How to know that i have bsnl 3g sim

[rajujayaraman]

Hi, Thanks for citrus and itzm. Please clarify, why GPRS is to be activated to get the 3g connection. Now i lost the cell broadcast information of my nearest cell tower on moving. Does that stop, while upgrading to 3g.
Hi citrus,
Is there any way, to say that I have a 3g sim? Is there any settings in android that could give or get this information

 

[itzmynet]

You dont get cell broadcast information on 3g. you will get H+ symbol on home screen only if you activate mobile data. if you switch off mobile data you will not see any symbol. but you will be still connected to 3g n/w.

go to Settings -> About phone -> Status -> SIM status
if you find HSPA under Mobile network type, you are connected to 3g n/w
if you find GSM under Mobile network type, you are connected to 2g n/w

 

[rajujayaraman]

Thanks . I get HSPA+ or Hsupa, changing frequently. That means I am connected to 3g. I am asking how to know that I have 3g simcard.

 

[rajujayaraman]

If i am connecting thro Wifi, would that also get that h symbo or would that be shown in device status . Please say why GPRS to be activated to get 3g

 

[Citrus]

There are no 3G/2G SIM cards. Every card is 3G enabled and depending on the coverage will show 2G or 3G on your phone. Even if you are connected via WiFi, you'll get the 3G symbol.

You don't have to activate GPRS to use 3G. You however have to enable cellular data (it may be mentioned in your phone as GPRS) to use 3G. In the above image, if I chose GSM, I'd be on a 2G (GPRS) connection. WCDMA would be 3G connection.

 

[itzmynet]

you will get H/H+ symbol only if you switch on mobile data. but it does not mean that you need to activate mobile data to connect to 3g n/w. just switch off mobile data and go to settings you will see that you are still connected to HSPA n/w.

you only need to activate mobile data if you require access to internet

 

[rajujayaraman]

Hi, Thanks for the wealth of informations. Itmz, you are correct, when connected with wifi, it does not show H+ symbol.I could as well , would have activated 3g without getting a new card, from what citrus is telling. I was having cut microsim 2g, and would have migrated to 3g. But I still have doubt , whether a 2g bought sim, would support what the 3g sim . I do not know, why when asking to upgrade to 3g, they could as well advise that there is no need to buy a new sim. Is it not?
Moreover, i was told to activate GPRS by sending START TO 1925, Which i did to get 3g activated.

 

[itzmynet]

Bsnl started giving both 3g & 2g compatible sims from last 3 years. before that they used to give '2g only' sims if you did not subscribe to 3g plan. so only if you have old '2g only' sim you need to get new 3g/2g sim. if you have bought the sim in the past 3 years, it is already 3g compatible and you don't require a new sim

 

[rajujayaraman]

It is also a peculiar thing to inform that when i tilt or change the direction of my phone to different dierections from the same place, there is fluctuations in signal bars. When i position to the cell tower direction , it goes full bars and by changing it fluctuates between 2 and 3. So , it is to be noted that you have to go to the open place to get full signal. Am i correct?

 

[rajujayaraman]

Hi, Itmz, I bought the sim long back. So, what i have done is a correct measure from what you are saying. So, older 2g sims , need to be replaced with compatible 3/2g sims to get better data speed. Thanks for that information also. I was having problem both in phone and net connectivity and then only surfed thro the net to find that there is availability of new sims.

Hi, Itmz, I bought the sim long back. So, what i have done is a correct measure from what you are saying. So, older 2g sims , need to be replaced with compatible 3/2g sims to get better data speed. Thanks for that information also. I was having problem both in phone and net connectivity and then only surfed thro the net to find that there is availability of new sims.