Moto e6 on Sprint MVNO

taemta3

Senior Member
Sep 5, 2011
62
13
0
Heads up for anyone who uses this phone. I got a couple of these unbranded open market 2g/16gb model 2005-5 via the Visible deal a while ago and tried to activate on Tello and Textnow. Bottom line, the phone will activate but it WILL NOT have LTE speed data. This effectively makes the phone useless to utilize with the TextNow free talk and text plan. It CAN be used with Tello as long as you are good with talk and text and ~128kbps data speed. The funny thing about this entire issue is that the phone works FINE with Sprint proper! Talk/Text/Data all function on Sprint but WILL NOT function on a Sprint MVNO. I have a feeling that this is probably due to APN programming issues (which cannot be done on a stock ROM) It seems the phone is setting a 1x default APN vs the proper MVNO LTE APN. Consultation with Tello Customer Service reveals that this has been an on-going issue for at least 3 months with no ETIC on the horizon. Lastly, if you are wondering WTH I am trying to use the phone on a Sprint MVNO, let me tell you Tello is hands down a great deal, provided you have good Sprint coverage in your local area.
 
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taemta3

Senior Member
Sep 5, 2011
62
13
0
No ETIC

I've gone direct to Lenovo with the issue and after comprehensive troubleshooting and banter back and forth there is no solution to using a moto E6 on a sprint MVNO due to the APN programming issue. The phone will work fine on big Sprint proper but you will suffer degraded or completely unusable LTE function if you activate this phone on a Sprint MVNO for the foreseeable future. All this could easily be solved IF a custom ROM for the e6 could be made wherein it allows the APN settings to be set manually. As with the Moto E 2015 you can activate the phone on an MVNO with the stock rom and then flash the custom rom and manually set the APN to get LTE speed.
 

nookin

Senior Member
Mar 24, 2012
218
8
0
Just bought a Moto E6 from Visible. Pop in a 516TQ SIM and I got service. I didn't test the speed but it seems fine with LTE logo.

If I put in the Visible SIM (uses Verizon) or T-Mobile SIM, I can see and change VPN. But with the Tello SIM, the APN cannot be changed. There is simply no manual for APN. However, data is still programmed properly and I can make phone calls and use data. I guess this is fixed from the network side. Now I am wondering if this is also fixed on Moto E4 from Boost.
 
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user-747

Senior Member
Apr 27, 2014
51
1
8
Just bought a Moto E6 from Visible. Pop in a 516TQ SIM and I got service. I didn't test the speed but it seems fine with LTE logo.

If I put in the Visible SIM (uses Verizon) or T-Mobile SIM, I can see and change VPN. But with the Tello SIM, the APN cannot be changed. There is simply no manual for APN. However, data is still programmed properly and I can make phone calls and use data. I guess this is fixed from the network side. Now I am wondering if this is also fixed on Moto E4 from Boost.
I also have E6 and also was wondering if its compatible with Tello.... How are you using it on Tello if only Verizon CDMA frequencies are supported? Also, are you using Tello SIM or Sprint SIM?

I am currently using Samsung S4-L720 with Sprint SIM on Tello. It activated and works without a glitch. I wanted to switch to Motorola e6 but tello website says E6 is not compatible with Sprint Sim (which is what currently use on tello) . Do I need to buy some dedicated Tello Sim then?
 

nookin

Senior Member
Mar 24, 2012
218
8
0
I also have E6 and also was wondering if its compatible with Tello.... How are you using it on Tello if only Verizon CDMA frequencies are supported? Also, are you using Tello SIM or Sprint SIM?

I am currently using Samsung S4-L720 with Sprint SIM on Tello. It activated and works without a glitch. I wanted to switch to Motorola e6 but tello website says E6 is not compatible with Sprint Sim (which is what currently use on tello) . Do I need to buy some dedicated Tello Sim then?
While Visible uses Verizon network, the E6 sold by Visible is a factory unlocked phone that works with all 4 major providers.

I used a Sprint SIM SIMOLW516TQ ("D" SIM). I got it some time back for $1 (4 SIMs pack) from Amazon.
 
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