O2 roaming keeps 'losing' signal

jimbob_too

macman wrote: »

Have you tried manually switching to the local network that appears to offer a better signal?

[STRIKE]Strangely, the signal is fine today, but I'll try that next time the signal goes (probably on Monday, if there is a pattern developing..)[/STRIKE]

Ah, but you see it's not a question of a particular French network offering a BETTER signal - there is NO network operator name displayed on the screen, zero signal bars displayed. At the same time and place though, there is a good signal on my mobile with the French card. And if someone calls my UK mobile, I can take the call, and text messages also get through. But I cannot initiate calls or send texts on it. And today it is working fine. This leads me to conclude that the French networks have some sort special setting (during busy periods) for roaming PAYG users who use their phone infrequently, for which the phone appears to have no signal but receiving phone calls is still possible.

Buzby

When on a foreign network, if your phone logs into it it is regitered on that networks VLR (Visitor Logation Register) whis alrets your home network of your current whereabouts, and the virtual number this network has allocated to you whilst abroad. The VLR can be played around with, but I do not believe it is used in the way suggested, to give locals priority - if anything, the reverse is true, also the foreign network has no info on what type of customer you are (light/heavy user). It is only if you remain unconnected for a set priod of time will the VLR release you and then re use the temporary number to a different roamed handset.

jimbob_too

Hmm... so this makes the problem less clear (though the phone has behaved properly for the whole of the weekend!). It looks like a phone call to customer service is called for, though I'm not confident of getting anyway with that.

One final question: would my home network (O2) pay any kind of daily rate to the French network for my use of the 'Virtual Number', or is the French network happy to provide a Virtual Number to me for free in exchange for the money it hopes to make from my phone calls? (I assume that the profit is split between O2 and the home network somehow)

I can see how, as a light PAYG user staying for weeks at a time I would not be a very profitable prospect for either O2 or the French network that I'm roaming on...