1. vinvinvanvan's Avatar
    Dear all,

    I just bought Blackberry Torch AT&T.
    Everything is just perfect, except one.
    Inside Mobile Network Option menu, there is Network Mode and I could only find 3G & 2G ; 2G.
    I could not find 3G only.

    Is there other way, such as update the software, so the menu 3G only can be shown up ?

    Highly appreciated for your help in this matter.

    Thank you ...
    01-21-11 09:58 AM
  2. Laura Knotek's Avatar
    It is possible to disable 2G through the engineering screens. However, I do not recommend this. Messing around with engineering screens can permanently brick a device if one is not careful.

    Also, if 2G is disabled, and you use 3G only, if you cannot get 3G, you get no coverage at all.

    3G only is generally enabled on carriers that do not even have a 2G (EDGE) network such as Bell and Telus in Canada.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-21-11 10:07 AM
  3. vinvinvanvan's Avatar
    Thanks for the answer.

    I have a friend who used blackberry 9000. The case is the same, no "3G only" menu.
    But after several time, AT&T released another software that provide the blackberry 9000 user to update the software, and there it goes ... the 3G show up ...

    Do you know the update software version for blackberry torch that could solve this case ?

    Thank you in advance ...

    It is possible to disable 2G through the engineering screens. However, I do not recommend this. Messing around with engineering screens can permanently brick a device if one is not careful.

    Also, if 2G is disabled, and you use 3G only, if you cannot get 3G, you get no coverage at all.

    3G only is generally enabled on carriers that do not even have a 2G (EDGE) network such as Bell and Telus in Canada.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-21-11 10:15 AM
  4. pmccartney's Avatar
    lak611 is right. It would make no sense to have an option for 'only 3G' enabled. The device will automatically use 3G if it can.
    01-21-11 10:15 AM
  5. vinvinvanvan's Avatar
    Thanks ...

    But sometime, somehow, it can not automatically switch to 3G although the location support it, we have to change manually to 3G only. that's the problem ...

    lak611 is right. It would make no sense to have an option for 'only 3G' enabled. The device will automatically use 3G if it can.
    01-21-11 10:20 AM
  6. Laura Knotek's Avatar
    Thanks for the answer.

    I have a friend who used blackberry 9000. The case is the same, no "3G only" menu.
    But after several time, AT&T released another software that provide the blackberry 9000 user to update the software, and there it goes ... the 3G show up ...

    Do you know the update software version for blackberry torch that could solve this case ?

    Thank you in advance ...
    I am not aware of any software, even from another carrier, that enables 3G only on an AT&T device. I used to have a 9000, and all OSes showed "3G & 2G" or "2G".

    I believe the only way to change the firmware to show 3G only is through the engineering screens, whether the device is a 9000 or 9800 (or any other 3G AT&T branded BlackBerry).

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-21-11 10:22 AM
  7. joeldf's Avatar
    Thanks ...

    But sometime, somehow, it can not automatically switch to 3G although the location support it, we have to change manually to 3G only. that's the problem ...
    The location may support it, but it may not be a clean enough signal. I think AT&T errs on the side of caution to be sure you get the best signal. And, that may not be the fastest one.

    Plus, if the 3G towers get overloaded, they probably dump some load over to the EDGE frequency bands.

    I know that where I work downtown, I'm right in the middle of 3G coverage, but between about 9:30 in the morning to about 4 in the afternoon, my Torch is constantly switching from 3G to EDGE to GPRS to even GSM and back again with all ranges of signal strengths not seeming to make a difference as to when it would switch. At my house and that whole area of town, it's 3G all the time.

    Interestingly enough, my old 8100 Pearl never did that kind of switching. It was an EDGE only device, but would never switch to GSM/GPRS except when Hurricane Gustav blew through town and knocked all the towers off-line.

    I did try the engineering screen change to disable 2G to see what it would do. It did seem to stick with the 3G signal longer, but after a while, it dropped the connection altogether and I got the red SOS with the "X" next to the antenna icon. That means it's basically a dead phone. It won't matter what your data speeds will be if you can't even make a flippin' phone call when you have an emergency. Do you really want to risk that with AT&T's still rather flaky 3G coverage? I don't.

    Besides, even if you did the engineering screen trick, the phone reverts back to the default setting after a reboot.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-21-11 11:34 AM
  8. Vurhan's Avatar
    Well what I do when I need a stable 3G when tethering is turn Network Selection Mode to Manual & enable your 3GH ( 3G Home ) network.

    If you're in a static position it will keep the 3G.
    01-21-11 12:22 PM
  9. pbflash's Avatar
    I had 3G only on my AT&T Bold 9000 but I forgot how I got the option. Not sure if it was an OS update or some hack.

    I have not seen anything to get the 3G only option on an AT&T Torch.
    01-21-11 12:40 PM
  10. Altarocks's Avatar
    I had a strange experience yesterday. I was in a basement in downtown Chicago. I saw one signal bar of network strength. In an effort to conserve battery I switched to 2G only and promplty lost all signal. Switching back to 3G & 2G I recovered a signal. I have always been under the impression that having 3G coverage automatically meant I had at least 2G coverage, but that is apparently not the case.
    01-21-11 12:55 PM
  11. AcADIeN's Avatar
    us, canadian, have that option, maybe it's just a matter installing a os that came from canada?
    01-21-11 01:16 PM
  12. Laura Knotek's Avatar
    us, canadian, have that option, maybe it's just a matter installing a os that came from canada?
    No. That will not work. The only way to disable 2G on an AT&T branded device is through the engineering screens.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-21-11 01:25 PM
  13. AcADIeN's Avatar
    yeah that's what I though, but never heard anyone who said to install a CAD os on a US phone, so that's why I took a chance ;p
    01-21-11 01:33 PM
  14. Mick70RR's Avatar
    Well what I do when I need a stable 3G when tethering is turn Network Selection Mode to Manual & enable your 3GH ( 3G Home ) network.

    If you're in a static position it will keep the 3G.
    I've tried this and my Torch still switches back to GPRS after a while. It's an AT&T Torch on T-Mobile UK. I select "Manual Network Selection Mode" and select my home 3G network from the list. I then select No where is says "Select Automatic Mode When Manually Selected Network is Not Available". The phone switches to 3G for a while then switches to GPRS when it feels like it.
    The only time I get 3G for any length of time is at work between 8 and 9.30am and at home after about 7pm. It's on 3G now and I have 4 bars so it's nothing to do with the signal strength. Seems like I get kicked off 3G when the network is busy.
    01-21-11 01:43 PM
  15. bookemdano's Avatar
    I've been using 3G only with at&t (disable 2g thru engineering screen), and I have had absolutely no coverage problems. So I think its all about the area.

    The reason I disabled 2g is that I was tired of it constantly switching back and forth, now that I have 3g only, everything works great. And its easily changed back thru the normal options, you do not have to go back into PLLM selection to re-enable GERAN(2G).

    I would say try it out, if your area does not have good 3G coverage then the PLLM selection trick is not for you. If you do use the engineering screen don't touch anything other than the PLLM selection stuff, you can f***** things up
    01-21-11 07:20 PM
  16. vinvinvanvan's Avatar
    Dear all,

    thanks for your advice ... aprreciated ...
    01-21-11 11:18 PM
  17. Vurhan's Avatar
    I've tried this and my Torch still switches back to GPRS after a while. It's an AT&T Torch on T-Mobile UK. I select "Manual Network Selection Mode" and select my home 3G network from the list. I then select No where is says "Select Automatic Mode When Manually Selected Network is Not Available". The phone switches to 3G for a while then switches to GPRS when it feels like it.
    The only time I get 3G for any length of time is at work between 8 and 9.30am and at home after about 7pm. It's on 3G now and I have 4 bars so it's nothing to do with the signal strength. Seems like I get kicked off 3G when the network is busy.
    Well for the record I downgraded from .337 down to .246 and it has made a hugely tremendous improvement in 3G consistency. Period. Not to mention better browser and gallery and whatnot.
    01-23-11 09:53 AM
  18. Iatemyshorts's Avatar
    I think you'll be able to find the answers on this thread

    forums.crackberry.com/f209/how-enable-3g-only-574375/
    Last edited by DTDS; 01-23-11 at 09:08 PM.
    01-23-11 09:04 PM
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