iPhone Europe model with India 4G

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wecaz

wecaz

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Hello friends,

A friend has brought a new iPhone 5s from Europe.[5s cheaper then 7 😛] The phone is not in India yet.
We are wondering if it can be used with 4G networks in India. How can we fix, if it cannot.

I have done some study. I will appreciate if someone can throw more light.
Below is the differences in the LTE bands.

iPhone 5s - Europe model - A1457
1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800)

iPhone 5s - India model - A1530
1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300)

Compatibility with Indian 4G operators:
  1. Airtel uses LTE band 40(2300). Europe model shouldn't connect.
  2. Aircel also uses LTE band 40(2300). Europe model shouldn't connect.
  3. Vodafone uses LTE band 3(1800). Europe model should connect.
  4. Idea will use LTE band 3(1800). Europe model should connect.
  5. Reliance Jio uses bands 3(1800), 5(850) and 40(2300) [At the same time, everywhere??]. Europe model supports band 3(1800) and 5(850), but not band 40(2300). It should connect, right? [even without band 40 high speeds].

Does anyone know if iPhone uses the same hardware in different country specific models? If yes, then, may be service center can help ENABLE the 4G bands, such as 40(2300), that are hidden in a model.
 
If model supported 38, 39 and 40 why wud they disable it? (restricted by laws?)
 
It is most likely due to different radio chips used on the different variants. Apple gains nothing by blocking bands on their phones. And their phones tend to have support for most bands compared to competitive devices as they only launch 1-2-3 model(s) per year. People travel abroad so it is better to have as many bands supported as possible even if they are not used in the targeted market.
 
This sounds like carrier locked Android devices. Apple does not give as much control to carriers as other companies. Anyhow. Good luck.
 
Make sure you're smart and alert 24/7 to protect your iPhone from theft. Insurance Companies won't give you anything incase of theft or loss
 

Phone is compatible with Airtel in selected circles and JIO,voda,Idea is all circles.
However you won't get full speed as max capacity is in 2300mhz/band 40. so 3G like speeds mostly.
Still not that bad.
 
It means that operators provide multiple bands in each area. Why do they do that?
 

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