular.

-Jay

 

This definitely has something to do with the 380(now Cingular) and 170(now T-Mobile) networks.

I assume that the AT&T Wireless the OP saw is the 380 network and the "Cingular" network is the 170 network.

Charles, did you notice a difference in quality depending on which network you were on?

 

Andy;

All Cingular networks should show 410 not 380 or 170. Those NMC's should be retired now. Sounds like an old SIM card.

 

That is true, but I think 380 and 170 are still in use in California, unless I'm mistaken. So if the OP has an old phone/SIM, it's quite possible for it to show the different alpha-tags, since old AT&T phones allowed for network selection and showed the actual alpha tag, right?

 

Andy;

They shouldn't because those NMC's have been retired according to the GSM Association (they would be illegal NMC's).Plus according to Cingular the network (nationwide) is now integrated so only a 410 SIM should work.

 

My mistake- sorry!!!

 

No Problem Andy, with as many network codesas their are nobdy can keep up with all of them!

 

Maybe they should be retired, but they are not. The two currently used MNCs in CA are 380 for Cingular/AT&T Wireless and 170 for T-Mobile.

I wish this were that simple. There are several methods to display the alpha tag and different phones do different things. Cingular has updated all Cingular and AT&T Wireless SIMs to display "Cingular" in the network selection list for the following MNCs: 410, 380, 170 (maybe some other MNCs that I don't know). T-Mobile didn't bother, as didn't foreign networks, so with my T-Mobile and European SIMs I'll see AT&T Wireless in the network selection list when 380 MNC is detected.

Now the alpha tag that appears on the screen is a different story. For instance, unbranded and older Motorola phones will show AT&T Wireless when AT&T Wireless is selected from the list, while newer will still show Cingular. Nokia phones tend to read the tag as transmitted by the tower, so they'll show Cingular even if unbranded/older. On some slower Nokia phones I've actually seen the words AT&T Wireless show for a split second and then being replaced by the word Cingular. On top of that there's some way to force the phone to read that name from the SIM regardless of the branding, that's why T-Mobile SIM in CA shows T-Mobile even when on 170 MNC instead of T-Mobile's true 260. Occasionally though something happens and the phone reverts back to showing the name as read from the tower. Finally, some very old phones don't have any idea what to call these networks, so they'll show USA 380 for AT&T Wireless network.

If you finished reading the previous paragraph, you probably came to a consclusion that these alpha tags and MNCs create one fine mess...

 

My never-locked, HK-bought GSM Chocolate on the 3HK SIM shows Cingular for both 380 and 170... and nothing for 410.

 

Is that what it shows in the network selection list, alpha tag or both?

 

That's correct. The 380 MNC is still in use in CA. Integration was complete only in markets where 380 and 410 overlapped. They still have to change the MNC to 410 in CA.

 

I'm a little confused..........could someone post the MNCs and the companies/alpha tags that go with thim.........i basically want to see the companies that each MNC goes with or used to go with before the SIMs were updated

 

The Wikipedia list looks pretty complete to me. The network name would be the intended Alpha tag in most cases.

 

im not concerned about all of them...just the ones in this post......cuz they are the onbes that matter to me........

so is it like this?

410 - old AT&T
380 - new Cingular
170 - T-Mobile

now if these are correct......the Cingular towers that are now owned by tmobile are stilll showing 380...........and the 410 are being converted to the 380.........eventually the Tmobile 380 towers will change to 170 after the temproary roaming agreements are up......and new towers are being added to fill in the gaps that will be made by the T-Mobile acquisition of the old Cingular towers in that area?

any corrections?

 

So GSM world showing those MNCs to be deactivated, but they are still in use...is that illegal, like hillbilly said???

 

380 is the old AT&T
410 is the new Cingular
170 is T-Mobile

All towers after the integration are 410 now.

 

380 are being converted to 410 (not so far in CA)
170 would probably be converted to 260 (that's T-Mobile business)
As other posters pointed out, 380 is not T-Mobile, it's AT&T/Cingular.

 

That's a question better directed at a lawyer So far Cingular does not appear to be in any hurry to switch the CA/NV network to 410. Similarly, T-Mobile doesn't seem to mind the 170 being discontinued. I imagine there must be some deadline by which they have to stop using those MNCs, but I've no idea what it is.

 

why does T-Mobile have 2 different MNCs.....one for personal......one for business.....and why?

 

So how hard is it to switch MNC's? I'm not very familiar with GSM networks and how they work...I assume it's a big deal since the two carriers have not done this yet in CA?

 

I don't think he meant it like that. He meant that it is T-Mobile's business to change their MNC in CA from 170 to 260 whenever they are ready.

 

so if tmobile is 260 then who is 170?

 

260 is T-Mobile's MNC in most of the U.S.
170 is T-Mobile's MNC in California, just like:

410 is Cingular's MNC in most of the U.S., but
380 is Cingular's MNC in California.

It's just like SID's, with the difference that a carrier often only has one MNC, whereas CDMA carriers have different SIDs in different areas.

 

wat are they all supposed to be cuz im understanding that 260 is T-Mobile's real MNC and 410 is the old AT&T and Cingular is 380 so where did the 170 come from....did the FCC just approve a different MNC because of the situation T-Mobile and Cingular are in in California

correction: i did hear that they are gonna make the AT&T network their primary network while they build new towers to fill in the gaps that will be made by T-Mobile acquiring the Cingular Cali towers but why would they keep the AT&T MNC if that were the case.......why wouldnt they switch the MNC to 410?

 

Actually, I'm not sure if 380 is anyone's old MNC or what, but on a national level, Cingular's licensed/approved MNC is 410, that's why Cingular has been changing MNCs in other areas to their 410.
T-Mobile's national MNC is 260.
In California, T-Mobile and Cingular used to share the Cingular network before the AT&T merger. When Cingular and AT&T merged, Cingular sold their network(which is the 170 network, now referred to as the Orange network) to T-Mobile and Cingular kept the 380 network(which was AT&T Wireless, now Cingular and referred to the Blue network). With time, Cingular will move their network in California from 380 to 410 to match their national MNC...T-Mobile will move the 170 MNC to 260 to match their national MNC...Hope this is accurate and at least answers some of your questions.

 

yeah i knew all of that but why did they have their whole old Cingular network on 410 and their Cali Orange network as 170

and then wat was AT&Ts old MNC?