T-Mobile Signal/Service Issue

seanparkin

Ello, Just after opinions on what I should do.

I've had a problem for a week or so now where my phone (Nokia N70) has not been working around the town I work in for about a week now. Everytime I call it fails, and displays a 'connection error' message. This happens all around the town I work in and as soon as I'm outside this magical blackspot it works perfectly again. Although the signal shows as being perfect even when it fails.

I've called T-Mobile up a couple of times (at home!) re: this issue, they blamed it on the handset, told me they'd reset their end, and to reset the phone and try again the next day. None of this worked.

I just spoke to tech department. While they also said it was a problem with my handset (how could it be!?), he then asked me to disable dual mode (3G/GSM, switches between the two as required) on my phone (effectively making it just a standard gsm handset).

It now works again. Albeit I now have a standard GSM phone when I want (and need) a 3G phone. The tech guy apologised, explained t-mobile are way behind on 3G and said that I wouldn't be able to use it around the town I work in as there was no 3G coverage.

Its been working perfectly well before the last week, and I've used video calls around the office before without any problems.

Does anybody have any thoughts about what I can do? I don't accept his explanation, as I don't understand why its worked fine up to the last week. It still doesnt explain why my handset wouldn't have automatically switched to GSM if the 3G signal wasn't good enough (especially as the signal was showing as top).

Ideally I want(need) a 3G phone. Its worked in the past, but it doesnt anymore.

Help

seanparkin

PS a colleague has the same phone, same firmware but with Orange 3g, and his works flawlessly.

DonnyDave

seanparkin wrote:

Its been working perfectly well before the last week, and I've used video calls around the office before without any problems.

The only thing I can think is that your local 3g T-Mobile base station has been switched off or moved to a place that has left your office in a dead spot.

seanparkin wrote:

PS a colleague has the same phone, same firmware but with Orange 3g, and his works flawlessly.

That's because Orange and T-Mobile are separate networks. That means that they each have their own set of base stations, also meaning that coverage will be different for each.

If you get a good signal outside your office, you might be able to get a separate antenna; maybe one that fixes to the window.

pennypincher_2

3g is weird,my Orange N70 (on Orange) puts all calls straight to answerphone whilst at my house and locale garden street etc with full 3g signal,Orange have no explanation and the handset has been replaced,50 mtrs down the road and all is fine.I just think its still early days for 3g...we are the guinea pigs.

seanparkin

Its not a problem confined to my office, I've literally walked/driven around the entire of town constantly dialling, and it just doesnt work! It only works as I get about two miles outside of town. It just really confuses me as it did work perfectly a week or two ago (I was off work last week and came back to find this) but now it doesn't, and I'm CERTAIN I've not done anything.

DonnyDave

Use Ofcom's Site Finder to locate your local T-Mobile base stations.

3G services are known as UMTS and operate at a frequency of 2100MHz. Some base stations carry both [GSM and 3G], some only have one technology.

reehsetin

it prob is the phone - its a pile of crap!
then again most of the popular 3g phones have a lot of issues