richelu

If you have an android phone with an unlimited data plan, you can just down load FoxFi and use it to create a hotspot and not pay verizon for hotspot support. Just pay the one time app fee.

richelu

Sorry, this got longer than I expected. ;-)


The hotspot/voice talking at the same time really depends on the phone or the system you are talking on.

For the below I am talking historically before VoLTE support (Voice over LTE). If you are on a VoLTE supported network making a VoLTE call all packets (voice and data) are scheduled and sent back to the core network. So voice/data calls can be supported simultaneously.

For CDMA-EvDO/LTE systems (like Verizon or Sprint) most phone have two radios to talk to both networks simultaneously. If they only have a single radio then the phone must re-tune to one network or the other so they would only support voice or data but not both. I have used samsung phones from the early days of CDMA since they did a lot of interopt testing with the vendor I worked for and their phones worked the best in the labs. (When carriers launched LTE networks Samsung added a second radio to support voice and LTE data use simultaneously).
For GSM/EdGE/LTE networks (like ATT or T-mobile) voice and data can be done because the system packetizes voice and data at the same time and transmits back to the network. The draw back was that most systems used the older generation network for voice support so data calls were downgraded to the older slower network.

The core technology difference (between the different carriers like Verizon and ATT) is the only reason phones cannot easily be swapped from one carrier to another. The limitation is not the frequencies being used as no one carrier uses the same channels nation wide so phones need to be able to retune to the channels being used based on the broadcast SID/NID that they pickup when they transition between the different networks.

Phones using the same core network technology (i.e. Sprint and Verizon) can be used on either network as long as the phone is added to the carrier HLR/VLR (this is the principle of roaming and entirely based on roaming agreements). So as long as you can get the phone authorized on the network they can be used on the other network.

With the advent of LTE, the requirement of a SIM card is required of all phones that support the tech. So unless you have a CDMA/EvDO only device your phone has a SIM card. Also, LTE devices have to be able to access all the "assigned" LTE channels in a given region (i.e. North America, Europe, etc.) since it is very rare that an operator owns the same spectrum across the entire US. So the devices need to be able to retune to the operator owned spectrum in the different serving areas.

richelu

The Verizon never supported it quote is erroneous. I have been able to do this on the many samsung CDMA/LTE devices I have owned since samsung has always had two radios to support voice/data when using voice on CDMA and Data on LTE.

m3incorp

I was going to say the same thing since owning Samsung Note 4 and now Note 5. I think even my Samsung S4 allowed it, but not sure

richelu

The S4 did support it. Samsung has been installing two radios since their first LTE phone (their droid) to combat the early Apple adds (before Verizon had iPhones) that purported to support simultaneous voice/data. This was not an iPhone feature it was simply a network feature since ATT was GSM/GPRS/Edge at the time which supported simultaneous voice/data due to the spec. I have not checked recently, but I do not believe the iPhone has two radios so if you are in an active voice/data call, you will be downgraded to the GPRS/Edge network unless you are on a VoLTE supported call (which is only VoLTE device to VoLTE device).
So as long as you are in a CDMA/LTE supported part of the Verizon network (which I believe is their entire network at this time since they were very aggressively deploying 1:1 overlay) you S4 would simultaneously support voice/data.

C7-Beast

Sorry, that is not accurate. You can be on a call and still have hot spot active when on Verizon.

mountainears

Anyone get anything new on this? I have a 2017 C7 coming soon, live in a rural area, ATT just doesn't have covereage in my area so it makes this option useless. Would love to be able to convert it to Verizon which does have coverage in my area.

If someone knows if/where a sim slot is, could certainly try swapping it.

Chip E.

I think the solution will eventually come if:
1. An engineer (either friendly or disgruntled) posts how.
2. Someone smarter than us figures it out and posts.
3. Some lawyer with a C7 or similar gets pissed and files suit.
4. President Trump corrects this with an Executive Order.

I feel really confident that they didn't create a proprietary system JUST for the implementation, but rather that they've only hidden it to make the provider proprietary.

Rad22

Some info:

http://blog.caranddriver.com/can-you...s-besides-att/

graj6

I wanted to use my T-Mobile data on the C7 instead of AT&T's overpriced data, so I got one of these.
https://explore.t-mobile.com/t-mobile-sync-up-drive

Works great for my needs.

DAFFYDRUNK

If there was a SIM card, wouldn't it be in the on star module? Pretty sure this is behind the glove box as I had that stuff apart trying to install a factory style antenna splitter before I went with a dedicated antenna for the factory nav I added...

nyciti

I've personally pulled the OnStar module apart and removed it from my car....with that being said I saw NO slot for the a SIM. I believe its burned into the module.

If you look at my post you can no slots for a SIM.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...right-way.html

Also take a look at this item on Evilbay....NOT selling only posting for reference of photo.....you can clearly see the IMEI is on there which means as I thought its burned in.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2014-2017-Ch...pYUYKN&vxp=mtr

mountainears

It's OK I guess if there is no SIM. If it is a multi-network device you should be able to call into your providers and have the IMEI transferred over I would think. But it sounds like it's not possible and I just need to hope there is some level of coverage. That is, if I want to use it. I know with my wife's grand Cherokee the UConnect system just doesn't work near our home. Unfortunate.

Maxpowers

There has to be a way of changing the provider - although its probably proprietary and I doubt GM will share how.

I know this because we don't have AT&T cellular in Canada.

nyciti

Why not just pull your Imei login to Verizon and try to add it as a device. OnStar may not work but I'm sure the phone and data will if that's all you want. Worst case they say you can't. I would try but mine is on vacation doesn't hurt try if it means that much to you

LT1 Z51

Whatever module contains the telematics or modem would have the "SIM Card"

I'm guessing this would be the OnStar module, but once I get my 2016 Service Manuals (which has a diagram of the entire CAN Bus) I can be certain.

However in automotive applications that "SIM Card" is likely not a removable one and instead a chip integrated into the telematics/modem/OnStar module.

LT1 Z51

For that to work you'd need the device unlocked (or the device won't communicate with other networks) and for Verizon you'd need a CDMA antenna for non-4G LTE communication.

Based on this being an AT&T designed solution LTE is the only shared band that they have. AND.... It might not even be the same frequency band.

Check the iPhone specs and look at band support between the CDMA and GSM models. Only LTE bands on both would be supported by Verizon and Sprint (assuming they use those bands in their network).

nyciti

Good point forgot about that....safe to say at this point it can't be done. I've had it apart no removable SIM.

1776DAVE

I was told by ATT that the number assigned to my 2016 is an ATT number but they insist I have to find the SIM card to get s number off it so they can send me the correct card
that it could be another carrier then att
if I were sent a att card I can add the new number to my plan . So I also need to know the location of the SIM card as that if it (cars phone) works there has to be a SIM card

mountainears

Talk to another rep. There isn't a SIM card.