Why You May Want To Upgrade To The Apple iPhone 5s Or 5c If You Travel Overseas

Apple iPhone 5s smartphones at the Wangfujing flagship store on September 20, 2013 in Beijing, China. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

When the iPhone 5 was released last year, I wrote about the roaming problem among competing carriers with locked handsets and different frequency configurations for each handset model. Roaming between different iPhone 5 models among U.S. carriers on LTE was impossible because of their use of different portions of the 700 MHz spectrum. At that time the FCC had 

opened a docket to force interoperability in order to foster competition and prevent manufacturers and carriers from locking customers into specific handsets that were not capable of being “ported” over to another provider.

In that article I questioned why Apple had not combined different portions of the spectrum for U.S. carriers in a single handset so consumers could purchase one phone and change service providers, rather than being locked into a carrier with an expensive phone. I suggested that the phone could be designed to accommodate multiple frequency bands and antennas in a common package so the user could have one choice that was adaptable to different providers.

Less than a year later, not surprisingly, Apple has released its latest version of the iPhone 5: the 5S and 5C, and done just that. It has combined some frequency bands in two handsets to accommodate the three primary LTE carriers in the U.S. There are actually five different versions of the iPhone 5S/5C with varying radio configurations depending on geographic region. Where you live and which phone you purchase will determine where you can roam around the world and which carriers your specific phone will operate on in the United States.

Here is what you need to understand and what is new.

Coverage differences between the iPhone 5 and 5S/5C

When I compared the iPhone 5 (and now the 5C) with the 5S, I was only concerned with the ability to roam internationally on LTE high speed data networks and the phone’s interoperability with different U.S. carriers. Processor speed, display resolution and their latest user-authentication were not relevant.

The iPhone 5 has very limited LTE frequency bands and came in three versions: one for Verizon, one forAT&T T +0.7%, and one for Sprint. T-Mobile, the real contender in the market in overseas roaming as of last week, was not even considered for the iPhone 5 when they were first released, although I found with different APN settings a Verizon unlocked phone would work to a limited extent on T-Mobile.

With the introduction of the iPhone 5S and 5C and the rapid deployment of LTE, the world has changed significantly. Selecting the correct phone will allow customers to have portability between three of the four carriers if they initially purchase the right handsets. The new iPhone 5 models also get you far better coverage in different parts of the world. Apple also added the 1700/2100 MHz and 2100 MHz bands to their newest phones. This can be quite important in certain regions and on cruise ships. There is a significant difference between the original iPhone 5 and the latest iterations. That difference, if you travel a lot overseas, might be worth the upgrade.

LTE: The 4G global standard

LTE, which stands for Long Term Evolution, is the standard that is being adopted by a majority of carriers around the world for high speed cellular data services. It is now available in more than 97 countries and venues in North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania. While scores of carriers have adopted and implemented these systems, the frequency bands differ among regions. For that reason Apple introduced the different versions of their new phones.

While there are five different variants of the new phones for the global market, the good news is that in the United States two of the models are capable of being used with multiple carriers rather than being locked into one provider for each model. If you purchase a phone from Verizon you can cover three of the four carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon). If you buy a phone and have it unlocked from T-Mobile or AT&T it will work between those two carriers, but not Verizon. Note that if you purchase phones from the Apple store directly they are all locked with the exception of the generic GSM-AT&T version.

The five different iPhone cellular radio configurations for the iPhone 5S/5C

The Apple web site lists five different versions of the 5S/5C phones together with their technical specifications but fails to identify directly which versions are for which markets. All of the models are LTE capable, but that does not mean they are system-interoperable between geographies or carriers. In the United States the four major carriers have implemented LTE to varying degrees. Each company uses different portions of the 700 MHz spectrum and other frequencies, so Apple had to create a series of phones to work on the different combination of systems and channels.

Here is the breakdown of the different models of iPhone 5S and 5C:

• A1533 GSM (AT&T and T-MOBILE): The GSM version will work on AT&T and T-Mobile. It is distinguished from the Verizon phone in that it does not contain a CDMA radio, which Verizon (and Sprint) have adopted for their voice transmission protocol. The Model A1533 GSM, which is advertised as the AT&T version, will not work for voice calls on Verizon for technical reasons, nor will Verizon let you register the AT&T/T-Mobile phone on its network because it does not have CDMA capabilities. If you purchase one of these phones for use on T-Mobile, the carrier will unlock it after you have been a customer for 40 days. AT&T will also unlock their phones.
• A1533 CDMA (VERIZON): The Verizon phone is technically the same hardware as the GSM AT&T/T-Mobile version (which is why it has the same model number) except that it does have a CDMA radio. If you compare all of the frequency bands between these two A1533 sub-models they are identical (other than CDMA). What is important for the consumer is that ALL Verizon 4G phones are now sold unlocked. This means that if you subscribe to Verizon and buy one of its phones you can move it to the other two dominant carriers and have the same functionality, so long as you update the APN information unique to each carrier, in “Settings.”
• As for Sprint, it will not allow registration on its network for other than the unique Sprint model handset. Theoretically, its phone will work on the other carriers if the cellular providers will allow you to register it, but presently they will not.
• A1453 CDMA (SPRINT): The Sprint phone is locked so it will not work with any other cellular provider, unless Sprint changes its policy about unlocking. According to the specifications the only difference between this model and the A1533 (Verizon) are the two extra frequency bands specific to Sprint.
• A1457 GSM UK and EUROPE: This version is designed for the European market and definitely will not function on LTE in North America. It should work properly on AT&T and T-Mobile 4G networks, but not on Sprint and Verizon (because it does not have CDMA capabilities).
• A1530 ASIA AND OCEANIA: This phone is specifically designed for Japan, Asia, and the Pacific Rim countries like Australia and New Zealand. It should work in Europe, and on AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States.

Roaming in different parts of the world

Both the iPhone 5C and 5S have equal roaming capabilities on 3G, 4G, and LTE systems. This was not true with the original iPhone 5, which is one reason that you may want to update your phone if you travel a lot and want ultra-fast data. The ability to roam on different data networks depends on a number of factors including frequency bands for a specific carrier and roaming agreements. LTE roaming may not be available but slower speeds might be offered. In some countries, LTE may be called 4G-LTE or 4G.

If you have an unlocked iPhone 5, 5C, or 5S then LTE roaming may be supported outside its designated country if you use a valid SIM card that is recognized by that carrier. You can identify the capabilities of your iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S or iPhone 5 by model number on the Apple web site.

To determine coverage for a geographic region, here is a link that provides the latest LTE implementation worldwide.

If you purchase a phone from Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile and wish to change your service provider you will need to update your APN settings because they are carrier- specific for data services. While all GSM-capable phones will work for voice service on any carrier without changes to system settings, this is not the case for data. A list of all carrier APN settings is available.  Apple also supports changes to these settings through iTunes.