Network is suddenly very spotty

[Montosh]

I've been using public mobile on this phone for a while now, and the network connection has always been alright. But over the last few days it has seemed to hover between 0 and 1 bars most of the time. If I send a text or make a call it'll usually go through (though it often takes a while now), but when people try to call me they often find it goes straight to voicemail, and texts take forever to come through as well.

Like I said it was working fine before. This is just over the last few days.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Montosh]

@sheytoonThanks for that info I didn't realize that. Hopefully that's all it is.

@darliciousI will try your suggestions thanks.

[darlicious]

@sheytoon 

Thanks! I knew you would know what's up!

[sheytoon]

In Montreal, Telus is swapping out Huawei 4G and 5G with Samsung. During these swaps, antenna rework will be done that can also impact 3G.

I would wait a week or so, if it's caused by a site swap, it'll be fixed and optimized by Telus and Samsung eventually.

[t_p]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@darlicious wrote:

1. Remove SIM card and set aside. Check for any dirt or debris in the SIM slot. Check the SIM card for dirt or damage and gently clean with a little alcohol and a cotton swab.

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 @darlicious : Oh oh. There's another nickel for an Oracle. 🙂

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😀😂🤣

[Anonymous]

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@darlicious wrote:

1. Remove SIM card and set aside. Check for any dirt or debris in the SIM slot. Check the SIM card for dirt or damage and gently clean with a little alcohol and a cotton swab.

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 @darlicious : Oh oh. There's another nickel for an Oracle. 🙂

[darlicious]

@Montosh 

You have excellent coverage surrounding your location. Go thru this list to troubleshoot whatever you haven't tried already and make sure when removing your sim card to do so for at least 10 minutes.If at all possible test your SIM card in another phone and check signal strength to see if you get similar readings. I don't understand why perhaps needing sim reprovisioning would show up in poor signal strength but I'm guessing its possible so if none of this works then you need a CSA to reprovision your sim from the account side to see if that makes a difference.

Maybe @sheytoon has some idea of what is causing your issue mostly with 3G network signal strength.

1. Reboot your phone. ( You should do this once a week anyways.)
2. Toggle airplane mode on/off.
3. Remove SIM card and set aside. Check for any dirt or debris in the SIM slot. Check the SIM card for dirt or damage and gently clean with a little alcohol and a cotton swab. After 10 minutes reseat the SIM card making sure the SIM fits snugly in the SIM slot. Use a paper shim or a little tape to secure it in slot/tray. Reinsert in the phone and reboot.
4. Put your SIM card in another phone to see if it works and/or the other slot of a dual sim phone and send a text. Then return the SIM to the original phone to see if the issue is still there.
5. Perform a network reset.
6. Clear the cache of the troublesome apps.(Try safe mode) Perform device maintenance.*
7. Add a payment of at least $1 to your account balance.**
8. Log in to your self serve account. Go to the plans or usage page. Click on lost/stolen. Suspend your service. Log out/in. Resume your service. Log out and Reboot.***
9. Contact customer support via Simple--Simon or private message.

*Will not help reprovision.

**Will not help a poor connection.

***Caution : Using lost/stolen w/active service even briefly will cause rewards to not apply upon renewal. You must contact the CSA's after renewal and ask for them to be applied manually. Also will not help a poor connection.

[Kristowhy]

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@darlicious wrote:

@Korth 

Ummm....your post is a little confusing. Pm has 4G LTE service that works perfectly fine for data and texting. The issue is with pm not supporting voLTE calling and offering all call services on the 3G network. So where there is no 3G network or where it's being decommissioned by their network sharing partner bell presents a problem for pm customers in those areas.

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I have seen other threads here in the community about VoLTE potentially coming to PM but nothing specific.  Wondering if there has been any movement on this with PM? Koodo (prepaid) also suffers from the lack of VoLTE.  At some point (when 3G services are decommissioned everywhere) us prepaid folk with either be forced to postpaid or some kind of VoLTE support will be provided - hoping it's the latter!

I have read that some networks in the US (ie AT&T) will be starting their 3G decommissioning in Jan/Feb of 2022.  How will this affect PM customers who buy and use US roaming?

[Montosh]

@hTideGnowI'm not sure about elsewhere, I'll see next time I'm further away. Data does seem to be more stable than calls though yes.

[hTideGnow]

@Montosh  any chance the spotty reception only in some particular spots, like your home or office?  Did you go around town or happen on another side area and you see better reception?  I wonder if it has to do with a mobile tower being down or so.  Unfortunately, those cell map will not tell us those info.   Also, do you find data connection much more stable than voice?  If so, it might have to do with the 3G signal in particular.

[Montosh]

And I've checked the local map of cell towers, none of the Telus ones seem to be down.

[Montosh]

@darliciousI tried toggling airplane mode before, no help I'm afraid. My signal strength seems to be hovering between 110 and 120. I'm Montreal, QC (in Lachine). So very urban. There has been some construction on the roads but that's pretty much every year.

[darlicious]

@Korth 

Ummm....your post is a little confusing. Pm has 4G LTE service that works perfectly fine for data and texting. The issue is with pm not supporting voLTE calling and offering all call services on the 3G network. So where there is no 3G network or where it's being decommissioned by their network sharing partner bell presents a problem for pm customers in those areas.

[computergeek541]

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@LeePublic wrote:

If all fails, you can buy another SIM and then transfer your number to the new SIM. This suggestion is for a last resort.

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Getting a new SIM card isn't going to improve signal strength.  The way that would help would if the SIM card and phone don't have a good electrical connection that causes the phone to disconnect from the network completely. That would usually be accompanied by an error message such as "No SIM card". Sure, it's in all carriers' troubleshooting scripts for customers to change to a new SIM card, but in my experience, it doesn't usually fix service issues.

[Korth]

@Montosh 

Are you in or near southern Manitoba by any chance? If so, you're likely being serviced by Bell sites. They're basically replacing their 3G/HSPA network hardware with 4G/VoLTE network hardware. Public Mobile does not offer 4G and does not support VoLTE, if there's no 3G service in the area then there's no Talk or Text (although 911/E911 calls and SMS-CB broadcasts might still work).

[LeePublic]

If all fails, you can buy another SIM and then transfer your number to the new SIM. This suggestion is for a last resort.

[darlicious]

@Montosh 

Toggle airplane mode on/off. See if that helps.

Check your actual signal strength. Settings>>about phone>>status>>SIM card status>>signal strength....anything around 90 is ideal above 110 is poor.

Any new construction near you? Recent renovations? Are you in an urban or rural setting? Province/city?

There has been an issue lately with incoming calling and texting for some customers. Putting your SIM card in another phone and/or updating your Google apps has helped fix it for some.

[Montosh]

@JK8 @t_p Ok thanks I will contact an agent and hopefully they can help me.

[t_p]

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@Montosh wrote:

@JK8 @mimmo 

I attempted both resetting network setting and setting it to 3G only, neither seemed to have any effect. I tried it on another phone and it seemed to have the same spotty connection.

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It could be a SIM provisioning issue but that would need Customer Service help to fix:

Private Messages - Community (publicmobile.ca)

[JK8]

@Montosh 

You would need to contact a Customer Support Agent to see if there are any issues with your account. One last thing do other people have problems at your place?

Second option below is easiest.

• Get help with your account the easy way by starting a conversation with our virtual assistant, SIMon. It’ll take you to relevant help articles, or if it’s something more urgent, it can help you submit a ticket to our Agents. Click here to get started.
• Alternatively, you can send a private message to our Agents by clicking here. You’ll need to be logged in to your Community account for the link to work.

Hours of operation:

You will often get an answer within an hour. During peak periods, you may need to wait up to 48 hours.Customer Support Agents are available:

• Monday to Sunday: 6 AM to 10 PM EST

Keep an eye on the envelope icon in the top right hand corner for a reply from the CSA.

[Montosh]

@JK8 @mimmo 

I attempted both resetting network setting and setting it to 3G only, neither seemed to have any effect. I tried it on another phone and it seemed to have the same spotty connection.

[mimmo]

@Montosh  do you have a spare phone? If so try your sim in that phone or a friend's.  This will help isolate a hardware (failing phone antenna??) Vs a network issue.

[Anonymous]

@Montosh 

can you try it selecting the network to "3G ONLY"

for iPhone visit Here link 

or Here link 

for android visit Here link ,

do one thing Make sure your phone is off before removing your SIM card,

and do rebooting your phone take your SIM card out and waiting for a 2 minute and put it back and turn on -This one is quick and simple.

what is mean for Rebooting the phone means to turn off your phone and turn it back on again.

or can you do try reseat the SIM card

1. power off your device

2. take out the SIM card,

3. wipe it clean SIM card,

4. put it back and power on,

5. toggling airplane mode off/on,  

and do again Rebooting your phone means to turn off your phone and turn it back on again.

and if still not fix it please you Have To Submit a Ticket To Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent,

Explain your issue to Contact Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent ,
they can solve your issue, they are nice service Team the will help you 100%.

Here’s How To Contact Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent, and Submit a Ticket 

• Get help with your account the easy way by starting a conversation with our virtual assistant, SIMon. It’ll take you to relevant help articles, or if it’s something more urgent, it can help you submit a ticket to Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent,Click Here link to get started.

• or you can send a private message to Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent, by Click Here link. 
• You’ll need to be logged in to your Community account for the link to work.

• please include in your message,
  
• your account number, 
  
• your phone number,
• your account 4 digit pin,
• your Email address,

• Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent, will Response to your inbox by private message 
  Check your private message inbox (click on the envelope top right of your screen)

         Good Luck

[computergeek541]

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@Montosh wrote:

I've been using public mobile on this phone for a while now, and the network connection has always been alright. But over the last few days it has seemed to hover between 0 and 1 bars most of the time. If I send a text or make a call it'll usually go through (though it often takes a while now), but when people try to call me they often find it goes straight to voicemail, and texts take forever to come through as well.

Like I said it was working fine before. This is just over the last few days.

There are sometimes issues with the switching between LTE and HSPA networks. Do incoming calls still go straight to voicenail if you set your phone only to use the HSPA network?

[JK8]

@Montosh 

Try these:

1. Reset network setting and reboot.

2. Set preferred network to 3G and reboot.

3. Put sim in another unlocked phone and see if it works better.