topic Re: US Roaming in Get Support

US Roaming

hmcpye — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 00:44:23 GMT

I purchased the $30 US roaming package in September and while I was in the US I could text and use data but was unable to make voice calls. I tried re-starting several times with no luck. I'm heading to the US again Saturday and would like to know if I will have the same issue? Is this something that happens frequently? I would really hate to waste another $30.

Re: US Roaming

dust2dust — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 00:49:54 GMT

It's likely that your phone is not enabled for volte here. What is the make and model so we can figure it out with you?

Re: US Roaming

PrizmalEDM — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 00:59:40 GMT

Sucks to hear you're having issues, I would recommend possibly looking for alternatives than to maybe waste another $30, there's plenty of cheaper options for roaming data or even free trials like Google Fi.

Re: US Roaming

hairbag1 — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 01:07:01 GMT

@PrizmalEDM wrote:
Sucks to hear you're having issues, I would recommend possibly looking for alternatives than to maybe waste another $30, there's plenty of cheaper options for roaming data or even free trials like Google Fi.

If the OP can ensure that he has volte on his phone...the roaming add-on will work as good as if he was at home. ~~Talk~~ data / text work great regardless.

Re: US Roaming

hmcpye — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 01:08:00 GMT

It's a Samsung Galaxy S10

Re: US Roaming

DennyCrane — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 02:07:51 GMT

@hmcpye Your phone is not on PM's VoLTE compatability list, so that's why you are having trouble with phone calls. Without VoLTE your phone tries to fallback to 3G to make phone calls, but the US has shut down their 3G networks. No network = no phone calls.

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/on/get-help/articles/volte

Aside from getting a new phone, your only hope is for a 2G TMobile connection. If you can manually connect to T-Mobile it may find a 2G tower if you're lucky.

Re: US Roaming

dust2dust — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 03:05:36 GMT

Yeah not likely indeed. The list is not exactly in stone but with your prior experience after volte came out, that would be the conclusion.
You can verify this by making a call and staying on it, go to settings, about phone, status information, sim card status - look for mobile voice network type and see if it says UMTS. I suspect it will. But maybe it will say LTE. Only when on a call.
A little wording similarity here, our non-volte-enabled phones currently sit waiting on LTE. Then they "fallback" to 3G UMTS for a call. One could say that when roaming on T-Mobile that the phone "falls back" to 2G GSM for the call, bypassing 3G. The weird part is that this might not happen in all areas. In some areas it will but in other areas you might need to change to 2G GSM manually. Text will work there as well. Then when you need data you switch back to 4G LTE.

So when you go next time, when you are able to connect to a US tower (T-Mobile) (either by land crossing or taxiing in after landing) connect manually to T-Mobile. You might be able to make and receive calls. Or change to 2G GSM manually.

The thing to be aware of is that coverage will be less than ideal. And non-existent in Alaska.