[Updated] The ROG Phone II (Ultimate Edition) doesn't support T-Mobile Band 71 and VoLTE calls, Asus confirms

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on October 3, 2019) follows:

There is a reason smartphone certification bodies exist in major markets across the globe. For a device to work in the confines of a certain country, it must be fitted with the necessary hardware as per the communication requirements of the country in question.

This is one of the functions of bodies like the FCC in the U.S. and TENAA in China, where every smartphone passes through to be cleared for use on local networks.

Part of the certification process involves checking that the device in question has the right network bands supported on the various operators in the country. While some devices do include support for nearly all operators, others often drop some carriers probably due to financial constraints and other restrictions.

Verizon Wireless and Sprint, for instance, have often been victims. Most devices sold in the U.S. as carrier-unlocked models only support AT&T and T-Mobile (GSM).

This has left many people cursing for pouncing on great smartphone deals on Amazon only to find themselves locked out of Verizon’s network, for instance.

If you are lucky enough to get support on Verizon, chances are you may miss out on some key features like VoLTE. Apparently, this is the current scenario facing the latest Asus ROG Phone II, but this time with respect to T-Mobile despite the company having said the statement below.

[Asus ROG Phone II is] Compatible with GSM Networks including AT&T, T-Mobile, Straight Talk, Walmart Family Mobile, MetroPCS, Simple Mobile, Brightspot, Net10, h20 Wireless, and Cricket Wireless. This device is not compatible with CDMA Networks such as Verizon, Sprint, and US Cellular.
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The ROG Phone 2 is now available for purchase in the U.S. through the official Asus online store. Priced at $900, you’d expect that this device isn’t one to be featured in an article about missing bands for U.S. carriers especially since it’s officially sold in the country, yet here we are.

Will the ROG II Ultimate include Band 71? It’s almost a requirement for T-Mobile’s future network rollouts this coming year. Also, will there be support for T-Mobile VoLTE this time around?

Original ROG Owner
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Hello, I happen to live in an area that only has lte coverage so this phone doesn’t work for me as volte doesn’t work. Which I don’t understand why Asus would disable it. I hear this garbage how the carriers have to support it, but why did my previous phone Huawei p30 pro imported from Germany worked fine on TMobile with volte? I would think a phone that isn’t even sold here wouldn’t work but it does. So I ask why is Asus so stupid and can this be fixed if I root the phone?
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In response to the above concerns, Asus has come out to confirm that the ROG Phone II doesn’t support both T-Mobile Band 71 and VoLTE calls on the Magenta carrier.

Apparently, not even the premium ROG Phone 2 Ultimate Edition will get support for the missing Band 71 and VoLTE on T-Mobile, which is even more baffling considering the device is priced at €1,199 (in Europe) and could arrive in the U.S. priced at about $1,200.

But what about the Ultimate Edition? I’m hoping that there are plans to add Band 71 and VoLTE to it before it comes out in the United States, especially since it’s coming with improved network and charged at a premium price point. The competitor to the ROG Phone, the Razer Phone 2, which released last year supports Band 71 and VoLTE on T-Mobile even though the operator doesn’t offer the phone in their stores. The ROG Phone II is a near perfect device that only suffers from missing these things.
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So, if you had plans of using the ROG Phone 2 with T-Mobile’s VoLTE, you now know what to expect from the network performance of this device. If you rely heavily on this T-Mo feature, then the ROG Phone II might not be your best buy.

According to a moderator on Asus’ ZenTalk, the company is working with T-Mobile and AT&T to bring VoLTE support to the ROG Phone 2 in the U.S. Unfortunately, there’s still no ETA on when users can expect to see the VoLTE feature be enabled on their devices. See the full story here.

NOTE: For more Asus-related coverage, check out this space. If interested in more gaming stuff, check out this section.

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