Fairphone1 in America

Hey. Has someone ever used the Fairphone1 in America? I know that the Fairphone1 is made for Europe, but I am in Canada now and would like to use the phone here as well. I bought a SIM card but it does not connect to local network (neither mobile nor internet).

Here’s a nice database for a start … https://willmyphonework.net/ .

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I hope my memory doesn’t play tricks with me here, but as far as I remember, 3G isn’t activated by default on the FP1, so you need to activate it manually in the settings.

Hi @jago, I have been to the US and Canada with my FP1 (back in 2014 and 2015) and it worked, but only on 2G. There was no carrier offering compatible 3G bands. So, data connections were always (very) slow but still sufficient for messengers like signal, threema etc. And in (bigger) cities, you’ll find free wifis almost everywhere (I always used these times to check/answer my e-mails and to surf on the internet). Enjoy your time over there! :slight_smile:

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Thank you @Juli_R . Unfortunately the provider in Canada and the USA are cutting down 2G networks since you have been there. This means, that there is nearly no 2G left and the Fairphone1 can not use mobile network in North America. Hope this helps people who are planning trips to North America.

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Thank you for your feedback @jago. This is very unfortunate. :frowning: I do remember that they already started cutting down 2G networks back then. Did you have a look at the website @AnotherElk mentioned? Is this website up to date? :thinking:

Edit: I just see you are talking about Canada, while my post is about the USA. I’m sorry for the confusion.

Another edit: For Canada, take a look at the Wikipedia page of Rogers. I do not know whether it is up to date, but the information (2G until 2020) seems credible.

Original post about USA:
T-Mobile is reported to have a working 2G network in some topics on the FP2. The relevant frequency band, 1900MHz GSM, is also supported by the Fairphone 1.

See also T-Mobile US - Wikipedia, “Currently retaining 2G service for M2M customers and international roaming.” Apparently T-Mobile sees a market for roaming, being the only one who still have a network that is almost universally supported by foreign telephones. (AT&T also caters this market, but it supports only the FP2, not the FP1…)

Verizon’s is also still online but it is incompatible as it is a CDMA network, not a GSM network.

Thanks for mentioning @Juli_R . The website @AnotherElk posted is up to date and gives me the right result. Unfortunately, I already bought a SIM card because I didn’t expect the Fairphone1 not to work. So thank you @AnotherElk. Everyone should check out this website before travelling. Nevertheless, there are many Wifi networks around, so no need to put the Fairphone1 aside.

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