Sam Drucker

Yes, I agree that there is some sort of "market-specific" factor going on here. I've had WiFi off; that didn't change anything re: network 5G. I remember the oppositee happening back around 2013 or so; I had a Note II I bought here, and using it in the States, it was okay on phone calls, and got internet, but it was only pulling in the previous generation (2G I think) at the time. So it seems like there are issues even today with current, top-end phones not operating optimally in markets outside of where they were purchased. It would just be nice to know specifically what those issues are, so perhaps the next time one can look closer at the specs to identify if there will be issues. At any rate, I'm just here for 3 weeks this time, and it's working plenty fine with LTE for what my needs are during this short period.

Have a few data points to add here. I've had the same AIS prepaid number for more than 15 years now. Used to live in Thailand full time, but for the last 8 years been working in the States, and just visiting here from time to time. I just arrived a few weeks ago with my USA-purchased Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G (unlocked, SM-N986U1), and popped my Thai SIM card in when I got here. Signed up for a 5G data plan, but never got the 5G symbol; just LTE. Went into an AIS shop in Bangkok, thinking maybe it was a configuration setting issue. They worked with it, then told me I needed a new SIM card. So in goes a new SIM card, they fiddled with my account settings on their computer, then hand the phone back to me (like we're all done.) I look at the phone, and it's just the same as when I walked in the door; just an LTE symbol. So I asked about that, they seemed puzzled, then asked a colleague. He says it takes 1 hour for everything on the network to reset. Okay, whatever. I go back to the hotel, it's still the same. Check the next morning, it's still the same. I realize "I don't know" still isn't part of the vocabulary here. Fly up to Khon Kaen, see AIS 5G ads all over the place up there too. I check with an AIS office there. They worked with it there quite a bit, and with my account settings and packages. Three people huddled on it. Finally, they pulled one of their floor model Note 20 Ultra 5Gs, and popped my SIM card in it. Light it up, and it's got 5G. Put my SIM card back in my phone, and it's back to LTE. At least now we know it's a hardware/out of market equipment issue. I thought with 5G those days would have been behind us. Unfortunately, not. Any ideas here? Is it different 5G frequency bands used here, compared to the States? Or some other incompatibility? One final point: The wife and daughter have US-purchased Galaxy A71 5G phones. Theirs don't pull in 5G either.