I've been a loyal T-Mobile customer since 2004, but lately I've been wondering why.
There remains a dead spot not far from where I live, and it extends for miles. There is no T-Mobile coverage in the area. I know that there is ATT coverage there because it shows it on ATT's coverage map, and by borrowing a friend's phone to show the coverage.
For whatever reason, my T-Mobile phones won't roam. I've been through their support people, and have reset the phones, rebooted the phones, and even replaced the SIM cards to no effect.
I've been in touch with T-Mobile many times at this point, but they keep saying its the phones, despite the fact that I had them at the store last week with no problem, and they function otherwise normally where there is a T-Mobile tower.
I have two Motorola V195's on a monthly family plan.
Any thoughts? Isn't "free roaming" worthless if the phones won't actually roam?
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mpapple10 Posts: 1132
Phone Model: T-Mobile Shadow/HTC Juno
Service Provider: T-Mobile
Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:29 am
It can take a few minutes for the phones to pick up a roaming signal. Have your tried manual network selection? How many bars does your friends att phone show in the dead spot? Also, who made your friends phone?
digitaldoc Posts: 6
Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:43 am
Good thoughts. I have tried manual network selection, and I detect the ATT network on my Motorola phone.
On my friend's ATT service, it's a Siemens phone (a little blue candy bar style one with a monochrome screen). It has three bars of service on ATT.
At a work location, inside a building a similar thing occurs. My T-Mobile phone loses the signal completely, and will stay with no network all day. If I try a manual select, both the T-Mobile and the ATT networks come up. If I choose ATT, the phone reverts back to T-Mobile, gets two bars of service, but within a few seconds goes back to no service. Folks with ATT service can make calls from the same location with no issue.
I've been a loyal T-Mobile customer since 2004, but lately I've been wondering why.
There remains a dead spot not far from where I live, and it extends for miles. There is no T-Mobile coverage in the area. I know that there is ATT coverage there because it shows it on ATT's coverage map, and by borrowing a friend's phone to show the coverage.
For whatever reason, my T-Mobile phones won't roam. I've been through their support people, and have reset the phones, rebooted the phones, and even replaced the SIM cards to no effect.
I've been in touch with T-Mobile many times at this point, but they keep saying its the phones, despite the fact that I had them at the store last week with no problem, and they function otherwise normally where there is a T-Mobile tower.
I have two Motorola V195's on a monthly family plan.
Any thoughts? Isn't "free roaming" worthless if the phones won't actually roam?
One of the major problems with t mobile roaming is they can't roam so well in rural areas. t mobile only uses 1900mhz while att and other gsm carriers use two frequencies. but if you want great coverage all over, in buildings and rural areas, check out a cdma carrier, such as sprint, alltel, or verizon.
mpapple10 Posts: 1132
Phone Model: T-Mobile Shadow/HTC Juno
Service Provider: T-Mobile
Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:55 am
Are you able to select att from the manual network selection?
Are you able to select att from the manual network selection?
He says he is but the weak tmobile signal takes over. i guess his phone is programmed to hang on to t mobile towers as much as possible. and if your in a rural area, alltel might be your best choice. they have more towers in rural areas than any other carrier. check thier coverage map to see if your covered. even if you get it to roam on att if you roam too much they can shut off your phone and kill your contract.
digitaldoc Posts: 6
Thu Mar 13, 2008 3:34 pm
If I'm changing carriers, I'll jump to ATT. Unfortunately, my contract isn't up until November, and the termination fee of $200 per phone will keep me put for the time being.
mpapple10 Posts: 1132
Phone Model: T-Mobile Shadow/HTC Juno
Service Provider: T-Mobile
Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:48 am
digitaldoc wrote:
If I'm changing carriers, I'll jump to ATT. Unfortunately, my contract isn't up until November, and the termination fee of $200 per phone will keep me put for the time being.
What kind of phone do you have again? Phones haves a setting in them that tells them how fast to look for new towers. The faster it is set, the worse your battery life. Tmo sets their phones somewhere in the middle of the scale. With your phone model, I can see what needs done to speed your tower selection up.
digitaldoc Posts: 6
Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:48 am
I have a family plan with two Motorola V195's.
Any help is appreciated as I'm stuck in this situation for the next 8 months.
If I'm changing carriers, I'll jump to ATT. Unfortunately, my contract isn't up until November, and the termination fee of $200 per phone will keep me put for the time being.
Lol why att? they overcharge for bad service. thier data network is so slow!
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