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Light Phone support

  • 9 February 2022
  • 6 replies
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M

Does Koodo provide service for Light Phone 2?

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6 replies

R
Userlevel 7
Badge +4

According to the Light Phone 2’s network specifications, the North American model should be compatible with Koodo’s 4G LTE network. 

Network: 4G LTE (LTE FDD + VoLTE)

North American Model: B2, B4, B12, B13, B17, B25, B26

International Model: B1, B3, B5, B7, B8, B20, B28

https://www.thelightphone.com/faq - see Technical specifications

srlawren
Userlevel 7
Badge +4

 @rikkster here’s where there might be issues: from that spec sheet, it looks like this device is LTE-only, with no support for 3G W-CDMA/UMTS.  While the phone (obviously) supports VoLTE for calling, and Koodo also supports the feature, they tend to do so only on devices on the supported devices list (visible here https://www.koodomobile.com/en/help/volte), which does not include the Light Speed 2. 

So while both the device and network are capable of supporting calling, the customer may or may not be able to talk a Koodo rep into adding the VoLTE access add-on to their account.  Until a couple of months ago, I used a OnePlus device that was quite capable of both VoLTE and VoWifi but could never get either to enable, because the backend did not want to provision the access.  Then I switched to a (supported) Pixel 6 and quite easily got it all configured without even having to ask/beg for the provisioning.  

To the best of my knowledge, the Telus brands (Telus Mobility and Koodo) and Bell brands (Bell and Virgin Plus) only allow access to tested and approved devices, while the Rogers brands (Rogers and Fido) allow provisioning for any capable device.  Just food for thought. 

(I purposely excluded the 3rd tier brands since I’m not sure about Lucky [under Bell] and Chatr [under Rogers], but can confirm that Public Mobile [under Telus] does not currently provide VoLTE nor VoWiFi to anyone regardless of device.)

srlawren
Userlevel 7
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@Flo Koodo, @Attila Koodo I see you both gave a Like on @rikkster’s reply, but can you please see mine above.  Am I right in assuming that @MegLang is going to have issues getting provisioned for VoLTE calling on this phone, since it’s not on the supported devices list?  And that it does not appear to support W-CDMA 3G calling, which would be required in the absence of VoLTE provisioning?

R
Userlevel 7
Badge +4

In all fairness, the Light Phone 2 is a 4G LTE phone. It’s worth noting that TELUS’s 3G network is slated for shutdown by December 31, 2025. In that sense, the Light Phone 2 offers a degree of future-proofing.

What is the 3G sunset?

Bands 25 and 26 (1900 MHz and 850 MHz) are likely used for call fallback and 4G data, similar to how 3G bands 2 and 5 (1900 MHz and 850 MHz) have been used for call fallback and 3G data. Your Pixel 6 should have access to Bands 25 and 26 (listed under LTE bands).

@srlawren I agree with your point on VoLTE/VoWiFi being a struggle at best. So, rather than assume I reached out to Light Phone support to obtain and share these answers (with permission).

“Unfortunately, we are temporarily curtailing shipping to Canada because we have been seeing inconsistent issues with carrier compatibility. We hope to learn more about which carriers/regions we can guarantee full Light Phone II support before we resume shipping to Canada”.

“We do currently have successful users in Canada, but given how many issues we've seen recently from the same carriers that were previously working well and it being harder for us to test ourselves from NY, we feel this makes the most sense for the time being”.

“I will say that Koodo has never been compatible with the Light Phone in the past. Unfortunately, we're not compatible with most of the carriers that work off of the networks of the major carriers (sometimes called partners, MVNOs, or sub-carriers). There are a number of reasons, mainly related to the main carrier not passing through functions for Light II, since it's a relatively new phone”.

My sincere apologies to @MegLang for any confusion.

Many thanks to the support individual at Light Phone for your help.

srlawren
Userlevel 7
Badge +4

@rikkster yes I assume once 3G is sunset, Telus will have little choice but to offer VoLTE without artificially restricting it to their list of certified compatible devices, else some of their customers will be left with the inability to do any calling.  [Barring other over-the-top services of course.]  I guess you’re saying the Light Phone 2 is future-proofed because it features bands 25 and 26 support?  I would think it would also require VoLTE provisioning in order to be able to use voice calling, either now or after the 3G sunset date.

Thanks for reaching out to Light Phone to get clarity, that was nice of you to do.  I’m not surprised they are getting mixed reports, since anyone on the Telus or Bell families of brands wouldn’t be able to get VoLTE provisioned.  [I’m not sure about Shaw’s policies, nor regional offerings like Videotron/Fizz.]  As much as I’m not generally a fan of the Rogers brands, their more liberal VoLTE support is definitely appealing and I wish Telus and Bell would follow suit.  I almost defected to Fido a while back until I discovered they had no version of Call Control on offer, which to me was (and still is) a more important feature than VoLTE.  [Though, again, I now can enjoy both with my Pixel.]

R
Userlevel 7
Badge +4

You’re welcome. The intent was to supplement what you had written with official wording from Light Phone. Apart from the LP 2’s shortcomings, this phone does not ship to Canada. An important detail the customer @MegLang should be or is now aware of.

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