Bell Fibe and Public Mobile - conflict

[HomePhone75Q]

Since our building changed from Cogeco to Bell Fibe, all wireless to the TV, We have had problems with our PM phones.

We cannot call or receive calls. It may be fixed for one of the phones, but how do you tell if someone has tried to call?

5 days after the Bell Fibe, 2 of our phones could call and receive, sort of, on BOTH the numbers on both phones. Impossible to have 2 active numbers on one phone, but we did.

One was with Koodo that I got back working with the one number. The PM continued to have problems.

Tech support, after 1 day of attempting to resolve it, suggested a new SIM card. I did and using the instructions on the package, got into a 2 day attempt to set it up. As instructed, I created a new account and paid for it. This did not work. It took another day to assign the SIM card to my account.

I now see it should have been a 30 second effort on my account page. Then it was escalated to a higher Tech support and it may be working.

The second phone now cannot call or be called. Even when we are out of our Bell Fibe apartment.

Fortunately I am retired and have the leisure time to wait through PM tech support, taking days.

Who do I blame?

BTW, 3 weeks ago I posted here that my phone did not ring but went straight to Voicemail. It since escalated and here I am.

[darlicious]

@HomePhone75Q 

Data roaming only needs to be on in if you are actually roaming in the US with a roaming add on (or elsewhere in the world with another provider). You can keep it on 3G if you only use it as your home phone as it may improve your connection as the phone doesn't have to switch from 4G LTE to 3G to handle incoming calling (or outgoing) and helps avoid calls going to voicemail if there's anything impeding your 3G signal that causes a slight delay in switching network modes which can cause an incoming call to default to your voicemail rather than ring thru to your phone.

There's a slightly different method on an iPhone to find signal strength than an android phone. I would have to look it up....?

Edit:

Here's how on an iPhone.....

Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Now, go to the dial pad.

Dial *3001#12345#* and then click on the call option.

You will now enter the hidden Field Test Mode on your iPhone. On the top-right corner, you will see a Menu icon. Tap on it.

On the next screen, under the RAT section, tap on the Cell Info.

Now, on the next screen, find the RSRP cell. The number next to it is your signal strength.

And the reference I had made earlier to another customer with a similar issue but they only identify as being in Southern Ontario. They tested their LTE signal strength but if you remain on 3G only the above method should show you your 3G signal strength. This post shows you an example of the screen you should see to conduct the test.

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Get-Support/Dropped-calls-to-specific-number/td-p/930...

[HomePhone75Q]

Now it works.

I just did a Reset Network settings and have 3G selected, but Data Roaming is OFF. 

The phone iPhone XR, now receives and can call to the other phones in my unit.

Should it be 3G or LTE? Or better?

My iPhone 13 is using LTE.

I can't find the Signal Strength.

It is just Talk and Text and connection to Bell Internet.

It is just used as a Home Phone with our 40 year+ phone number.

In another post, it is only not working in our condo unit. It was built in 1975. It has been renovated but this problem occurred after the Bell Fibe installation

[sheytoon]

I hope you get it resolved, but it's not related to Bell Fibe in any way.

Your cell phone uses licensed spectrum operating at 850 and 1900 MHz for voice calls on the 3G network. Bell Fibe is a wireline service, and any home wifi will operate at 2.4 or 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum.

[HomePhone75Q]

The resident in charge of the Bell Fibe came to our unit after my complaint to management.

He confirmed our phones did not work and suggested that I go outside to see if the phones worked or not.

I left our unit, and the surrounding concrete walls.

Outside the door, inside the elevator and outside on the ground, the phones worked.

When I returned, the phones do not work.

A service request is in to Bell. It must be their Fibe interfering with the cell signal.

If I could use this power to turn off the TV in the unit below when it is turned on LOUD at 3 am.

[darlicious]

@HomePhone75Q 

Is the koodo phone on a prepaid "3G" plan? The timing is a coincidence it's more likely your local cell tower had it 3G network capabilities replaced with 5G network expansion upgrades as the big three have all been upgrading their network infrastructure in favour of 5G network expansion and along the way selectively eliminating 3G network coverage at the expense of their prepaid customers voice services until they choose to implement VoLTE calling for those customers. They will continue to get away with this until a consumer advocacy group files a group complaint with the CRTC demanding intervention to force bell, telus and roger's to implement VoLTE so as to stop denying a core service feature to a large but fragmented group of their customers.

A simple test will determine if this is the cause....Go to Settings and change your network mode to 3G only. Then go to About phone>>Sim card status>>Signal strength>>  ? -dBm?

Ideally you should be somewhere between -60dBm and -85dBm with -86dBm to -100dBm weak to poor but still usable. -101dBm to -110dBm barely usable and anything lower unusable. These values apply to your 3G signal strength as 4G LTE signal strength can be below -100dBm and still be usable (mine fluctuates between -99dBm and -108dBm but my 3G signal strength hovers consistently around -67dBm). Your readings may vary slightly between phones depending on the quality of their hardware (antenna) but I expect all of them to be below -90dBm if not lower....?

I think there was another customer in the Burlington area in the past month with the same loss of voice services and drop in 3G signal strength. You can also check your local cell towers here.....

https://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/cancellsites.html?lat=43.381494&lng=-79.836603&zoom=12&type=Road...

It's possible that new equipment or construction materials installed in your building and where it's situated is impeding your signal inside your home which improves once you are outside. I have a similar issue with both my wifi signal and at times my cellular signal in a certain 4 sq ft spot in my kitchen that both the location of the chimney stack, fridge and stove combine into a mini dead zone. If I actually had any real insulation in my house I might have bigger cell reception issues than I do?!! 🤔

[HomePhone75Q]

See my latest post. The phones work when outside the building and stopped working when I returned.

[HomePhone75Q]

I was out of the building in Burlington, with the 3 phones. I could call between them no problem. Took about 5 seconds to complete the connection.

Back in the unit, the phones cannot make a call.

Texting works.

I have contacted management and asked them to contact Bell

[sheytoon]

It's not possible for Bell Fibe to impact PM cell service. The timing is a coincidence.

[HomePhone75Q]

Not management. Bell TV service is much better than Cogeco, but requires a lot of work to cut the volume of choices down to manageable.

[HomePhone75Q]

Bell is home internet and wireless to the Television. Another version of the Internet.

But the  Public Mobile and Koodo phones both had their ability to call and receive affected. Noticed 5 days after Fibe was turned on in our unit.

[HomePhone75Q]

I will take the phones out this afternoon and check what they can do.

[HomePhone75Q]

The  service is LTE. I have swapped the cards and the problem remained.

[dust2dust]

I also really don't think your problems have anything to do with the Fibe install. You have said that the problem continues out and about.

I suspect it's more about the networks whether Bell towers or Telus towers and all the fiddling they seem to have been doing across the country what with Huawei and UMTS.

I wonder how well all the lines work if you go much further afield...like say 100km away.

[hTideGnow · Accepted solution]

HI @HomePhone75Q   

Bell Fibe is home internet, PM is mobile.  They run on different wireless bands, and PM does not use Wifi calling, there is really no reason why building home internet upgrade will affect your PM service.

[HomePhone75Q]

Not the management. Originally I had the PM iPhone close to the Bell Fibe router. Perhaps the intermingling of services resulted. I suppose I could go with Bell for my phones. BTW, the 2 phones are on the $15/month plan. The first phone with the problem was being used for "the Landline" with the 40+year old number. No need for data as it is on the Fibe wireless network.

[HomePhone75Q]

I think that the problem is in the settings with Public Mobile at their end. I restarted, re-installed the OS without a change.

[softech]

@HomePhone75Q   on your good Koodo phone, try to change the Preferred network to 3G and see if it connects.  This can tell if the 3G network in your area is weak and caused your voice issue (PM only use 3G network for voice)

And , you try to swap sim card between the PM phone and Koodo phone? just to confirm if **bleep** is device issue.

[HomePhone75Q]

Have put the question to management. No response yet.

My Koodo iPhone, after the combined service problem, now works just fine. The 2 Public Mobile phones had the continuing problem Tech support has been good, over the long haul. Still not sure if the original phone problem has been solved. It does work outside, but no report back  from Tech. It is a weekend.

[softech]

@HomePhone75Q   did you try using your PM phone in area outside of your condo? does it work better when it is in another area?

Did you try to change your preferred network type to 3G and see if your phone can connect to PM network at all? Check if you can make and receive calls that way

Check with your condo superintendent if there is any mobile network antenna on your building, ask your condo superintendent if they are upgrading that as well or they are now leasing it to another mobile provider?  All I can think of is that your building might Bell or Telus antenna earlier and the recent work has taken them down, or still in the process or upgrading and hence affected your PM signal

And check with your neighbour and see if anyone use PM as well? check if anyone one Bell/Telus/Virgin/Koodo/Lucky.  If they have one of them, ask if their reception were poorer now

[HALIMACS]

I'd tend to agree (fully), @will13am 

It's just the OP's opening statement,  "Since our building changed from Cogeco to Bell Fibe, all wireless to the TV, We have had problems with our PM phones."

I'm guessing possible interference with wireless signals with mobile services???

@HomePhone75Q  - do other tenants within the structure also note similar such situations with their mobile services?   

And curiously, there was mention of the problem continuing when you are out of your Bell Fibe apartment...  by "out", do you mean just outside the confines of the apartment, or well off the premises?   That suggests may have little to do with the building's changes, and more to do with the PM service/SIM/account itself.

[will13am]

@HomePhone75Q , I am at a loss with how home internet and wireless service are able to affect each other?  They are completely separate services that run on independent platforms and hardware.  As for changing SIM card as a possible solution, that makes no sense at all.  The SIM card merely allows connection to the mobile network.  It does not do anything else.

[HALIMACS]

Well, that's a loaded question, @HomePhone75Q 

PM is a 3rd tier mobile service provider of TELUS.  It 'piggybacks' on Bell towers.

If the problem ONLY started happening with the implementations within your structure, I can't help but wondering if that cannot be associated.

So --- who to blame.

The building management?