Public Mobile vs Telus Network

[arbutus]

Do Public Mobile customers get an inferior network quality comparing to Telus/Kodoo customers?

[CFPartDeux]

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@darlicious wrote:

@arbutus 

      I'm sure @CFPartDeux  could weigh in as his public mobile reception was poor at home vs chatr (rogers).

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Ok.... what she said. Was that enough "weighing in" for ya? No?

Ok, it's simply a matter of being slightly closer to a Rogers tower, while at home.

[arbutus]

I bought it from Costco for $10 😀 

Bell is currently offering 4.5 GB (LTE) + Unlimited Canada Wide Calling for $45. Telus and Koodo have similar deals. 

[darlicious]

@arbutus 

       I see your reasoning  in disagreeing with the solution chosen Im assuming by @Luddite  but i also see why it was chosen as it does answer the initial question just not necessarily the more specific answer you were seeking. The network  remains the same even using bell but the services offered by the top tiers in the brands bell or telus offer services that utilize parts of the network that pm does not offer therefore does not use.

      I'm sure @CFPartDeux  could weigh in as his public mobile reception was poor at home vs chatr (rogers). Overall the shared telus/bell network is a much more comprehensive  nationwide network but therevwill always be areas in this vast country that one networks coverage will have better service/reception than the other.

   **  On a completely different note where did you purchase your bell sim? Canadian Cell Supplies currently has them offered at $0.49 +tax each including shipping via canada post.

[arbutus]

That's true, Google Hangouts is an option until the service is killed by Google later this year. I am using WhatsApp way too often these days to get a hold of the family (public mobile users as well). The question then arises as to why pay for a wireless service that you cannot use reliably 🙂 Sure, the obvious answer is find an alternative and pay more. 

[gpixel]

@arbutus 

when I go to the telus coverage map and toggle lte, the difference seems to be much greater than before and we're on the HSPA+ network. so our coverage really isn't that great in the west... talk wise. especially when it's raining, the reception is worse...

oh well, we can have a cheap version of volte, sort of, by using Google Hangouts dialer

[computergeek541]

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@arbutus wrote:

While the solution was accepted by someone, I disagree with it. It does not appear that Public Mobile gets the same quality of service as other Telus brands unless Telus/Koodo is worse than Bell Mobility.

I purchased a Bell SIM today to try out Bell Prepaid service and immediately noticed a much better voice quality. 

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This is likely because of a VoLTE and use of different voice codecs. Public Mobile does not offer VoLTE. However, thisn't an actual difference in the network, but rather of the types of services that are provided.

[arbutus]

While the solution was accepted by someone, I disagree with it. It does not appear that Public Mobile gets the same quality of service as other Telus brands unless Telus/Koodo is worse than Bell Mobility.

I purchased a Bell SIM today to try out Bell Prepaid service and immediately noticed a much better voice quality. 

[jor123]

I think Canadian carriers use similar LTE bands to US ones (AT&T)? 

[BearFBI]

@arbutus If you consider a Cell booster make sure its compatible with Canadian Carriers. As long it is compatible with Telus you should be fine. 

[darlicious]

@computergeek541 

I dont disagree with you and i am far from an expert on such matters and without knowing which direction from the towers the OP is situated evaluating an optimal signal direction is pure conjecture. However since @arbutus  and her family have had a poor signal from telus its safe to say the telus towers elevation, height and directional signals are not optimized for their home where as the rogers towers are whether or not the omni comes into play or not. I  defer the 2600mHz band to your explanation as you know more on the subject than I.

[computergeek541]

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@darlicious wrote:

@arbutus 

Are you near a single tower or two close together (rogers and telus)? By hazarding a guess i compared the two towers in close proximity and indeed their differences would explain why rogers has a much stronger and more reliable signal for your location. The rogers tower at N49.3126 W122.8311 has a height of 69m and elevation of 458m. It has bands 700mHz, 850mHz, 1900mHz, 2100mHz and 2600mHz with azimuth 110, 190, 290 and the higher bandz have 150, 240 and most importantly for you omni directional transmitters.

The telus tower located at N49.3122 W122.8304 despite having double the transmitters has some  severe disadvantages. First its height at 62m/66m but its elevation at a mere 46.1m was a surprise and it does not have the 2600mHz band or the omni available within ìts azimuth of 80, 200, 320.

Im sure @sheytoon could explain what it all means but its seems obvious to me why your signal strength with telus is poor compared to rogers.

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The Telus signal be sent in more specific in direction is not necessarily a disadvantage. When a signal is targetted in a specific direction, it tends to travel farther. Depending on specific location and the combination of the other sites in the area, one type over the other area could be more desireable. As for 2600MHz, I would say that LTE band is there for increased network capacity, but it being a higher frequency, I wouldn't say that leads to Rogers having a stronger signal.

[darlicious]

@arbutus 

Are you near a single tower or two close together (rogers and telus)? By hazarding a guess i compared the two towers in close proximity and indeed their differences would explain why rogers has a much stronger and more reliable signal for your location. The rogers tower at N49.3126 W122.8311 has a height of 69m and elevation of 458m. It has bands 700mHz, 850mHz, 1900mHz, 2100mHz and 2600mHz with azimuth 110, 190, 290 and the higher bandz have 150, 240 and most importantly for you omni directional transmitters.

The telus tower located at N49.3122 W122.8304 despite having double the transmitters has some  severe disadvantages. First its height at 62m/66m but its elevation at a mere 46.1m was a surprise and it does not have the 2600mHz band or the omni available within ìts azimuth of 80, 200, 320.

Im sure @sheytoon could explain what it all means but its seems obvious to me why your signal strength with telus is poor compared to rogers.

[sheytoon]

Yes, antennas are directional. You can see the azimuth of each sector on the ertyu map.

[arbutus]

interesting, something I may consider. 

[gpixel]

@arbutus if you really want the savings and it's only in your house that's usually having the issue than there are cellphone booster antennas you can purchase from Amazon for $90. and if it doesn't work for you, you can return it for a refund

 

[arbutus]

The funny part is that I am less than 1 km away from one of the towers in PM/Anmore area (which is also used by Rogers). I am not sure if the antennas are directional and that's why I get better reception using Rogers/Fido network and not Telus. 

My initial thought was that PM was not using all of the bands that Telus has available.

[gpixel]

@Jb456 from. that picture it doesnt look like Telus has good coverage in his area. and his parents are in Westwood plateau which barely has any

I think he's right. there isn't good coverage there. you'll need the volte feature as chatr would probably have the same issues

[Jb456]

Looking at the towers in the area. Seems Telus had quite a bit in your area. GREEN is Telus antennas.

 

[gblackma]

@arbutus I would go back to Fido or go with Koodo( has both volte and WiFi calling) . Stay safe. 

[arbutus]

gpixel4 thank you. I'll give it a try. I hope this time they can help me . I tried a few times in the past without any luck. 🙂

[gpixel]

@arbutus contact customer support here and ask them why your reception is horrible

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

make sure to check your inbox(top right corner envelope icon) periodically, for a response

if they can't fix it then probably chatr would be your best bet if you want a similar plan to public otherwise, its probably best to go back with fido

how is your reception/call quality when you switch the preferred network type to 3g instead of LTE

[popping]

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@arbutus wrote:

thank you@gblackma

Yeah, I was with Fido prior to switching to PM. A part from being more expensive, Fido did not really have any issues with reception.

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If PM has bad reception, don't consider Bell as Bell is using Telus towers in the Western Canada.  This means Rogers network may be your option.  

But try your PM SIM card in another phone to determine the bad reception is due to your phone or Telus network.

[gblackma]

@arbutus according to this https://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/cancellsites.html there is a Telus and Rogers cell tower there.  Fido would have had volte like Koodo and Telus. That may have been the difference. Fidos competition is Koodo. Chatrs competition is Public Network. 

[arbutus]

I've tried that multiple times.

My parents who live close by (Coquitlam WP area) and also PM users (Pixel2 and Moto G7) have similar issues

[gpixel]

@arbutusmaybe you're right if it's all 5. I'm on pixel 4 and my reception is great. is this only in your home where this happens?

for the pixel 3a can you 

• enable/disable airplane mode
• open settings
  scroll down to system
  tap on reset options
  tap reset wifi,mobile & Bluetooth
  tap reset settings and restart

and screenshot a before and after of your signal

[popping]

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@arbutus wrote:

Thank you @popping for the info.

So I guess since I currently have a really bad cellular reception with Public Mobile, switching to a full service Telus brand will not help?

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With Telus WiFi calling, Telus may solve your bad reception issue.  If you have WiFi at your location, you will not using any mobile data.

To determine your problem is due to your phone or your location, test your PM SIM card with another phone.

[arbutus]

@gpixel I have 5 phones/lines in my household; Pixel 2, Pixel 3a, iPhone X and Moto G7 x2 (all up to date). All of them have periodic problems with calls going to voicemail.

[arbutus]

thank you@gblackma

Yeah, I was with Fido prior to switching to PM. A part from being more expensive, Fido did not really have any issues with reception.

[gpixel]

@arbutus Port Moody? I highly doubt that has something to do with pm. whats the make and model of your phone?

[gblackma]

@arbutus  check your friends and neighbours receptions to find out which company has better reception in your area. Koodo or Telus with volte may improve your reception. Try switching your SIM into another phone to determine whether its a PM or phone problem.  Stay safe.