Just wanting some comments on suitability of EG21-G to application in the US on T-Mobile. My understanding is that T-Mobile use channel 71 in rural areas, and this is not supported by the EG21-G.
Dear Customer,
Can you help to provide the OC naming written on your module. I can help to check band frequency available in your module.
Thank you. EG21GGB-128-SGNS. It is in the mini PCie format.
Can you tell me if all EG21-G mini PCie use the EG21GGB-128-SGNS? We order the part as an “EG21-G mini PCie”, and if there are different variants we should be specifying more information.
Dear Customer,
Thank you for the part number, that’s very helpful.
To answer your questions:
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Band support / suitability for T-Mobile rural. Your original understanding is correct. The EG21-G (including your EG21GGB-128-SGNS) supports the following LTE-FDD bands: B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/18/19/20/25/26/28. It does not support Band 71 (600 MHz). Since T-Mobile relies heavily on Band 71 for rural/extended-range coverage, the EG21-G is not a suitable choice for that use case, this applies to every EG21-G variant, as they all share the same RF band set. For T-Mobile deployment where Band 71 coverage is required, you would need to move to a module that supports B71. The most direct option in our LTE Standard lineup is the EC25-AFX (LTE Cat 4), which adds B66 and B71 and is certified for North American carriers. Before I recommend a specific replacement, could you confirm two things: (a) your required data throughput (to determine whether Cat 1 or Cat 4 is appropriate), and (b) whether T-Mobile is the only target carrier or if you also need Verizon/AT&T coverage? With that I can point you to the best-fit certified module.
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We have few variants of EG21-GGB in MiniPCIe form. It all depends on customer’s requirement, We can suggest the best to customer’s needs.
Hi Fazrul.
Thank you.
(1) I’ll need to start a discussion with my client’s US distributor (we are in Australia) as they handle the network provider selection. The product currently uses SMS, however we will adding MQTT over the next few months - the data use is quite low. I’ll come back to you once I get some input from the distributor.
Do you think the EG915Q-NA Mini PCIe would be a good fit? What carrier issues would we face with this?
(2) Thanks - I’ll talk to our local Quectel distributor so that I can make sure the ordering code is fully documented in our records.
Hi again!
For the US we would ideally support B71 since T-Mobile need this for rural areas. Do you have any offerings in the mini PCie form factor?
Does the EG21-GL mini PCie support B71?
Are there suitable EG915 modules available?
As mentioned before our data use is minimal so we don’t need modules with high data rates (ie Cat 4) - but they can still be considered if no better option.
Best regards, Colin
Hi Colin,
Good to hear from you. To address B71 (600 MHz) for T-Mobile rural coverage in mini PCIe:
1. Does EG21-GL Mini PCIe support B71?
No. The EG21-G / EG21-GL Mini PCIe support LTE-FDD B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28 and LTE-TDD B38–B41. There is no B71, so it has the same rural T-Mobile limitation we discussed on the LGA EG21-G.
2. Mini PCIe offerings that support B71:
The recommended part is the EC25-AF Mini PCIe. It supports LTE-FDD B2/B4/B5/B12/B13/B14/B66/B71 and is a North America variant certified for AT&T / T-Mobile / Verizon. Note this is an LTE Cat 4 module (150/50 Mbps) rather than Cat 1 — more capacity than your minimal-data application requires, but it is the option that delivers mini PCIe form factor, B71, and completed T-Mobile certification together. Since your data use is light, the higher category has no downside beyond part cost.
3. Are there suitable EG915 modules?
Not for this specific combination, currently. The EG915 series is primarily an LGA (surface-mount) family. The only EG915 offered in mini PCIe is the EG915Q-NA, and its current released band set is B2/B4/B5/B12/B13/B66, it does not include B71. (An earlier 2023 EG915Q-NA datasheet listed B71, but that band was removed in the current specification.) The EG915Q-AF variant does retain B71 (B2/B4/B5/B12/B13/B14/B66/B71) and would be the low-data-rate Cat 1 bis choice, but it is LGA-only and its carrier certification, including T-Mobile, is still in progress. If you can accept an LGA design rather than mini PCIe, EG915Q-AF is worth tracking, and I can confirm its certification timeline with our product team.
Thanks again Fazrul. We are restricted to mini PCie form factor. I’ve asked our local Quectel disty to get me pricing on the EC25-AF option.
Hi Colin,
You’re welcome. If you need further assistance or have any queries, you can let us know.
Cheers~