Develop Bugs

T-Mobile 3g Petition - Sign here!

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/tmobile3g/#signForm
People from the T-Mob forum hacked off by this ongoing issue have setup a petition.
Please sign if you are affected or support having this problem fixed!

They're merging with Orange in a matter of months... why would they do something now?

brummiesteven said:
They're merging with Orange in a matter of months... why would they do something now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was about to say that, in fact the reason I never moved over to a better T-Mobile deal was because of the crap 3g.
Speaking to orange when I upgraded to the Desire last week they reckon it will take 18 months to integrate the network so I cant see T-Mobile doing anything when plans are all ready in the pipe line

I think you should read your T's & C's, just because you have a phone, they have a network, there is no gurantee of service....
T-Mobile are currently merging their 3g network with 3UK's 3g network and that is on going and has been for 2 years.
The merger of Orange and T-Mobile will not bring about any overnight changes. In fact it may be a year or longer before any works are undertaken to merge the networks and once started it could take a year or two to complete.

I'm currently using my T-Mobile SIM in my Desire, and it's all working perfectly.. 3G is blazingly fast, MMS and SMS messages are good, calls are clear with zero drop outs.
Sounds to me like it's just a bunch of people who didn't check the coverage maps...

FloatingFatMan said:
I'm currently using my T-Mobile SIM in my Desire, and it's all working perfectly.. 3G is blazingly fast, MMS and SMS messages are good, calls are clear with zero drop outs.
Sounds to me like it's just a bunch of people who didn't check the coverage maps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
untrue. I'm in central london, as are other users and the coverage map shows my home and office locations as 'excellent'

ninjakettle said:
untrue. I'm in central london, as are other users and the coverage map shows my home and office locations as 'excellent'
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Click to collapse
Hi Ninja,
I work in mobile comms, mainly R&D for my companies mobile technologies for using data capture devices out on the roads. The main issues we have found with trying to transfer data in built up areas are because they are built up areas. We work in London and Birmingham and to say the least the 3G coverage we find is really sporadic, this is mainly due to the high rise buildings blocking and bouncing the signal all over the place, it has nothing to do with network coverage its just the way it is in.

Hmm, this is making me a little nervous.
I'm getting concerned about T-Mob coverage, as I've been trying to sign up as a new customer.
Hrm. Should I be cancelling ASAP?

langers1 said:
Hi Ninja,
I work in mobile comms, mainly R&D for my companies mobile technologies for using data capture devices out on the roads. The main issues we have found with trying to transfer data in built up areas are because they are built up areas. We work in London and Birmingham and to say the least the 3G coverage we find is really sporadic, this is mainly due to the high rise buildings blocking and bouncing the signal all over the place, it has nothing to do with network coverage its just the way it is in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can accept that langers- but the issue myself and these folk are having is that while the HSDPA connection is fine (blisteringly fast at times), 3G is non-existent. If only it were sporadic.
I was in Bath for my easter break and had the same issue there. HSDPA was great. 3G was non-existent.

sobrique said:
Hmm, this is making me a little nervous.
I'm getting concerned about T-Mob coverage, as I've been trying to sign up as a new customer.
Hrm. Should I be cancelling ASAP?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TBH Sobrique if you live in a city then all the providers will have the same problem, my company has used O2 and Orange and they both suffered from urban signal degradation. Being on Orange when I have been out and about I am pretty confidant I will get a signal where I am going, this includes sitting on top of a mountain in the lake district uploading my fb photos I have taken 30secs earlier. Best bet all ways check the coverage maps but bare in mind you will all ways have probs in the city (where u can usually pick up free wifi)

I've never had any such problems in Birmingham?

ninjakettle said:
untrue. I'm in central london, as are other users and the coverage map shows my home and office locations as 'excellent'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're either in a poor reception area, are suffering from the same kind of "canyoning" that messes up GPS, or something nearby is interfering with your signal.
T-Mobiles network is generally fine, and certainly isn't deserving of anything as silly as a petition.
Have you tried other network SIMs?

phone is locked. so i can't try other sims. Look, if you visit the tmobile thread, their tech staff have posted and said there is an issue. They know there's an issue and they're investigating. It's no ones imagination or location. As i've said, i've moved around london and the uk quite a bit. I find the problem everywhere.
So it's either our particular handsets or something more. I'm happy you have no issues, but don't dismiss those that have. I'm not endorsing the petition, i can just identify with the problem. I'd like T-mobile to address it.

ninjakettle said:
I can accept that langers- but the issue myself and these folk are having is that while the HSDPA connection is fine (blisteringly fast at times), 3G is non-existent. If only it were sporadic.
I was in Bath for my easter break and had the same issue there. HSDPA was great. 3G was non-existent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You HAVE to have 3g service to get HSDPA, it is a function of a 3g network. If it wasn't then you've found 2.75g as you got HSDPA in a 2g area if there was no 3g

beaker656 said:
You HAVE to have 3g service to get HSDPA, it is a function of a 3g network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone more technical than myself would have to confirm that. All i know is that the phone connects under these different states and displays one of the following...
G - GPRS
E - Edge
3G - 3G
H - HSDPA (or 3.5g as it's sometimes known)
Yes, the last two are under the 3g family, but they must operate under a different..."band"?
I'm saying that when "3G" shows on the screen - nothing. When "H" does, all is well.

I use T-Mobile in London , used it on my G2 and now the Desire. Never had any major issues with it. I often watch you tube on the train home and its generally pretty good until I go in a tunnel.
You dont tend to hang around in tunnels do you?

My phone worked perfectly in Vienna including in the Underground stations and trains. Come back to London / SE same old problems no 3G connection.
Are people actually aware of the issue who are saying it works all ok?

paulruk said:
I use T-Mobile in London , used it on my G2 and now the Desire. Never had any major issues with it. I often watch you tube on the train home and its generally pretty good until I go in a tunnel.
You dont tend to hang around in tunnels do you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heh, no
Thanks for posting though, it's just as interesting to hear people on Desire's and G2's that don't have the issue.
The thing is that i have excellent data connection when on 'H', video's browsing, etc. It's when it dips to 3G that the problem happens. This dip happens more in my office location. I'm listening to the guys who say this could be "canyoning" etc. But it's a puzzler that 'H' from the same spot is perfect, whilst '3g' is dead.
It doesn't affect me hugely as it will always eventually flick over to H, but there's a lot of time wasted, waiting for it to do just that.

langers1 said:
TBH Sobrique if you live in a city then all the providers will have the same problem, my company has used O2 and Orange and they both suffered from urban signal degradation. Being on Orange when I have been out and about I am pretty confidant I will get a signal where I am going, this includes sitting on top of a mountain in the lake district uploading my fb photos I have taken 30secs earlier. Best bet all ways check the coverage maps but bare in mind you will all ways have probs in the city (where u can usually pick up free wifi)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been Vodafone with a Touch Pro, and it's worked ok. I've checked coverage, it looks good. Seen some complaints re Vodafone, and some re T-Mobile, but am slightly concerned about there being a 'tech problems on T-Mob' petition.

ninjakettle said:
Someone more technical than myself would have to confirm that. All i know is that the phone connects under these different states and displays one of the following...
G - GPRS
E - Edge
3G - 3G
H - HSDPA (or 3.5g as it's sometimes known)
Yes, the last two are under the 3g family, but they must operate under a different..."band"?
I'm saying that when "3G" shows on the screen - nothing. When "H" does, all is well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Vienna I actually got Edge once come up and the rest of the time it was HSDPA and on the odd go 3G (working)

All T-Mobile & Orange UK Customers Look Here!

As some of you may know, T-Mobile and Orange are merging
So what are the benefits to T-Mobile customers?
You should be able to get better coverage
Improved signal
Faster Internet
So when do you get these benefits?
NOW - and it's free
I've just done it and now instead of 3 bars i get 4
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/share/
All you have to do is turn on Data Roaming in Wireless & Network Settings

I did this yesterday, thought it would be good. Seen no difference, not a thing so far!
Anyone know how to keep an eye on if I'm on T-Mobile or Orange cell towers??
Also when you enable "Data Roaming in Wireless & Network Settings" there is a rather nasty warning about potentially incurring charges from other operators, could it hop me over onto other providers without me knowing and getting me cross-network charging? (I'll admit I don't really understand the roaming part of this)

couple of issues with this:
1) 2G roaming only until 2011
2) Orange cell will only be selected if their is zero tmobile coverage. Auto selecting best cell site for signal strength will be next year.
In other words, this is a very basic roaming service.
You can force orange service but then you will only get 2G

i did this yesterday, will be better when HSDPA is added.

At the moment, until sometime in 2011 you will only use the "other" network when you lose your existing signal completely.
In 2011 it will just give you whatever is strongest, but at the moment you have to completely lose all your existing signal.
And it only shares 2g at the moment, so you will not be able to get better 3g signals.

but still useful for those times when you do in fact lose signal or your signal is low.
and if you sign up now then you'll be ready for 2011

First quarter is when 3g/Hsdpa roaming will be enabled.
You can manually select either network at the minute tho
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

One benefit is lower power after it locks on to an Orange signal when having lost the T-Mobile signal. Otherwise, mine would be stuck with high power drain searching, checking, verifying and registering to the T-Mobile network consecutively. I definitely now have 1-3 bars with Orange when I had 0 priorly. Very happy at the move.
-----------------------------------
- HTC Desire via XDA App -

Get off my network T-Mobile scum! >;P

Maybe change the title to include Orange users too?
Did scans today and its a seperate network and goes by the name: Orange T Mobile
HOW GENIUS ARE THEY?!

GANJDROID said:
Did scans today and its a seperate network and goes by the name: Orange T Mobile
HOW GENIUS ARE THEY?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Incorrect, it will be called 'Everything Everywhere'.
Still a crap name really but there we go.

oursoul said:
Incorrect, it will be called 'Everything Everywhere'.
Still a crap name really but there we go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it will be called Everything Everywhere but if you're on T-mo and sign up for this, the network will appear as "T-mobile Orange" when you're "roaming" on the Orange network. I think for Orange customers "roaming" on the T-mo network it shows as "Orange T-mobile"

fredfox_uk said:
if you're on T-mo and sign up for this, the network will appear as "T-mobile Orange" when you're "roaming" on the Orange network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, that's what I'm seeing ATM

oursoul said:
Incorrect, it will be called 'Everything Everywhere'.
Still a crap name really but there we go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The networks aren't merging, they'll still be seen as two seperate companies under the parent "Everything Everywhere" company AFAIK.
Also, anyone else noticed the damn Content Lock problem? :/

I stand corrected.. twice.

oursoul said:
Incorrect, it will be called 'Everything Everywhere'.
Still a crap name really but there we go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Their project is called Everything Everywhere, but the network that you connect to when yours has lost signal is Orange T-Mobile (and vice versa)
Edit. Nvm, didn't see someone already said this
Sent from my HTC Desire

This looks really good.
I never got a T-Mobile signal inside our local supermarket, but now got a full 4 bars under 'Orange T-Mobile'... and as soon as back home, Im back to T-Mobile again. Cool!

I sent the text to have this set up on my iPhone. To get this to work on my desire I will just need to turn on roaming and aromatic network selection won't i?
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

well orange sent me a text the other day to tell me my phone switched over to the t-mobile network for the first time...
after breaking in to a cold sweat and holding on to the nearest fixed object rather tightly, waiting for aliens to land, or the world to end...
I deleted the text and life went on as normal lol

I have just set up my phone! Hopefully this should improve Orange's poor coverage

Using T-Mo SGH-T989 on Mobilicity in Canada, a few questions..

I wonder if anybody is using this phone in Mobi here in Canada, a friend of mine got one and the first thing we noticed was that it takes FOREVER to pick the signal, even u do a manual search is painfully slow to stick to Mobi's network, also the Wifi spot is locked, and so we wonder if anybody knows a way to work around these issues without rooting (at the moment !!!).
Thanks for any input!
Btw, the phone is great, thin, light, no way that crappy mapple mockup will be even close, I mean, it does even come with Si....I mean Voice command, which works amazing!

I don't think there's another radio out yet so, i think the radio searching issue you're having isn't fixable?
I haven't heard anyone complain about the signal search so maybe it's your area or something with your particular phone. Try setting it to WCDMA preferred/only. Also, call into Wind and ask for a network reset.
Also, it seems like the wifi-spot is locked down by the t-mobile ROM. I doubt there's any fix for that other than rooting and installing a non-crippled ROM. I stand to be corrected though as I have yet to get mine in.

I know on mine when I do a Factory Reset it does take a minute or two to find the Mobilicity signal, but then it locks on, and is fine when I restart the phone. No work around for the Wifi Tethering unless you root and freeze the Tethering Manager. Sorry.

it works, i'm using it on Wind as you can see
just set the phone to look for WCDMA only as mentioned above, and it will bypass scanning the Rogers, Bell, Telus signal
so you get the Wind and Mobi towers to show up quickly that way

Funny you have the same problem as couple of other guys here (including me):
http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...-S2x-unlocked-Wont-find-network-automatically
My response remains the same:
It's definitely a problem with Mobilicity not your phone. It happens to me too when I boot up the phone it says "No Service" even though I previously registered with Mobilicity network and phone setting is set to register automatically. Don't worry. Boot up the phone, do nothing and wait for 2-3 minutes and see what happens. I usually have to wait 1 minute or so for the phone to auto-register to Mobilicity, not instant.
Also, in your mobile settings, set it to "WCDMA only" instead of the default "GSM / WCDMA auto" because Mobilicity uses WCDMA bands only. It may speed some things up.
Also, if you want to speed things up even more, go to your dialer, dial *#*#2263#*#*, select "WCDMA Band Preference", and then select "WCDMA 1700" so that the phone looks by default in the 1700 band (the band the Mobilicity uses exclusively).
---------- Post added at 09:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:34 PM ----------
goonx said:
I don't think there's another radio out yet so, i think the radio searching issue you're having isn't fixable?
I haven't heard anyone complain about the signal search so maybe it's your area or something with your particular phone. Try setting it to WCDMA preferred/only. Also, call into Wind and ask for a network reset.
Also, it seems like the wifi-spot is locked down by the t-mobile ROM. I doubt there's any fix for that other than rooting and installing a non-crippled ROM. I stand to be corrected though as I have yet to get mine in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not true.
You can root your phone, use Titanium Backup (paid version) to freeze the system app called "Tethering Manager", after that you can do wifi-hotspot with no problem. T-Mobile uses that software to block this feature.

513263337 said:
It's definitely a problem with Mobilicity not your phone. It happens to me too when I boot up the phone it says "No Service" even though I previously registered with Mobilicity network and phone setting is set to register automatically. Don't worry. Boot up the phone, do nothing and wait for 2-3 minutes and see what happens. I usually have to wait 1 minute or so for the phone to auto-register to Mobilicity, not instant..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is interesting
in WIND i do not have that problem
i power on the phone and it automatically picks up the WIND tower by itself during boot time
so by the time you see the lock screen, it already says WIND Home

AllGamer said:
this is interesting
in WIND i do not have that problem
i power on the phone and it automatically picks up the WIND tower by itself during boot time
so by the time you see the lock screen, it already says WIND Home
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the (Howard Forum) thread that I linked to, a lot of people are having this problem with registering this phone with Mobilicity. And I can personally vouch for it that every time phone boots up it takes an additional 2 minutes before you see Mobilicity.

Thx guys, so I was rt about switching the AWS setting, still it bothers me, in any case and in regards to the Wifi hotspot, what about after installing a ROM, does it stay locked or the app becomes the standard manager for the Wifi hotspot?, I wish I could rewrite the app on the stock ROM but I don't really know how to get into that...

fenrry said:
Thx guys, so I was rt about switching the AWS setting, still it bothers me, in any case and in regards to the Wifi hotspot, what about after installing a ROM, does it stay locked or the app becomes the standard manager for the Wifi hotspot?, I wish I could rewrite the app on the stock ROM but I don't really know how to get into that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My SGS2x works fine with Mobilicity, been using it with them since the 30th.
wifi tethering worked from day 1 using the stock telus install. I'm now using several custom ROMs, and overall I'm really happy with the phone on mobilicity. their 3g internet leaves lots to be desired though, perhaps it will improve, but it is an unlimited carrier.

513263337 said:
This is not true.
You can root your phone, use Titanium Backup (paid version) to freeze the system app called "Tethering Manager", after that you can do wifi-hotspot with no problem. T-Mobile uses that software to block this feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He was asking for a non-root solution.....Glad there's another way out there using root. But I think if you root the phone, you mind as well throw another ROM on there. Removes all the bloatware as well.
fenrry said:
Thx guys, so I was rt about switching the AWS setting, still it bothers me, in any case and in regards to the Wifi hotspot, what about after installing a ROM, does it stay locked or the app becomes the standard manager for the Wifi hotspot?, I wish I could rewrite the app on the stock ROM but I don't really know how to get into that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a stripped down version of the stock ROM. Never tried it but maybe that will work. You should just use one of those custom roms if you're going to root it. They have tweaks and other whatnots that improve your phone's performance. Once you go custom, you don't want to go back to stock.
Liquid5n0w said:
My SGS2x works fine with Mobilicity, been using it with them since the 30th.
wifi tethering worked from day 1 using the stock telus install. I'm now using several custom ROMs, and overall I'm really happy with the phone on mobilicity. their 3g internet leaves lots to be desired though, perhaps it will improve, but it is an unlimited carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, it's been brutal. Hopefully they can get a few more cell towers up.

goonx said:
Agreed, it's been brutal. Hopefully they can get a few more cell towers up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue isn't cell towers, the issue is back end internet, after the IP transmission gets through their cell network to whatever centre they use, the internet connection to that that all of Toronto shares it ****ty and can't keep up. It's not a single overloaded tower that's the issue, as you can see by doing constant speed tests while roaming around.
Backend internet connections are expensive, especially the bandwidth on them. Small carrier can't afford to keep up to it's unlimited bandwidth demands.

Liquid5n0w said:
My SGS2x works fine with Mobilicity, been using it with them since the 30th. Wifi tethering worked from day 1 using the stock Telus install. I'm now using several custom ROMs, and overall I'm really happy with the phone on Mobilicity. their 3g internet leaves lots to be desired though, perhaps it will improve, but it is an unlimited carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, this is not rooted yet so that's a huge difference since ur phone will for sure include modifications to the radio, in all (I just figured it) is about Samsung, I have a N8 and a NS, compared the 2 with the SMGS2 (T989) and there is a thing in common between the NS and the T989, getting signal from cold boot or out of dead spots is a pain, my N8 picks the signal almost immediately, on the NS running stock it takes a good 2 to 3 mins (or more if out of cold boot) to get signal but the NS running MIUI makes things faster, I presume and since the stock SMGS2 takes a long time (like the NS) the same will happen when u run the phone with a modded ROM, it will pick signal faster.
So I guess it's all about rooting

Liquid5n0w said:
The issue isn't cell towers, the issue is back end internet, after the IP transmission gets through their cell network to whatever centre they use, the internet connection to that that all of Toronto shares it ****ty and can't keep up. It's not a single overloaded tower that's the issue, as you can see by doing constant speed tests while roaming around.
Backend internet connections are expensive, especially the bandwidth on them. Small carrier can't afford to keep up to it's unlimited bandwidth demands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with the backend connection. But I think it's a bit of both. Some areas don't have as many cell towers as others. (in my area, i only have two) So I have a feeling it's both rather than just the backend.
Hopefully, they have a good new subs-to-upgrade interval so the speeds will get better.

well, regarding the nexus S
a lot of people in WIND also complains that it always stays in "emergency mode calls only, blah blah blah" basically unable to attach itself to the network.
i seldomly get that on my Nexus S, but that's probably because it's customized
but on the T989, i don't have that problem even in stock
so that's actually very nice
fenrry said:
Well, this is not rooted yet so that's a huge difference since ur phone will for sure include modifications to the radio, in all (I just figured it) is about Samsung, I have a N8 and a NS, compared the 2 with the SMGS2 (T989) and there is a thing in common between the NS and the T989, getting signal from cold boot or out of dead spots is a pain, my N8 picks the signal almost immediately, on the NS running stock it takes a good 2 to 3 mins (or more if out of cold boot) to get signal but the NS running MIUI makes things faster, I presume and since the stock SMGS2 takes a long time (like the NS) the same will happen when u run the phone with a modded ROM, it will pick signal faster.
So I guess it's all about rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

AllGamer said:
well, regarding the nexus S
a lot of people in WIND also complains that it always stays in "emergency mode calls only, blah blah blah" basically unable to attach itself to the network.
i seldomly get that on my Nexus S, but that's probably because it's customized
but on the T989, i don't have that problem even in stock
so that's actually very nice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That reinforce my statement, is not really the network but mostly the way Samsung works the radios on their phones on the 1700 Mhz freq or at least for us, don't know in the US.
My NS running stock is a pain, modded works nicely, takes a bit longer than my Nokia but gets the network faster than running stock Android, I bet the same happens with the T989.

I am currently on Mobilicity in Vancouver with a crappy cheap phone and it has a hell of a time getting reception on the network. I live in East Van near victoria and I get reception in only 1 room in my place. I am planning on getting the Telus GS2X in a couple of weeks. Would this help my problem? Can anyone who lives in Vancouver and has the GS2X comment on his/her reception in east van?
Thanks alot.

New_here said:
I am currently on Mobilicity in Vancouver with a crappy cheap phone and it has a hell of a time getting reception on the network. I live in East Van near victoria and I get reception in only 1 room in my place. I am planning on getting the Telus GS2X in a couple of weeks. Would this help my problem? Can anyone who lives in Vancouver and has the GS2X comment on his/her reception in east van?
Thanks alot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a new phone might not help if the tower is physically too far from your location
however a good phone with good reception could improve your problem
the only way to find out is to try the phone in your house and see if it works for you

Does anyone know the best place to buy this phone and have it shipped to usa. I know tmobile sells the phone but if I use a tmobile branded android phone they up the cost of my service.

If u want the phone not branded to T-Mo then u'll have to get the Telus version sine it comes with no T-Mo stuff, I don't know of this model to be able factory unlocked
On the other hand I have a couple of new questions:
1> Is there a way to fix/access the MMS?, on Mobi I'm getting errors when receiving MMS, the pixs come all blurry.
2> Any way to enable the Wifi Tethering?, using the T-Mo model is just impossible unless u have the T-Mo sim which is not the case and I haven't seen any of the existing ROM's addressing the issue (sorry if I missed the part, so pls let me know if it's fixed )
Thx

1) check the apn settings and match it to the mobilicity ones. Head over to hofo and there's a thread about it
2) you need to root your phone &, put a custom rom on it. There's another way of disabling a process but I suggest the former
Sent from my SGH-T989

Three network - 2G/3G

I went into Three shop on Oxford street today and aksed about returned defective handsets, but she didn`t know what I`m talking about. After I explained, she said they don`t use 2G for voice any more, its all 3G now, hence no returned phones with volume bug. "All 2G masts have been replaced with 3G ones, very very few 2G left".
I thought 3G was only for data? Or it can also transmit voice? Some time ago I remember they used o2 for their voice calls?
I`m currently on Vodafone and their coverage is so crap. Try getting signal(iPhone 4) indoors with thick walls or with steel constructions - good luck. Not even talking getting 3G for data. But my Three USB broadband dongle just flies, no difference indoors/outdoors whatsoever. Very impressive.
So, would this mean that if I switch to Three, my voice coverage would also be much better not just 3G?

I'm with 3 uk, good coverage and signal most places. I was told that 3 doesn't use the 900Mhz band so I can only assume it uses 3g for voice as well.
I've also had the GNexus for a week and not noticed the volume bug at all.

2G can be either voice or Data. You get crappy speeds compared to 3G, and the trade off is you can only have one running at the given time, meaning you can't browse the web while in a call.
3G is the next step after 2G, and allows for both voice and data(at least on a GSM carrier), and offers a lot better speeds than 2G.
To answer your last question, it really depends on the coverage you have in the area, so I cannot answer it; you just have to try it out yourself.

I am on three network, I am pretty sure they using "3g" (probably why its called three?), and don't actually has any 2g network/mast anymore. In fact, when you request for a sim card from three, it says you must have a 3g type of phone.
Where you get areas that doesn't have 3g, it will fall back to 2g but will be using someone elses network to provide (last I had heard was orange network). Not sure if that is true anymore as that news I had heard is a few years old.

They used to have a deal with orange to carry 2G, and it still works in a few places, although officially they'll tell you that's all done with. Three have been aggressively rolling out their network to replace all that (which is why you can get 3g signal in fields in the middle of nowhere).

Three only has 3g masts which means you get 3g signal pretty much everywhere. If you go somewhere with a poor or non existent 3g signal the phone will roam on to Orange 2g. Three used to have a roaming agreement with Orange for the entire uk however, recently they have started to end this agreement with Orange in areas where they know the 3g network is strong enough.
I'm with three and if you're on the three 3g network it will show 3 as the operator when you pull down the notification bar. If you roam on to Orange 2g it shows 3 with another 3 directly underneath it. On a side note I actually left orange for three due to signal issues, oh how the tides have changed since three first started out with 3g .
Oh and Three use 2100mhz for their 3g network and Orange use 1800mhz for their 2g which is why customers on Three or Orange never have the volume issue which affects people on o2 and Vodafone(both mainly use the 900mhz frequencies).
Rik.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

DDRFAN said:
2G can be either voice or Data. You get crappy speeds compared to 3G, and the trade off is you can only have one running at the given time, meaning you can't browse the web while in a call.
3G is the next step after 2G, and allows for both voice and data(at least on a GSM carrier), and offers a lot better speeds than 2G.
To answer your last question, it really depends on the coverage you have in the area, so I cannot answer it; you just have to try it out yourself.
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Simultaneously? Can I surf web and at least receive phone call & sms? Or if somebody calls me it will go to voicemail?

aindow said:
Three only has 3g masts which means you get 3g signal pretty much everywhere. If you go somewhere with a poor or non existent 3g signal the phone will roam on to Orange 2g. Three used to have a roaming agreement with Orange for the entire uk however, recently they have started to end this agreement with Orange in areas where they know the 3g network is strong enough.
I'm with three and if you're on the three 3g network it will show 3 as the operator when you pull down the notification bar. If you roam on to Orange 2g it shows 3 with another 3 directly underneath it. On a side note I actually left orange for three due to signal issues, oh how the tides have changed since three first started out with 3g .
Oh and Three use 2100mhz for their 3g network and Orange use 1800mhz for their 2g which is why customers on Three or Orange never have the volume issue which affects people on o2 and Vodafone(both mainly use the 900mhz frequencies).
Rik.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm confused.. does this mean three does not also get hsdpa? or hspa+? i get that signal on my orange desire hd - as the galaxy nexus is hspa+ device its now got me puzzled.. hmmm..

Three will not let you use 2g signal. They lock all their phones up so it's not possible. That's how they claim to have the fastest network in the uk. If your our of a 3G signal area, you have no signal.

GR36 said:
Three will not let you use 2g signal. They lock all their phones up so it's not possible. That's how they claim to have the fastest network in the uk. If your our of a 3G signal area, you have no signal.
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Click to collapse
Are you sure?! That sounds very unrealistic.

MrYuzhai said:
i'm confused.. does this mean three does not also get hsdpa? or hspa+? i get that signal on my orange desire hd - as the galaxy nexus is hspa+ device its now got me puzzled.. hmmm..
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Click to collapse
Three has HSDPA/+ because I have their mobile broadband USB dongle.

GR36 said:
Three will not let you use 2g signal. They lock all their phones up so it's not possible. That's how they claim to have the fastest network in the uk. If your our of a 3G signal area, you have no signal.
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Click to collapse
That is rubbish IMO. Three use orange 2g as already said if there isn't 3g network. I work in the middle of nowhere and get excellent 3g signal from three. I have tried all operators before three and it has the best coverage and speed that I have found. Its like having 3 meg broadband.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

I've used a 2G signal recently on 3 so can't agree with that either.
What I heard though is the 2G will be restricted to voice only? Not sure how true that is.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

rbs_uk said:
Simultaneously? Can I surf web and at least receive phone call & sms? Or if somebody calls me it will go to voicemail?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, on 3G or HSPA you can be online and receive calls and texts simultaneously.
with 2G you can only receive texts whilst in a call.
rbs_uk said:
GR36 said:
Three will not let you use 2g signal. They lock all their phones up so it's not possible. That's how they claim to have the fastest network in the uk. If your our of a 3G signal area, you have no signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure?! That sounds very unrealistic.
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Click to collapse
it's not unrealistic, it's true
chrishiggins said:
That is rubbish IMO. Three use orange 2g as already said if there isn't 3g network.
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Click to collapse
According to this article dated more than a year ago, you are wrong.

oscillik, once again you're the one that's wrong. Three do still allow you to roam onto oranges 2g network in areas with no 3g signal. I know this is true as I still occasionally do it.
Did you even bother reading the Reg article you posted. Try reading the very first paragraph "3 has started to switch off roaming onto Orange's 2G network in locations where it reckons its own coverage makes the 2G partner redundant."
If that looks familiar, it should as it's almost exactly what chrishiggins said.
You must be getting used to being wrong by now...

erbain said:
oscillik, once again you're the one that's wrong. Three do still allow you to roam onto oranges 2g network in areas with no 3g signal. I know this is true as I still occasionally do it.
Did you even bother reading the Reg article you posted. Try reading the very first paragraph "3 has started to switch off roaming onto Orange's 2G network in locations where it reckons its own coverage makes the 2G partner redundant."
If that looks familiar, it should as it's almost exactly what chrishiggins said.
You must be getting used to being wrong by now...
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Click to collapse
Actually you are wrong. Here is what chrishiggins said, with the pertinent details bolded for you
chrishiggins said:
That is rubbish IMO. Three use orange 2g as already said if there isn't 3g network. I work in the middle of nowhere and get excellent 3g signal from three. I have tried all operators before three and it has the best coverage and speed that I have found. Its like having 3 meg broadband.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now, as you can see, he quite clearly states that even in the middle of nowhere, he gets excellent 3G signal. Nowhere in his post does he make any allusions to anything that the Register article mentions.
Also, yes I did read the article, particularly the part that states that the article is a year old.
Since you seem to be so keen on facts, please, find every single instance of where I have been wrong and haven't admitted to being so, and post the evidence for all to see, collated into one area.
Take your time.

Wow, what have you been smoking? I know what he said, you have quoted it several times.
Let's try this one more time :
"Three use orange 2g as already said if there isn't 3g network" This is what you originally quoted and stated was wrong, it is in fact true and is exactly what the Reg article says. You used to be able to use orange 2g anywhere in the UK but now you can only use it where there no good 3g signal.
"I work in the middle of nowhere and get excellent 3g signal from three" So he has a good 3g signal at his work, what's this got to do with being able to roam onto 2g in bad 3g areas?
oscillik said:
Since you seem to be so keen on facts, please, find every single instance of where I have been wrong and haven't admitted to being so, and post the evidence for all to see, collated into one area.
Take your time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I'll pass, but If I'm reading a thread where you're spewing ****e and generally being rude I'll make a point of replying.

erbain said:
Wow, what have you been smoking? I know what he said, you have quoted it several times.
Let's try this one more time :
"Three use orange 2g as already said if there isn't 3g network" This is what you originally quoted and stated was wrong, it is in fact true and is exactly what the Reg article says. You used to be able to use orange 2g anywhere in the UK but now you can only use it where there no good 3g signal.
"I work in the middle of nowhere and get excellent 3g signal from three" So he has a good 3g signal at his work, what's this got to do with being able to roam onto 2g in bad 3g areas?
I think I'll pass, but If I'm reading a thread where you're spewing ****e and generally being rude I'll make a point of replying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I apologise for being wrong with regard to your first point. As you have correctly made me out to be a fool here, chrishiggins does say that. Although it is still yet to be ascertained whether 3-UK still have any existing 2G roaming agreement with Orange, and if so, what areas this covers. I'm sure you can agree with me that 3-UK should really be a bit more transparent about which areas are able to receive 2G roaming. This would be beneficial for all existing and prospective customers.
The second point has a lot to do with being able to roam onto 2G in bad 3G areas, since in the majority of cases, 'middle-of-nowhere' places tend to not have 3G coverage. Now I know that is a very vague definition, but it is one that I'm sure you have experienced yourself. I would be very surprised if you had kept 3G reception whilst being in a place that most would regard as being in the middle of nowhere.
As for your closing point, I respect your tenacity. After the conversation we've had, you've successfully proven me wrong regarding something I have said, made me out to be a fool, and furthered the exploration of fact. You weren't trolling, you actually had a beef with what I had said. All in all, you've come out on top here, I've been given a swift clip round the ear, and other readers should hopefully be more informed. Can we at least agree that this is a positive outcome?

oscillik said:
I apologise for being wrong with regard to your first point. As you have correctly made me out to be a fool here, chrishiggins does say that. Although it is still yet to be ascertained whether 3-UK still have any existing 2G roaming agreement with Orange, and if so, what areas this covers. I'm sure you can agree with me that 3-UK should really be a bit more transparent about which areas are able to receive 2G roaming. This would be beneficial for all existing and prospective customers.
The second point has a lot to do with being able to roam onto 2G in bad 3G areas, since in the majority of cases, 'middle-of-nowhere' places tend to not have 3G coverage. Now I know that is a very vague definition, but it is one that I'm sure you have experienced yourself. I would be very surprised if you had kept 3G reception whilst being in a place that most would regard as being in the middle of nowhere.
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Click to collapse
It would be nice if 3 were a bit more transparent about where 2g was still available, unfortunately I don't see that ever happening.
Personally I've had a fairly good experience with 3 over the last 5 months, I get a good 3g signal at home and at work and find it generally OK. I was down in Cornwall a couple months ago staying in a hotel that could have been described as the middle of nowhere, I had no 3g signal but I was still able to roam onto 2g, so I know it still works in some places.
3 do seem to have improved there network since I last used them a few years ago. As a bonus, I think my GN is able to pick up a weaker 3g signal than my N1 was, maybe the hspa+ radio helps.
oscillik said:
As for your closing point, I respect your tenacity. After the conversation we've had, you've successfully proven me wrong regarding something I have said, made me out to be a fool, and furthered the exploration of fact. You weren't trolling, you actually had a beef with what I had said. All in all, you've come out on top here, I've been given a swift clip round the ear, and other readers should hopefully be more informed. Can we at least agree that this is a positive outcome?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I try to never troll, If I'm arguing a point it's because I believe what I'm saying is correct. Anyway I'm glad in this instance we're able to agree

rbs_uk said:
Are you sure?! That sounds very unrealistic.
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Indeed, I'm calling BS here, I've been talking to them recently, they were telling me they don't run 2G themselves. If there really is no 3G coverage, they have a fallback in place that runs off the back of Orange.
They are slowing turning off 2G fallback in places where they consider their 3G coverage to be more than adequate.
cow.neondragon.net/index.php/three-begins-2g-coverage-switch-off-have-you-been-affected-your-rights

[Q] Connection blocked by the provider?

Hi guys... Im from Panama and i have a question let tell a little background
Here in Panama we have 2 providers that have LTE and uses band 28 this is why i bought my zenfone from taiwan with band 28 reception... this is the problem i put my sim card from one of the provider and guess what didnt got LTE and they told me is becuase is my phone that is not allow in their network (they are selling phone which is LTE ready according to them) But i friend of my put his simcard of his samsung S6 from the second company (uses the same 28 band) and my phone got LTE rightaway... So is somthing the provider can do to stop phones coming from outside getting LTE? Right now my phone is getting HSPA+ that is H+ but nothing else
And in the screenshot my phone is detecting the network which is the first LTE that you see. The second LTE with Forbidden is from the other company from which my friend have his simcard..
Thanks for the help

zerg_protoss said:
Hi guys... Im from Panama and i have a question let tell a little background
Here in Panama we have 2 providers that have LTE and uses band 28 this is why i bought my zenfone from taiwan with band 28 reception... this is the problem i put my sim card from one of the provider and guess what didnt got LTE and they told me is becuase is my phone that is not allow in their network (they are selling phone which is LTE ready according to them) But i friend of my put his simcard of his samsung S6 from the second company (uses the same 28 band) and my phone got LTE rightaway... So is somthing the provider can do to stop phones coming from outside getting LTE? Right now my phone is getting HSPA+ that is H+ but nothing else
And in the screenshot my phone is detecting the network which is the first LTE that you see. The second LTE with Forbidden is from the other company from which my friend have his simcard..
Thanks for the help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mmm, should you probe further to your Service provider on why it is not allow, could it be that your version was the TD-LTE? which only china has? they use difference accessing method.
the possibility of SP locking the network base on phone is rare as they need to spend extra server to cater for such banning and this does not goes into their profit and Ike customer in general. It could also be that your sim card does not have LTE function. this function is stored in HSS ( HLR) where all your services are known in the network.
Check further then post here. seem to me it is more of your sim account issue.

i post tomorrow im going to talk to my provider and hear what they have to say
Thanks for the interest

sooty84 said:
mmm, should you probe further to your Service provider on why it is not allow, could it be that your version was the TD-LTE? which only china has? they use difference accessing method.
the possibility of SP locking the network base on phone is rare as they need to spend extra server to cater for such banning and this does not goes into their profit and Ike customer in general. It could also be that your sim card does not have LTE function. this function is stored in HSS ( HLR) where all your services are known in the network.
Check further then post here. seem to me it is more of your sim account issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi good evening , well i came back and I talk to my provider this time the guy told me that my phone should work withouth any problem since it uses the same LTE band as they do which is band 28. He told me that aparently they have to activate something in their network in order for my phone to get LTE signal so they will be calling me tomorrow to tell me if I need to do somthing else. I ask him if i need to use a contract or if prepaid work too. And he told me that it also work with a prepaid service. He told me that my simcard is LTE ready and should not have any problems but told me that they will investigate. Also they dont use TD-LTE.
I will post a soon as I have the answer from them

zerg_protoss said:
Hi good evening , well i came back and I talk to my provider this time the guy told me that my phone should work withouth any problem since it uses the same LTE band as they do which is band 28. He told me that aparently they have to activate something in their network in order for my phone to get LTE signal so they will be calling me tomorrow to tell me if I need to do somthing else. I ask him if i need to use a contract or if prepaid work too. And he told me that it also work with a prepaid service. He told me that my simcard is LTE ready and should not have any problems but told me that they will investigate. Also they dont use TD-LTE.
I will post a soon as I have the answer from them
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dont trust your telecom, some truth are not allow to tell customer about, i work for 7 years for 2 different telecom.
if your phone is TD-LTE, you can never connect to your network no matter what, just see it as a door with a wrong key
if it is FD-LTE, it is most likely the settings on your profile is not provisioned, the Customer service may tell you they see it is up but in fact the system that they are reading the data from MAY not be unified with the back-end servers.
It may also because someone in-experience have wrongly provision your SIM profile.
Lastly it could be then handset is faulty with LTE service.
the best way is to call up the telecom with another phone and proposed a testing right when he/she is attending to you. ask them to forward the testing time/ MSISDN to the supporting engineering for wireshark trace. they CAN straight away tell you what problem you encounter.
you are at least someone in the forum that listen and understand truth. some others in another part of the forum are stubborn as hell..
hope you gotten the FD phone and it works for you.

sooty84 said:
dont trust your telecom, some truth are not allow to tell customer about, i work for 7 years for 2 different telecom.
if your phone is TD-LTE, you can never connect to your network no matter what, just see it as a door with a wrong key
if it is FD-LTE, it is most likely the settings on your profile is not provisioned, the Customer service may tell you they see it is up but in fact the system that they are reading the data from MAY not be unified with the back-end servers.
It may also because someone in-experience have wrongly provision your SIM profile.
Lastly it could be then handset is faulty with LTE service.
the best way is to call up the telecom with another phone and proposed a testing right when he/she is attending to you. ask them to forward the testing time/ MSISDN to the supporting engineering for wireshark trace. they CAN straight away tell you what problem you encounter.
you are at least someone in the forum that listen and understand truth. some others in another part of the forum are stubborn as hell..
hope you gotten the FD phone and it works for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for all these usefull information you are giving me that you gain from your expirience I really apriciate all your help and kwoledge and this will help me explain my self better when i have to talk with them.
I came here becuase there a lots of thing i still need to learn about telecomunication and bands in general (Im actually studing medicine but this calls my attention)
Well i im sure that I got a FD phone because with the second telecom (the one that my friend uses) my phone got the LTE right away so im sure thats not the problem and becuase it got LTE im sure that my phone is working all good.
Since the phone is FD then the most like thing is happening is that they havent afiliate the services correctly (that what the guy from the telecome told me) and that technicians will set up that in their side. They will call me tomorrow and tell me whats happening.
He also told me that aparently there have to be a second registration of the data service which is the one for the LTE that hasnt been done and this could be the reason of the problem.
The only thing is about the testing you you are telling me. Let me see if a got it right. Tell them to foward the time/MSISDN (its the phone numer) to engineering to wireshark trace (this is for looking that the connection and the setups are correct and the case they are not then look where is the problem if in their side or my side)
Again thank you very much. Really apriciate your help and im came here to learn and maybe some else with the same problem have the answer here
Good night

zerg_protoss said:
Thank you very much for all these usefull information you are giving me that you gain from your expirience I really apriciate all your help and kwoledge and this will help me explain my self better when i have to talk with them.
I came here becuase there a lots of thing i still need to learn about telecomunication and bands in general (Im actually studing medicine but this calls my attention)
Well i im sure that I got a FD phone because with the second telecom (the one that my friend uses) my phone got the LTE right away so im sure thats not the problem and becuase it got LTE im sure that my phone is working all good.
Since the phone is FD then the most like thing is happening is that they havent afiliate the services correctly (that what the guy from the telecome told me) and that technicians will set up that in their side. They will call me tomorrow and tell me whats happening.
He also told me that aparently there have to be a second registration of the data service which is the one for the LTE that hasnt been done and this could be the reason of the problem.
The only thing is about the testing you you are telling me. Let me see if a got it right. Tell them to foward the time/MSISDN (its the phone numer) to engineering to wireshark trace (this is for looking that the connection and the setups are correct and the case they are not then look where is the problem if in their side or my side)
Again thank you very much. Really apriciate your help and im came here to learn and maybe some else with the same problem have the answer here
Good night
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
let me put it in this way
1) call up your telco and during the call,tell them that you will be performing a test for packet transfer on your phone now.
2) just try to manually connect to their LTE network by search.
3) let them know the time range that you are doing this (eg. 14:00 to 14:05)
4) get them to let the back end engineer do his/her work tracing > SGSN signalling > DPD context.
5) wait till they come back with you on the details why is it not working for you.
the handset send a signal to the radio (UTRAN) and request a data service (LTE), in this case it the radio will forward this request to the SGSN to S Gateway( just take it as signalling module), if everything is okay, it will inform the UTRAN ok to set up tunnel (in layman context, it is the traffic medium) > so P Gateway will directly link from user UTRAN to it and out to the web via PDP context.
hope this is not heavy for you, in between there are firewalls which the network engineer is able to pick up where the data is dropping for your case.
oh i see that you are going to be a medical personnel, all you need to know is that radio are everywhere and there are some instrument that is using certain band of frequency which will interupt (crosstalk) to your instrument.
the normal cases are WiFi band as it is under free band and medical usage.
For cellular, it does not matter. the reason why hospital ban it in sensitive area is because folks in the older days are using analog signal for transmission (ASK,FSK,PSK) these are to determine the data status of any radio instrument. however nowadays, we no longer use them and systems are all digitized. so it doesnt matter if you broadcast radio in sensitive room because we are using higher tech like QAM64 etc.
lastly the reason why medical still insisted that no radio in the sensitive room is all because... changing of something might affect something else, even if they know what i said, they worry that other stuff might complicate. look at Airport during flight, it is the same reason, handphone can switch on during flight but they say no. its the same reason.
The top management knows nothing and the engineers is reluctance to set things right, too much work to do.
you can read more into those, i know pilot also need to learn about these too!

hi good night im still waiting for them to reply so i think they will call me on monday. When i contact them ill ask them to do this test you are telling me and ill get back with you as soon as i have results.. Thanks and have a good night

hello a came back and with good news. The lady sold me the wrong sim card and they also had to activate LTE services. Now everything its working great thanks for the help sooty84.
Right now im getting 25Megabites pes sec down 20 megabite up i think its because LTE network is new
I think this can be mark with resolve

Hey great! glad to help