But the story doesn't end there. Three weeks later, the router forced another update. Why? Because the NR5103E’s modem firmware is signed to the IMEI of the device. Even after downgrading, the carrier’s network rejected the old firmware’s authentication handshake, eventually locking the SIM.
The Tale of the Disappearing 5G: How NR5103E Firmware Became a Double-Edged Sword nr5103e firmware
One Tuesday morning, her network dropped to 30 Mbps. The 5G icon was gone. Only 4G remained. After rebooting, resetting, and repositioning the router, nothing worked. The 5G band (n78) she relied on had simply vanished. But the story doesn't end there