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I have a very popular device (a smartphone) which works on 3G: TD-SCDMA 1880/2010 standards and 4G: LTE 1900/2300/2600. I want to turn it compatible with 3G: UMTS 900/2100 or, if not possible, with 4G: LTE 1800/2100.

To solve that two things came to my mind.

The first one consists in the fact that there is already another device which is absolutely identical to mine but with the antenna that I desire. Then, I suppose I can try to buy the other's model antenna and try to solder it by myself, but I have no experience dealing with such small circuits. If I could do that, I think I would also need to reprogram the device, to recognize its new antenna.

The later is to try to design a board to successful read and then transcripts and generates a signal on a standard that my device can read. Since, relative to 3G, the devices use not only different frequencies but also standards, is it hard to transcript the signals? It would be a lot easier to deal with the 4G possibility? Are only the frequencies different in 4G and is it possible to convert them without problems?

Sorry if the question seems a little abstract. I think is very probably that either ideas are not cost efficient and would demand tons of work. So I wanted to check with all of you if that worth further researches on those possibilities and which one seems better. Also, where can I learn technical parameters about those telecommunications standards?

Pedro Quadros
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  • Two points: I think you are misusing the word "transcript", and it muddles your question; and you should do an adequate amount of research regarding the difference between 3G and 4G, and then see if that answers your question. Wikipedia, as always, is a reasonable place to start, but you will need to read some of the linked specifications and standards. – uint128_t Aug 16 '16 at 04:54
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    Neither of these is a practical project. If you need a different radio standard, you will simply have to get a different phone (maybe you can sell this one for some amount). It is not just the antenna which would have to change but probably the radio chipset and the definitely the firmware which implements the signalling standard. Making an outboard translator would probably be harder than making a phone itself. About the only thing that actually would work would be one of those portable wifi hotspots with uplink via the needed radio standard. – Chris Stratton Aug 16 '16 at 05:23
  • Easiest way (practically the only way) : buy a phone that works on the standards you want. –  Aug 16 '16 at 10:26

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It's not hard to do what you suggest, it is to all intents and purposes impossible.

To make a device that sat between a base-station of one standard and a mobile of another, you would have to build a mobile terminal emulator for the first, a base station emulator for the second, and connect them at the traffic and control layers.

Neil_UK
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