Tracfone iPhone 6s Plus and 5G

[stefanmaine]

I am asking about compatibility of 5G and iPhone 6s Plus. If I am in the wrong forum, I apologize.

I am in Maine. Today's local newspaper reports that service providers here are saying some cell phones will not be able to function after January 1 when 5G arrives Statewide, replacing whatever is here now (3G?).

The article lists some Android models which will be negatively affected and "iPhone 5 and older." My wife and I each have an iPhone 6s Plus, purchased from Tracfone.

Tracfone's website/forum has no mention of 5G. It occurs to me that this may be an issue which does not affect Tracfone, or that kills Tracfone? Does that make sense?

I will be grateful for any thoughts.

 

[IWT]

Thank you for your post.

This is my understanding. 5G can only be used on iPhones with the appropriate software/firmware.

See here: Which iPhones support 5G?

That is iPhones 12 and 13.

I cannot imagine iPhones 3,4,5,6, and onwards being able to receive 5G. And from that, I can't believe that a 5G provider can boast such a new service to any of the Phones you've mentioned.

I would be delighted to be proven wrong and subsequent posters may do so; but I doubt it.

Ian

 

[IWT]

Also see: Use 5G with your iPhone

Ian

 

[stefanmaine]

Thank you.
For me, that raises this question: Will my iPhone 6s Plus continue to work as a telephone? That is, will I still be able to place and receive telephone calls (which is all my wife and I use our phones for)?

Will the answer depend on where I am in the United States (ie, Maine)? And who my service provider is (ie, Tracfone).

I apologize if these are silly questions to which the answer is "Duh!" but I really don't know.

 

[chscag]

No questions are silly.

And yes, your phones will still continue to work. Instead of 5G reception your iPhone 6s+ will receive calls and texts as LTE.

I currently have an iPhone 12 which is 5G capable but my wife's phone is an iPhone 11 which is not 5G capable. However, we both receive calls and texts as usual.

To be quite frank, I see no difference in the type of reception for both of our phones. And I live in an area (Dallas - Fort Worth) where 5G is the norm.

 

[stefanmaine]

Thank you! That is a relief.

I live in an area (very rural Maine) where 5G doesn't mean anything, except maybe "five grand," but I can't imagine anyone here having occasion to say it ... except Stephen King (who is very generous with his money, like huge donations to public libraries) and maybe a Maine lottery winner, although a friend who has been buying tickets regularly for some years, insists, in his groaning words, "I swear, the odds of winning are the same whether or not you buy a ticket."