GSM Compatibility - Australia

[Spinner912]

M5 E5663 SIM 2 defaults to GSM, and a search of Network Providers shows No Network Available.

Does this model default to GSM 2 or 2,5?  If so, SIM 2 will be forever unusable because GSM 2G or 2.5G has been turned OFF nationally and permanently.

Can the system selection for 3G be configured to default to UMTS 3G, 3.5G, 3.5G (4G speed)?

[Uliwooly]

@Spinner912

That's a great question, I'll escalate this 

E5653

GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 

LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 28(700), 40(2300)

[CameronT · Accepted solution]

Hi @Spinner912,

I represent Sony Mobile Oceania so I can answer this. The second SIM does need 2G in order to function correctly. With the networks in Australia closing the 2G network, most dual SIM phones will only work with single SIM functionality.

I think Vodafone and Optus still have their 2G running in some places, but they are due to turn off by August I believe.

There is no update that can be applied to the handset to make it compatible or have one run on 4G and the other on 3G. Because of this closure Sony Mobile Australia hasn't sold a dual SIM device in Australia (including the M5 Dual) for quite some time, so please keep this in mind if you plan to import a dual SIM handset.

Based on the information I have available to me the Xperia XZ Dual does support running the 2nd SIM off 3G while SIM1 can be on 4G, but there's currently no plans to release this device for the Australian market just yet, so again, if you choose to import please be aware that we can't guarantee functionality.

[Spinner912]

Hi Cameron

Just a further thought on this topic.

Does this mean that on the M5 at last, LTE applies strictly to 4G (data in the vast majority of cases in Australia with only a few VoLTE sites) and WCDA (UMTS) applies strictly to 3G?

As I understand it, "GSM" on the M5 is always 2G.

Is it possible to operate to select WCDMA only on SIM 1 and LTE only on SIM 2?  If so, how would one go about configuring the device for that situation?

[CameronT]

@Spinner912,

You can not do this on the M5, no.

GSM will always be 2G, WCDMA will always be 3G and LTE will always be 4G. It is just different names for the same thing.

Again, the only device currently that I am aware of that can have SIM1 on 4G and SIM2 on 3G is the Xperia XZ Dual, but I cannot guarantee its functionality in Australia.