Need info re 2G/GSM-only setting to choose phone

[Anonymous]

I'll try & keep this short, but just to get a few things out of the way first;

I don't have any particular phone in mind (no point even shortlisting till I know the answer).  (Hence this particular forum).

I know I can see each phone's specification on Three's website - it's what I'll actually get that I need to know.

I know where in a phone to find the relevant settings.

It would take too long to explain why I need this option, except that it's for the usual reasons (easily found on the web), plus extra ones in my case.   

I've no wish to get into PMs on this topic - I'd rather discuss it where it might also help others (and where it's easier to know who's responding to what).  And I should think Three's tech team have the comms expertise to understand & answer the question without needing an individual's account details.       

I've never had or used a smartphone, but it was organising a new phone for my husband (as family tech person) that raised this issue.  While looking in the Three online shop for the simpler type of phone he wanted, I also noticed that PAYG Wifi smartphones have got more affordable, meaning I can buy a smartphone at last.

While also catching up a bit on phone technology, I learned that we're among the people who need to restrict the signal to 2G when at home, and that all smartphones are capable of this.  The phone meeting his requirements (a Doro) didn't seem like a smartphone (despite the heading on the website), but it is a 3G phone, so when looking through its spec & manual it was good to find it has a GSM-only toggle.  So we bought it (online, as we can't easily reach a physical Three shop).

However, once we'd set it up and could see the settings, the GSM-only one was missing.
I asked about it in the Three forum, & asked Doro by email.  Meanwhile, a web search found other instances where this option had been removed by the mobile network.  (Please say if you'd like links to some).  Though it affected a variety of handsets, it might help to know that the carrier seemed to be O2 in every case (we're both O2 customers merged into Three).  (We had later confirmation from Doro that our network provider would be be able to help).

Three's solution, eventually, was for him to ring Three's Customer Services and have his phone's internet turned off at their end.  Luckily, that was ok as far as he was concerned.

But after that experience, I don't feel I can choose my smartphone until I know which types/models sold by Three will be as specified (rather than a pig in a poke).

Can anyone tell me how to ascertain this? Or tell me which section of Three's organisation to ask?

(Any input by fellow customers also welcome, of course - seeing the wood for the trees is sometimes easier for an outsider!).

[Fiona_R]

Hi Chrysanth, can you provide me a list of the phones you had an interest in purchasing? I'll need to then follow up with our devices team who may need to look into this in more detail with the manufacturer. If you had two or three phones in mind that would be great and we'll get more info then.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Fiona - I am doing as you suggest (it's just that it's taking a while!).

Seems the Doro was an exception; having consulted about 20 user manuals so far, none of them say what the network service options are (only where to find them in the phone).

I currently have a  'short' list of 14 at the moment, but will hopefully narrow it down on size, reviews etc! 

[Anonymous]

No worries, let me know if you need a hand with anything 🙂

[Anonymous]

Right.  I've only managed to got it down to 6 (via about 22!), but can't spend any more time on it without knowing which ones I'll be able to get the 2G-only on.  (Though hopefully it still won't be a time-consuming job for the tech people).     

HTC Desire 620

Huawei Ascend G620S

Motorola Moto E 2nd gen

Motorola Moto G

Samsung Galaxy A3

Sony Xperia E4g

Thanks.

Also wondered - if I wanted a phone Three doesn't stock, and bought a Three PAYG SIM for it, would the procedure be any different from this (re checking whether I'd get a 2G-only option)? 

[Anonymous]

In cae of any confusion, it's the 3rd Gen motorola Moto G I meant (the Edit button's vanishing at the moment).

[Three_Linda]

Thanks Chrysanth for getting back to us. Check out this website http://bit.ly/1b0kJFZ and it will give you all the info you need about the phones.  If the phone is set up for 3G, 2G will also work on it. 

If you buy a phone sim free, we can give you our internet settings to put into the phone. We just can't guarantee that it will work. Thanks, Linda. 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Linda, but I already knew that all the phones will work in 2G (and devicesspecifications.com confirms this, by listing plenty of GSM frequencies for every phone, whether 3G- or 4G-enabled).

I've just spent 2 weeks of my spare time on the research needed to get the list reasonably short so that Fiona can get Three's Devices team to answer my question for each phone.

And no, GSMArena (though a very useful resource) does not give me all the info I need.  It can't.  Only Three can tell me which of the phones they sell will have the GSM-only toggle when on the Three network.  Hence this topic.

I don't know how much the Mods here liaise with each other, but is there some way of referring this back to Fiona?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Hi Chrysanth, Fiona will be back in the office on Thursday. I can get her to take a look into it then for you if you'd like? Sophie

[Anonymous]

Thanks Sophie, but I really don't want yet another wait.  Could you or another Mod do it now instead (contact the devices team, as in Fiona's suggestion above)?  Perhaps just send them a link to this topic, to save having to describe it yourself? 

I decided back in early August to buy a smartphone, on seeing them in Three's online shop.  It's been 5 weeks since that got thrown up in the air, when the problem of the missing GSM-only setting came to light.

I just want to find out whether or not there are any Three phones I can use, so I can move on accordingly.