Somehow, customers who do not monitor this forum need to know the implications of this before selecting their modem. Maybe they will want to switch carriers after knowing their options, and changing carriers might mean selecting a different modem. Having a bunch of customers change modems after failing to activate the one that they chose during shipping will not be good for anyone.
1 Like
I have no absolute idea that blacklisting is irreversible. Rather, I understand that a good deal of the time there is provision for restoration by services such as http://www.imeichanger.net/imei-blacklist-removal-free-online-service/
Another thing being that IMEI numbers are a prime way of tracking you, so that the idea in general is to allow any phone that might be available to service to have an IMEI to track (assuming in most cases no hardware kill switch is present). This means that the presumption is that non-stollen phones will all have IMEI of functioning basis. Without this the phone is both undetectable to Uncle Sam and pretty much bricked.
I think you misunderstood what I said, or rather I said it wrong. I put it under the quotes - “black listed” , specifically to differentiate it from the actual blacklisting. I just don’t know how else to call it. What do I mean by it -
Carrier decides that a specific model won’t have access to VoLTE, despite the fact that it has a capable and compliant hardware. More time passes by, it’s even less likely to allow it.
My and other ppl experience on ATT
All Unlocked US version phones
Moto Z Play, Moto Z2 Play, Moto XPE , Sony XZ1 Compact
No matter what trick is tried, they would never have VoLTE. I managed a few times and it worked for a brief second.
Though, these phones were getting phone calls on 3g and had a regular LTE connection for internet browsing.
On the other hand , Moto Z2 Play and Moto XPE had VoLTE on Verizon. Moto Z Play didn’t because it was competng with their own version “Droid Z Play”.
when I tested just recently ATT branded Moto Z2 force (had it sim unlocked) it was flat out denied any kind of connection. Nada. I tried all different ways and it just wouldn’t get the network signal. That one, I can tell was blacklisted for the reasons unknown to me. It had most of the LTE bands and wasn’t stolen since I bought it new months before that and used it on ATT. Maybe,it’s because of the fitmware or bc they had their own Z2 Force version.
Cricket user on the eastcoast. I used at&t and Verizon phones on the cricket network and heard sprint phones are used on it to. So my guess is, if you use cricket, you’ll be good. But if anyone has any words of wisdom, please share. I could use it before I buy the phone.
Thanks!
In “The very first Librem 5 to roll off the assembly line”, we see that they are using h2o Wireless for cell service. So at least we know that we can connect to the AT&T network.
1 Like
I’ve added the BroadMobi T1 variant for reference.
Connected to network probably won’t be a problem. What we need to wait for is whether it will have VoLTE or not. For many it’s not a deal breaker. For me it would be , because the 3g towers around me are too weak to hold on the conversation and LTE is full bars. While using non whitelisted unlocked device , I was getting to many missed calls (straight to VM) or just dropped at very beginning.
With Verizon the problem would be on a completely different level. They only gonna have LTE for voice - shutting down CDMA completely by end of the year, so without that feature activated , L5 would turn into a fancy media streaming device 
1 Like
“not supported or ineligible” was shown on Verizon’s web page after I entered IMEI for each phone I was going to bring over. It was for that BYOD program they have
Sorry, I did misunderstand.
Technology is supposed to make life easy for you, but the standards mismatches make things rather difficult. I suspect that a better world would see more uniformity of access.
5G will not likely get us there.
2 Likes
Can someone walk me through what kind of conversation I should have and what I should say to the carrier I switch to when I get the Librem 5? Do I walk into an AT&T and ask particular questions? Do I do it over the phone? I don’t know anything about modems…
They seem to be using h2o Wireless, which is AT&T’s network. If you like their plans, I would try them first. Look under “bring your own phone/device.” Hopefully, Purism chimes in if there are any special steps. The PLS8-US modem has AT&T’s approval.
Walk in, tell them you’re bringing your own device, get them to port your number in (if desired) or receive new number, insert new sim in phone, turn on phone to connect to service. Or do something similar online. There are decent MVNOs (resellers) of both AT&T and T-mobile service, and they may be cheaper and offer more options than the main carriers.
Edit: This applies to US users, obviously.
P.S. You can look for MVNO reviews online to help you decide.
2 Likes
As for modems, you’ll want the BM818-A1 or PLS8-US to have compatibility with more US bands used by AT&T and T-mobile (and their respective MVNOs). BM818-A1 works on more frequencies than PLS8-US, according to the info that Purism has provided.
Oops…meant to reply to hexatekin. Sorry.
Edit: I’ve heard that T-mobile and its MVNOs need LTE band 12, which is lacking on the PLS8-US. Something to keep in mind.
1 Like
Even if you order today, you won’t get it before this coming summer (Evergreen batch), so you’ll have plenty of time to see what people say once they get their phones.
2 Likes
That’s because noone who is commenting actually has the phone yet. Once the first group of people in the US actually have the phone, they can tell you exactly what modem they ordered / exactly what phone company they are with / exactly whether the combination is working or not.
2 Likes
Just wanted to add the emphasis on the can here as I’m sure there are plenty who won’t and if they happen to be the first to receive then it might still be a bit longer. Eventually I’m sure there will be people that will share their experiences and even some tips, but it may not be the earliest recipients that do.
1 Like
I am replying to my own post to let you know the results of the IMEI number that was sent to me via e-mail.
AT&T redirected me to a URL with the word “error” in the title, but it added a SIM card in my shopping cart and redirected me to a page to search for retail stores.
T-Mobile was unable to check the compatibility with their network, but still offered the ability to purchase a SIM card.
The others listed in the post that I am replying to failed. I tried Ting, and it recognized the IMEI as a BM818 (which is correct) and stated that it is compatible with their GSM network. However, just below, there is a green circle with 4G LTE in it. US Mobile (under Your Device) recommended GSM LTE, but said that my device was not supported under 4G LTE.
As others have mentioned, these IMEI checks might not reflect real world activation capability. Also, this does not address the issue of which bands are required for the phone to work in your area. The only carrier that I have seen from old screenshots is h2o Wireless, but I am not sure which modem that was.
We should see reports of real world usage in a few days, so I recommend waiting for that.
1 Like
Yep. These carrier responses are irrelevant.
I can happily report that we used AT&T and T-mobile SIMs to test already and both worked. Signal for AT&T is pretty bad where we assemble the devices so I am not sure if 3G or 4G can be expected. T-mobile goes up to 4G and is pretty usable (in terms of speed). We’ll need to do more field tests with cards from Sprint and Verizon - which are in the end the main carriers, the resellers like Tracfone, Simple Mobile etc. etc. are just resellers and use the carrier’s network and usually do not impose IMEI checks and stuff on their own.
Cheers
nicole
14 Likes