Acer Liquid and Bell Canada

[Guest linuxluver]

I just purchased one of these devices yesterday, with the assurance that it operates with Bell Canada's network.

Where was the phone sources from? If you bought it new, where did THEY get it? It it's a European / UK phone, then you've got yourself a phone that will do quad-band GSM (phone, txt and 2G data) on the four GSM frequencies. Bell Canada is a long time CDMA phone network, so your GSM Acer Liquid won't be talking to Bell on the old frequencies.

So what about the new, 3G frequencies? Bell seem to be operating an HSPA "3.5G" network on 850 and 1900. If you have a UK phone, then maybe you can talk to Bell's network where they have HSPA 1900 coverage.....Good luck with that. Bell DO NOT have a "legacy" GSM network underlying their new 3G network....so if you're going to talk to them AT ALL it will be on the new frequencies only.......

Rogers and Telus appear to operate GSM networks and may be your best candidates for coverage if you have a European Liquid.

Just to make it confusing for you, telcos are "re-farming" their old GSM (2G) frequencies, converting them over for use with new 3G tech. So the numbers are the same, but the technology transmitting and receiving on them isnt.

Rule of thumb: quad-band GSM is always "2G" and it's old tech. NOT 3G. but quad-band GSM is the lowest common denominator among GSM carriers, so when roaming you can make calls, send txts...and do data at dial-up modem speeds.

After getting a SIM card and installing...and waiting 24 hours...I still have no service. I took the phone into Bell and ran the IMEI number, which says the device is not compatible. Interestingly, under preferred networks, all that shows up is ROGERS.

...then that is all your phone can see where you live: Rogers. Where are you in Canada (generally)?

Is the phone truly unlocked, and if not, how can I restored it completely to factory condition...including the removal of root. Please be gentle, I'm a rookie here.

The phone is most likely unlocked simply because it isn't being sold by many telcos. It's being sold, full-price, through channels. There is no carrier to lock it TO. The phone needs to be unlocked so people can buy it and use it with their carriers. The problem is it may not support frequency bands used by Bell where you live.

I'm from Sarnia, Ontario (originally) and I've been trying to get my head around what frequencies and technologies are used by whom.....and it breaks down this way:

Bell Canada - CDMA

Rogers and Telus - GSM

Over the top of that, likea new coat of paint, is the new WCDMA/UMTS/HSPA/HSDPA (all different flavours of W-CDMA) frequencies and technologies that represent the new technology all carriers are moving to.

Bell and Telus share an HSPA+ network on the UMTS 850/1900 Mhz frequencies.

The European Acer Liquid does this:

2G Network GSM=old tech 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

3G Network HSDPA=new tech 900 / 1900 / 2100

Announced 2009, October

Status Available. Released 2009, December

So your only window for HSPA+ with Bell or Telus using the Acer Liquid is UMTS 1900....and if you don't have UMTS 1900 coverage in your area, you won't be talking to their network.

To be honest, Canadian telcos are awful for crappy deals, price-fixing on phones and just being generally arrogant and appalling. You have my sympathy. The only country that has it worse is the US.

Outside North America, most carriers offer at least UMTS 2100...with 900 or 850 being used for wide-area coverage. In North America, carriers are tending to create frequeny islands, so phones on one network won't work on another.....even if they are unlocked. They don't speeka da lingo. So AT&T GSM / UMTS phones aren't fully functional on GSM/UMTS T-Mobile (same 2G tech, but different 3G frequencies)...and Verizon use CDMA so the GSM phones can't talk to them at all...and vice versa.

(I can't believe I just spent an hour and half researching, finding the same stuff the OP should have researched before posting here).

Edited March 11, 2010 by linuxluver

[Guest linuxluver]

I have received many reply from the seller that it won't work with Bell Canada, this is confusing me still. By the looks of it, there really is a Euro and a US version difference.

Anyone have any say on this?

Morris Lee

US / Canadian version doesn't appear to be available yet....so the OP's phone is probably originally from Europe or Asia.

We may never know.

[Guest JackTheMan18]

US / Canadian version doesn't appear to be available yet....so the OP's phone is probably originally from Europe or Asia.

We may never know.

I currently use a European version of the liquid on the Rogers/Fido network in the GTA.

No issues with phone coverage.

No issues with 3G/H data coverage.

I have set the Radio Band to the "USA" setting, which I presume is 1900.

I understand that Rogers/Fido don't have coverage everywhere on this band, but here I have no issues.

[Guest Morris Lee]

Thanks JackTheMan18, it appears that I might be able to get a sample of the Liquid E soon(free), and the product manager told me that it is designed for the rogers network and it will work with my Bell Canada without a problem as it is also a unlocked phone. I will be writing up a review for it if I do, and I will let you guys know about it!