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AT&T iPhone 5 jailbreak tweak purportedly gives access to T-Mobile’s LTE network band

Published Mar 28th, 2013 2:21PM EDT
AT&T iPhone 5 Jailbreak

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Itching to get an iPhone 5 for T-Mobile but unwilling to wait for Apple (AAPL) to release unlocked iPhone hardware compatible with T-Mobile’s 1700MHz AWS LTE band? Then you may want to check out a new jailbreak tweak that purportedly lets you latch onto T-Mobile’s recently launched LTE network using your AT&T (T) iPhone 5. LeiMobile has posted instructions that it claims allow you to “load a custom carrier file onto your iPhone and enable LTE” on T-Mobile’s network by using either “an unlocked AT&T model A1428 or an officially unlocked model A1428.”

9to5Mac notes a couple of caveats that interested users should know about, however. First, the tweak will not work on Verizon (VZ) iPhone 5 models since they don’t have the proper radios connect with the AWS bands. Second, the tweak only “enables LTE AWS support for T-Mobile” and “won’t allow you to access HSPA+ 42Mbps on 1700mhz like Apple’s new A1428 variant.” In other words, if you want to have an iPhone on T-Mobile that’s able to access both T-Mobile’s LTE network and its HSPA+ network, you’ll still need to wait for Apple to release an updated version of its unlocked model.

And of course, since T-Mobile’s LTE network is only live in seven markets right now, you’ll probably want to have HSPA+ connectivity no matter what. All the same, it’s a pretty cool tweak for iPhone 5 users who want to ditch AT&T for T-Mobile as soon as they possibly can.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.