Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 In Thailand.

[Always18]

Hi all - just a quick "heads-up" to anyone considering buying the new Samsung Galaxy tab 7.7 device (or similar).

I've been waiting for some time for this device to become available over here but yesterday when I tried to order one from the very helpful guys at Invadeit, I was asked which frequency I intended to use it on - i.e. either 850MHz (DTAC/TRUE) or 900MHz (AIS) as the Thai version has been deliberately "crippled" to only work on one or other of those two frequencies, and is therefore pretty useless for international travel.

The Samsung website clearly shows the 7.7 as having "Quad band radios 2G network GSM 850/900/1800/1900 and 3G network HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100" but, in fact, the only version which has ALL of those frequencies available and activated is the "Global" or "International" model which I believe is currently only available in the UK and maybe other parts of Europe.

It seems this policy is not restricted to just the 7.7 so be aware if you are thinking of buying a tablet device which also has phone calling cababilities and, like me, you are an "international" kind of person who likes to take his electronic toys around with him!

[thaicbr]

it's probably similar to the Samsung S phone model.. easy to fix if so..google it.

[ThaiLife]

When I looked at a Samsung 10.1 , in the Samsung shop I asked about the 3G frequencies - 850MHz DTAC/TRUE / CAT - 900MHz AIS

the sales girl just said I had to choose one frequency only , I said I'm sure I had seen a 10.1 tab with both 850Mhz and 900Mhz combined , I did not take it any further . The glossy brochure shows 900/1900/2100

[lomatopo]

Ouch, I just had a mini-stroke. I bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1/16 GB/WiFi+3G yesterday, as a birthday present for someone who uses DTAC 3G. I assumed the unit was quad-band 3G (850/900/1900/2100) as any specs I've seen here show it as such, so didn't even look at the box or ask about this in the shop.

The model number of my unit is GT-P7500UWGTHL. Any GT-P7500 spec. list shows quad-band 3G. The W is presumably for the color white, THL for Thailand as the box and docs. have some Thai language. On the box it says: HSPA+: HSDPA 21 Mbps / HSUPA 5.76 Mbps (900/1900/2100 Mhz). No mention of 850 Mhz, much to my chagrin.

Anyway, I just popped in my DTAC/Happy SIM, re-started the Tab, turned off WiFi, and it shows 3G/H+, speedtest to 7 Mbps/1.7 Mbps (better than my phone). So my unit supports 850 Mhz 3G, even though the box, and even the Samsung Thailand's website say it doesn't!. (I have an AIS SIM, but not with me at present, so will verify it works with 900 Mhz.)

I'm not sure what to say? This may be similar to the SGS2 versions: I9100 and I9100T, which appeared to be 900 Mhz or 850 Mhz, and were sold separately by AIS and DTAC, but were in fact quad-band. It's one thing to actually limit functionality with software and/or hardware, and another to have separate model numbers/packages for service providers.

It would be nice to the get the two different model numbers, if in fact they are different, from invadeIT. I looked at a GT-P6800 (7.7/16) unit, out of the box, yesterday at MBK but did not think about looking at the exact, full model number, or even ask if it might be tri-band only.

My best guess at this point is that the 7.7 is quad-band. I can check on this later this week.

FWIW, the Samsung Galaxy S was tri-band: 900/1900/2100 and could not be "fixed" as it had hardware which only supported those frequencies.

Edited February 12, 2012 by lomatopo

[thaicbr]

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s/258859-how-enable-850mhz-3g-network-frequency-your-samsung-i9000-galaxy-s.html

Here are instructions to enable 850 3g on the S

[lomatopo]

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s/258859-how-enable-850mhz-3g-network-frequency-your-samsung-i9000-galaxy-s.html

Here are instructions to enable 850 3g on the S

Doesn't work, of course.

The i9000 (SGS1) only has 900 Mhz PAM and SAW filters (hardware), the i897 (Captivate) has 850 Mhz PAM and SAW filters.

Yes, you can enter the service menu, and yes, you can select 850 Mhz, but it doesn't work. End of story.

[wana]

http://androidforums...0-galaxy-s.html

Here are instructions to enable 850 3g on the S

Doesn't work, of course.

The i9000 (SGS1) only has 900 Mhz PAM and SAW filters (hardware), the i897 (Captivate) has 850 Mhz PAM and SAW filters.

Yes, you can enter the service menu, and yes, you can select 850 Mhz, but it doesn't work. End of story.

the SGS2 can do it without any trouble

true 3g works on the ais model and vice versa

i have no idea why they pretend they are both differnt phones with difernt capabilities because we tested them and they are both fully enabled

[Always18]

My best guess at this point is that the 7.7 is quad-band. I can check on this later this week.

.

I would be very interested to hear your result - please do report it on this thread as it would certainly save me having to import one from the UK, but, as I said, Invadeit seemed quite certain that these Thai versions of the P6800 (full model numbers unknown) are strictly single band, either 850 or 900.

[thaicbr]

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s/258859-how-enable-850mhz-3g-network-frequency-your-samsung-i9000-galaxy-s.html

Here are instructions to enable 850 3g on the S

Doesn't work, of course.

The i9000 (SGS1) only has 900 Mhz PAM and SAW filters (hardware), the i897 (Captivate) has 850 Mhz PAM and SAW filters.

Yes, you can enter the service menu, and yes, you can select 850 Mhz, but it doesn't work. End of story.

umm strange that so many people say it does work. I do remember that some had to reflash the modem driver to do it. never tried it my self on the S. only the SL and it didn't work on that but again some one. in south America. did it ok after changing the modem.

[lomatopo]

umm strange that so many people say it does work. I do remember that some had to reflash the modem driver to do it. never tried it my self on the S. only the SL and it didn't work on that but again some one. in south America. did it ok after changing the modem.

Umm, not so strange, read through all the threads and you'll see that no one has been able to do this as it is impossible.

Back on topic...I spoke with the guy who sold me the Tab 10.1, he sells quite few of these each day, and now more 8.9s and just getting the 7.7s. He categorically confirms that all 10.1/8.9/7.7 units are unlocked, uncrippled and quad-band 3G capable. Evidently retail packaging is customized for different distribution channels, many with direct and indirect tie-ins with service providers. This may be a somewhat deliberate obfuscation meant to steer retail sales towards a certain channel and/or service provider. It's weird they don't try this with the iStuff, but maybe Apple forbids it?

I still haven't tried an AIS SIM in the Tab 10.1, I will do this tomorrow and follow up, although I have no doubt it will work.

I did try another DTAC 3G SIM, and a TrueMove H SIM in the Tab 10.1 and they all worked on 3G, so this supposedly 900/1900/2100 Mhz 3G only unit obviously supports 850 Mhz.

Edited February 13, 2012 by lomatopo

[lomatopo]

Here's a photo of the Tab 10.1 box:

[Sam Drucker]

Here's a photo of the Tab 10.1 box:

Where did this box come from? It doesn't seem to be the same as the one you spoke of in Post #4, cause this one shows 850 MHz.

[lomatopo]

Here's a photo of the Tab 10.1 box:

Where did this box come from? It doesn't seem to be the same as the one you spoke of in Post #4, cause this one shows 850 MHz.

You may be getting confused between HSPA+ (aka: 3G) and GPRS/EDGE (aka; 2G, GSM data).

[Sam Drucker]

umm strange that so many people say it does work. I do remember that some had to reflash the modem driver to do it. never tried it my self on the S. only the SL and it didn't work on that but again some one. in south America. did it ok after changing the modem.

Umm, not so strange, read through all the threads and you'll see that no one has been able to do this as it is impossible.

Back on topic...I spoke with the guy who sold me the Tab 10.1, he sells quite few of these each day, and now more 8.9s and just getting the 7.7s. He categorically confirms that all 10.1/8.9/7.7 units are unlocked, uncrippled and quad-band 3G capable. Evidently retail packaging is customized for different distribution channels, many with direct and indirect tie-ins with service providers. This may be a somewhat deliberate obfuscation meant to steer retail sales towards a certain channel and/or service provider. It's weird they don't try this with the iStuff, but maybe Apple forbids it?

I still haven't tried an AIS SIM in the Tab 10.1, I will do this tomorrow and follow up, although I have no doubt it will work.

I did try another DTAC 3G SIM, and a TrueMove H SIM in the Tab 10.1 and they all worked on 3G, so this supposedly 900/1900/2100 Mhz 3G only unit obviously supports 850 Mhz.

Yeah, AIS and Samsung are doing a little obfusifying in this laminated brochure for the Galaxy Note. What exactly does "Optimized for 900/2100" mean??

[Sam Drucker]

Here's a photo of the Tab 10.1 box:

Where did this box come from? It doesn't seem to be the same as the one you spoke of in Post #4, cause this one shows 850 MHz.

You may be getting confused between HSPA+ (aka: 3G) and GPRS/EDGE (aka; 2G, GSM data).

Ahh, yes. My mistook!

So for HSPA+/CDMA (which all = a flavor of 3G High Speed Data) What are the ideal frequencies? Obviously 850 (DTAC/True) and 900 (AIS). In my own case, 1900 would get me onto AT&T when I go to the States. What about 2100? I've heard talk of that being used in Thailand in the future. What will that do (differently from 850/900?) Is that a frequency that would be desirable to have now (for extending the product life into the future?)

[lomatopo]

What exactly does "Optimized for 900/2100" mean??

It means, "buy from us."

I have seen photos (on Thai forums) of a Tab 10.1 retail box branded by AIS - GSM Advance - One-2-Call (all AIS brands), but my box did not carry any discernible service provider branding. Maybe that gets added via extra sticky labels?

So for HSPA+/CDMA (which all = a flavor of 3G High Speed Data) What are the ideal frequencies? Obviously 850 (DTAC/True) and 900 (AIS). In my own case, 1900 would get me onto AT&T when I go to the States. What about 2100? I've heard talk of that being used in Thailand in the future. What will that do (differently from 850/900?) Is that a frequency that would be desirable to have now (for extending the product life into the future?)

AT&T operates 3G in the U.S. on both 850 Mhz and 1900 Mhz, in different areas. So in some areas it is 1900 and in others it is 850.

Supposedly Thailand will auction 2100 Mhz in the future, so having 2100 might be a good idea. TOT has a rapidly expanding national 3G network NOW operating on 2100 Mhz. There are some differences as the frequency changes but these have more to do with network coverage/reach vs. capacity/load, rather than being more or less desirable.

The ideal frequencies would be 850/900/1900/2100 Mhz for 3G. I don't think you need 1700 unless you must use T-Mobile 3G in the U.S.

[lomatopo]

(I have an AIS SIM, but not with me at present, so will verify it works with 900 Mhz.)

Following up: Using a One-2-Call (AIS) SIM (in a phone) I subscribed to a 49 baht daily unlimited data (3G) plan, and then inserted it into the Tab 10.1. After pwoering up it took ~ 60 seconds to get the APN automatically configured and I was showing H+, so the unit supports 900 Mhz 3G, in addition to 850 Mhz 3G.

[sfokevin]

Curious... How much is the new 7.7?

[Sam Drucker]

16 GB 7.7 with 3G & WiFi is generally selling for 19,900 baht around Thailand.

[lomatopo]

^ Yes, I think the MSRP is 19,900.

Some recent pricing history here:

http://www.thaimobilecenter.com/spec/Samsung_Galaxy_Tab_7-7_16GB.asp

It's so new, and supplies are somewhat limited, so not too much discounting, maybe 19,500 for now?

[kbear]

Optimised for 900/2100 means that the antenna has been optimised for those bands. I asked a guy at the Samsung Thailand regional office about the SII's 3G compatibility. He said the hardware allows quadband. In Thailand the antenna is simply optimised to specific bands. Indeed, my SII bought from True (850 mHz) also works on AIS's 900mHz band. Reception in the suburbs on 900mHz seems to be roughly 70% compared to 850 mHz (wildly guessing of course). Downtown I can't tell any difference. So at least the SII and newer phones have the hardware for 3G quadband.

About pricing on the Tab 7.7, I've seen it as low as Bt 18,590 at Mira Computer's (?) website. They seem far out of the way but at least it's a good benchmark for negotiating at MBK.

Edited February 23, 2012 by kbear

[lomatopo]

Optimised for 900/2100 means that the antenna has been optimised for those bands.

Can you provide any other supporting evidence, other than the "guy at Samsung"? Your explanation would require separate model and part numbers with different physical characteristics, and this would be the first I've ever heard about such a thing on the SGS2. Not saying it's not accurate but I'd love to hear more about it.

I did find this article mentioning that Telstra (Australia) asked Samsung to fine-tune the SGS2 antenna for 850 Mhz. I assume this is done in firmware, rather than different hardware?

For example, the better sensitivity to the 850MHz band was achieved by asking Samsung to tune the calibration of the Galaxy S II’s antenna, “based on Telstra’s test results”.

It is hard to compare coverage, reach, capacity across different network topologies but in theory 850 should have broader coverage, more reach than 900 but less capacity.

Tab 7.7 pricing does seem down to new lows this week, I got a quote for 18,600 today (via an SMS request) from a shop in MBK.

Edited February 23, 2012 by lomatopo

[kbear]

Optimised for 900/2100 means that the antenna has been optimised for those bands.

Can you provide any other supporting evidence, ...

No, but you can go to their corporate office at Empire Tower and talk to them yourself. I happen to work in the same building. From what I understand, optimisation is done physically in the antenna, not in firmware.

Just picked up the Tab 7.7 at AMP Mobile shop at MBK, just next to the 3F entrance to Tokyu. Bt 17,900 without even bargaining (although they wouldn't go lower than that). Most everyone else was 18.5k.

[lomatopo]

Optimised for 900/2100 means that the antenna has been optimised for those bands.

Can you provide any other supporting evidence, ...

No, but you can go to their corporate office at Empire Tower and talk to them yourself. I happen to work in the same building. From what I understand, optimisation is done physically in the antenna, not in firmware.

Just picked up the Tab 7.7 at AMP Mobile shop at MBK, just next to the 3F entrance to Tokyu. Bt 17,900 without even bargaining (although they wouldn't go lower than that). Most everyone else was 18.5k.

OK, I seriously doubt that these SGS2 units have different physical antennas, so will chalk that one up to one guy maybe misunderstanding another one.

Hmmm, now I think I understand the two different SGS2 model numbers: i9100 and i9100T, The "T" may refer to Telstra, and it is supposed to be tuned for 850 Mhz, with a custom firmware modem.

I have a i9100, which works quite well with DTAC/Happy: 7.457/1.328 on 850 Mhz. But it rarely goes above 1 Mbps on AIS.

And are you suggesting that other Samsung products like your new Tab 7.7 is similarly optimized? Are you seeing different model numbers?

Anyway, interesting to see the price drops on the 7.7, believe that AMP shop is on floor 4.

Edited February 23, 2012 by lomatopo

[kbear]

Optimised for 900/2100 means that the antenna has been optimised for those bands.

Can you provide any other supporting evidence, ...

No, but you can go to their corporate office at Empire Tower and talk to them yourself. I happen to work in the same building. From what I understand, optimisation is done physically in the antenna, not in firmware.

Just picked up the Tab 7.7 at AMP Mobile shop at MBK, just next to the 3F entrance to Tokyu. Bt 17,900 without even bargaining (although they wouldn't go lower than that). Most everyone else was 18.5k.

OK, I seriously doubt that these SGS2 units have different physical antennas, so will chalk that one up to one guy maybe misunderstanding another one.

Hmmm, now I think I understand the two different SGS2 model numbers: i9100 and i9100T, The "T" may refer to Telstra, and it is supposed to be tuned for 850 Mhz, with a custom firmware modem.

I have a i9100, which works quite well with DTAC/Happy: 7.457/1.328 on 850 Mhz. But it rarely goes above 1 Mbps on AIS.

And are you suggesting that other Samsung products like your new Tab 7.7 is similarly optimized? Are you seeing different model numbers?

Anyway, interesting to see the price drops on the 7.7, believe that AMP shop is on floor 4.

You're free to think what you want, but it's generally a bad idea to discredit someone when you yourself are speculating. As I mentioned before, I suggest you do your own research. But since I'm such a nice guy, I'll give you a good start (cannot post links so remove the dashes in 'p-d-f'):

www.intechopen.com/source/pdfs/24907/InTech-Multiband_and_wideband_antennas_for_mobile_communication_systems.p-d-f

I have the i9100T. Thought the T was for Thailand. Might instead stand for True. Who knows?

I'm not suggesting other Samsung products are optimised to a specific band, but that they are capable of all four bands (at least the newer ones). SII's sold by the different carriers have been optimised as such, but I haven't seen any Tab 7.7s optimised for a specific band.

You're probably right about the AMP store. Their name card shows shop# 4AB136, so must be 4F. Anyway, it's on the floor that consists almost entirely of mobile shops.

Edited February 23, 2012 by kbear

[Sam Drucker]

Regarding price drops, I just saw a poster today in Khon Kaen advertising the Galaxy Tab 8.9 at 13,900 baht (฿ 4,000 below list price). It's a promotion on March 3 & 4 at Tukcom here.

[lomatopo]

The lowest price AMP and other shops in MBK would offer (25Feb12) on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7/16 was 18,300. I re-re--confirmed that there is only one model number/version, it is quad-band 3G, is un-locked, it is not crippled or de-rated in any way and is not tuned for any specific network or frequency(ies).

Regarding the Samsung Galaxy SII model numbers, a lengthy review of available end-user information, mostly from Australian forums, the general consensus is:

the I9100T model was created for Telestra, supposedly tuned for their 850 Mhz 3G network.

the i9100T tuning was achieved through the use of a different modem firmware package, although one person did mention he found a bypass filter added in his phone.

The stock i9100 outperformed the i9100T even on Telus' 3G network.

Here in Thailand the i9100T and i9100 did ship with different modems: i9100T has DCKxx modems and i9100 has DXKxx modems . I have access to two (2) i9100 versions (DXKL1 modems), one running on TrueMove H and one on DTAC, both perform well with 9/2 Mbps speeds, If buying I would buy an i9100, just to be safe.

I assume Samsung Thailand offered DTAC and/or True the i9100T option, and allowed them to choose whether they wanted to sell it, and/or position it as "optimized for their network"?

The modem can make all the difference IME, I have an i897, which is an i9000 (SGS1) variant. If I use an i897 modem my speed is limited as HSUPA (yes, this affects download speed) is not enabled. If I use an i9000 modem, and I do, my speeds are unlimited up the what my HW allows, 7.2. Mbps.

Edited February 26, 2012 by lomatopo

[lomatopo]

The stock i9100 outperformed the i9100T even on Telus' 'Telstra" 3G network.

Senior moment,