I'm in a 3G market but I only can connect to Edge

[docprego]

I live just outside of Las Vegas and was actually pleased that I had Edge coverage at my house-I thought I would have no service. My plan was to use Wifi at home, thinking I would have no service and 3G at work. I figured where I work which is actually in Vegas would definitely have 3G. At work today I saw the 3G symbol once for literally a second. T-Mobile's coverage map says my work address is 3G. Why cannot I not connect to 3G at all? This could be a deal breaker for me.

[l0ltn]

Make sure your 3G is turned on and that you have a 3G sim card. Sorry to hear about the problem and i hope this help somehow.

[docprego]

You can't really turn 3G on or off, the phone connects automatically to the best signal. I do have the option for slecting 2G only off. I called T-mobile and they were at a loss. So I called a local store near my workplace and they told me it is because where there store and my workplace is, is considered to be on the fringe of the 3G coverage. So they said this was not surprising. Now I know it is not my phone, the question becomes: do I keep the phone anyway?

Fairly disappointed with this situation as I absolutely adore the phone.

[the_master]

i have the same problem as well. im on the phone with t-mobile now and im asking them why i dont have 3g. that's kinda messed up if the map says i have 3g yet i dont really. that could have been the reason someone bought the phone in the first place, and then to find out that they don't realy have 3g, oh man i'd be pissed.

edit: i called twice and they both said i should definatly have 3g and asked me if there was another number they could call so that i can turn off and on my phone, both times i was hung up on at that point...

[jrokwitdacapitals18]

IMO edge is just as good as 3g . But I havnt tried 3g yet bc we don't have it in md . O but I did get 3g for a second at a gas station weird . But edge is fast as hell for me.

[docprego]

Time for an update after living with the phone for the last 24 hours. Indeed there is NO 3G coverage near my workplace or for what seems like a solid mile radius around it. The T-Mobile 3G coverage map shows a strong 3G signal, but in reality it just isnt true. 3g is one of the reasons I was interested in the G1.

However I have found that Edge is really usable. It is a lot faster than I imagined it would be. I ran a speed test at DSLreports and got 167kbps, not awful. While out and about today I finally saw my phone change over from E to 3G. I gave it a good workout in this 3G area. DSLreports indicated my 3G speed in this location was 457kbps. So this was 3x faster than all my previous Edge experience, but it turns out that I don't feel it is a deal breaker at this point. In retrospect I enjoyed using the phone just as much regardless of the network it was connected to. I am in no way trying to say that Edge is as fast as 3G, this is simply not the case. But as far as using and enjoying the phone, it is not the end of the world.

I will be keeping my G1, it is so much fun to use I cannot even believe it. Having been an avid iPhone user I thought I had found my phone. The G1 is better in almost every sense, well excpet for 3G coverage. :-)

[El Daddy]

I live just outside of Las Vegas and was actually pleased that I had Edge coverage at my house-I thought I would have no service. My plan was to use Wifi at home, thinking I would have no service and 3G at work. I figured where I work which is actually in Vegas would definitely have 3G. At work today I saw the 3G symbol once for literally a second. T-Mobile's coverage map says my work address is 3G. Why cannot I not connect to 3G at all? This could be a deal breaker for me.

I had an old SIM card (7 years old) and couldn't get 3G either, I called customer service and told them the problem. I had a new card laying around and they activated that one for me. Turned the phone back on and I had 3G! The lady I talked to said some of the old SIM cards don't receive the 3G signal. You may want to give them a call.

[K.Krstnsn]

My house is on the fringe of the 3g coverage here in the Seattle market. So it switches all the time for me. but when i get deeper into the coverage its strong.

I do have a super old sim card. Im pretty sure its my original from like 02 or 03.

I have no complaints about the 3G. the edge on this seems to be faster then on my BB.

[docprego]

I had an old SIM card (7 years old) and couldn't get 3G either, I called customer service and told them the problem. I had a new card laying around and they activated that one for me. Turned the phone back on and I had 3G! The lady I talked to said some of the old SIM cards don't receive the 3G signal. You may want to give them a call.
Thanks but I am a brand new T-Mobile customer so the SIM must be brand new.