For my 2020 F-Type's micro-SIM functionality, I need to know what specific LTE/5G frequency bands the car requires to obtain traffic info and the other HERE services for InControl.

The original SIM from AT&T worked, we know, and so did a replacement from the FreedomPop mobile provider (which leases AT&T bandwidth), but the T-Mobile-owned Ultramobile service's SIM did not work when I tried it as a replacement (apparently because it doesn't use bands 12 and n77).

If anyone here has knowledge about this issue, I'd appreciate your advice. Is LTE band 12 and 5G band n77 all that I need from a mobile-data provider?

 

Ramart,

Are you in the US. I also have a 2020 XF, in addition to the F-type, and I was able to use a Micro Sim From Tello Mobile (1Gig Data only is $5.00/month). You buy the SIM from Amazon, and then set up the account with Tello, they use T-Mobile

T-Mobile doesn't have the best coverage where I am, however it appears that Verizon is not compatible, when I checked the cars IMEI number.
Also, as an fyi, if you don't already know, you need to go into mobile settings on the infotainment console, and turn roaming on

 

Tello Mobile interests me; thanks for the tip – though I wonder why it works with your car on the T-Mobile network when the T-Mobile-owned Ultramobile Paygo SIM did not work on my 2020 Jag. (And, yes, I tried with roaming turned on.)

A word of caution about checking compatibility using a service's IMEI lookup: The Ultramobile website's IMEI check said my F-Type was compatible, which turned out to be untrue, with their explanation being that the car apparently requires LTE band 12 and/or 5G band n77 – not used by Ultramobile on the T-Mobile network. (Fortunately, the eBay vendor refunded my $13 for that SIM.)

My last mobile-data provider, FreedomPop, was giving me 100mb/month for free, and I found out dynamic traffic info and the other HERE mapping services never required more data than that, at least for my limited usage. (But FreedomPop recently discontinued that plan, after my free year, and now wants $10/mo., which I deemed too expensive.)

Ultramobile only wanted $3/mo. for the same 100mb I'd had, so I was disappointed it wouldn't work. I'm not entirely sure $60/year for Tello is sensible, since my Jag's basic navigation routing works fine for free, and I seldom really need traffic/re-routing/fuel info.

I suppose I could again try using Android Auto, though I much prefer the F-Type's own NAV system. But I'm not keen on Google having my driving data. (JLR, to its credit, confirmed my opt-out request that my driving data not be shared with third-parties.)

 

One other option, is if you have a hot spot on your cell phone, you can connect the car to the hot spot, and that I've found that will also work for the real time traffic.
What I have noticed with that method, is the car doesn't always connect to the hot spot automatically, and needs to be turned off/on again.
This works fine, except that the car will not search for the hotspot while the car is in motion, so you have to make sure it is connected, before you start traveling.

 

My car (MY2020) gave me a "Device Not Supported" msg when I tried this with my Android phone. I had it connected by USB and Bluetooth, not sure which might be needed.

Is there a setting on the car I failed to turn on correctly maybe?

The car's connectivity menu seemed to indicate that its mobile data (which I no longer have) could be used via its hotspot to allow an external device to connect – not the other way around (i.e., car accessing a phone's hotspot to connect to the internet).

 

Hi Ramart,

If your cell phone has hot spot, it is done wirelessly, you need to turn on the hotspot on your cell phone.

On the infotainment you need to turn on WiFi "connect car to external internet connection" and then it will display the available WiFi names near you, and select whatever the name of the the phone's hotspot is. This can't be done while the car is in motion.

 

I'm guessing it's your 2016 F-Type that has the "connect to external" hotspot capability, not your 2020 XF, because my 2020 F-Type doesn't. An owner-provided micro-SIM account is my only mobile data option to obtain HERE's traffic info for the car's navigation.

Of course, I could abandon Jag's system and instead use Android Auto, but I hadn't wanted to do that.

 

Hi Ramart,

No, it is my 2020 XF that has that the wifi option, note the 2016 f-type. I've attached a picture from the 2020 Xf. I've used it to access the "here" traffic capabilities, after the at&t service ran out (I think five years, could have been four, i forget). I war rather annoyed when i renewed the options with here for the traffic/map updates etc. and didn't realize you also had to have internet access once the at&t service expired. That is when I started using the wifi service from the phone hotsptot to get the traffic data.

I've attached a picture, it's possible you have a different infotainment system?

(Unfortunately, the 2016 f type no longer has map updates

for quite a few a few years)

 

With hotspot active on my phone, my car's "Connectivity/Wi-Fi" section says: "Connect a device to vehicle's Internet connection"

It seems your XF has a different system, despite being a 2020 like my F-Type (which was built around early April 2019). Mine says its InControl Touch Pro is version "2021A-24, activated April 17, 2024" and its Infotainment Software is version S22A_22.32.4-928505, updated 12/17/2022.

I wonder whether a dealer could update to whatever version(s) you have, to permit the car to use an external hotspot? All my owner's literature has said a micro-SIM data account is necessary for Internet access; nothing about using a phone's hotspot.