text: my service will degrade in 2 days, please join Koodo

[Sam-I-Am]

Hi, I'm mystified by a text I just received from Public Mobile. Due to "upgrades" my connectivity will be degraded after Feb 20 (in two days??). They're offering to give me a used iphone and a switch to Koodo.

How do I interpret this? Are they saying my service on my particular device will be permanently degraded due to upgrades? (It doesn't say the issue will be temporary.) Why are they trying to get me to go to another company?

Why two days notice? I've got hospital stuff coming up. 

I was having real problems accessing cellular data yesterday.

edited by computergeek541: profanity removed - customers are not to use creative spelling, abbreviations, etc. to get around the swear word filter

[slusagm]

yes, drop to 4G is VoLTE.  From what I know, the Vo5G is not all ready, we are mostly using VoLTE , which is on 4G network

[Sam-I-Am]

Thank you for relaying this. So if I have received a migration message, I guess I should be worried? I'm in a major metropolitan area. How do I tell what's going on in my area? How do I tell what carrier will support my phone? The CS agent I got was not as helpful Thanks again.

[Phil_Adelphus]

@slusagm  When a phone drops from 5G or LTE to 4G does that mean no VoLTE?  From what I understand some say 4G when they really mean a form of 3G.  It's easy when it drops to 3G but there seems a bit of a grey area with 4G.  A phone on LTE should still say LTE on phone calls if it has VoLTE?

[slusagm]

---

@Sam-I-Am wrote:

This thread is not encouraging. I have a feeling they choose not to support certain phones. CS agent no help. https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Get-Support/VoLTE-on-Samsung-Galaxy-S10e/td-p/964743

Does anyone know how to find out if a carrier supports certain devices on VoLTE? Or should I start a new topic for that?

---

@Sam-I-Am   Check if you are impact in your area first.  They just turning off 8500 in some area, not everywhere

your phone should still work for voice in most places

[slusagm]

@Sam-I-Am @GPs4evr  @j1moolee 

as expected, the text was from PM and it was NOT spam.

got this reply from PM.  Basically, they are turning off 8500 in some area, one of the 2 bands for 3G:

Let me share with you that some changes will be implemented in our network and for that reason, we are doing our best to offer options to customers who could be impacted. 

What is this about?

Well, we will turn down the 3G low band frequency (850MHz) in some areas and repurpose it to 4G. Most customers will still be able to seamlessly connect to 3G high band (1900 MHz) and won’t notice a major change in their service. However, a small group of customers will be impacted and are required to take a specific action depending on the device they have.

This means that customers who currently are using a device that can only connect to 3G (850MHz) could be impacted. For that reason, some customers could receive a text message like the one you shared with an offer to migrate to our sister partner Koodo and get a new phone.

We appreciate your concern regarding this, if you haven't received a message with a migration offer it means you don't need to worry because your service won't be affected. 

We remain at your service, let me know if you have any further questions!
 

Best regards, 

Luis

PM CS_Agent

[Sam-I-Am]

This thread is not encouraging. I have a feeling they choose not to support certain phones. CS agent no help. https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Get-Support/VoLTE-on-Samsung-Galaxy-S10e/td-p/964743

Does anyone know how to find out if a carrier supports certain devices on VoLTE? Or should I start a new topic for that?

[slusagm]

@jsbsmd1 

Yes, no scam, the text is really from PM

got this response from PM

Let me share with you that some changes will be implemented in our network and for that reason, we are doing our best to offer options to customers who could be impacted. 

What is this about?

Well, we will turn down the 3G low band frequency (850MHz) in some areas and repurpose it to 4G. Most customers will still be able to seamlessly connect to 3G high band (1900 MHz) and won’t notice a major change in their service. However, a small group of customers will be impacted and are required to take a specific action depending on the device they have.

This means that customers who currently are using a device that can only connect to 3G (850MHz) could be impacted. For that reason, some customers could receive a text message like the one you shared with an offer to migrate to our sister partner Koodo and get a new phone.

We appreciate your concern regarding this, if you haven't received a message with a migration offer it means you don't need to worry because your service won't be affected. 

We remain at your service, let me know if you have any further questions!
 

Best regards, 

Luis

PM CS_Agent

[jsbsmd1]

My phone shows as LTE and drops to 4G when I make a call. As soon as I hangup, it goes back to 5G and then LTE.

[Phil_Adelphus]

@jsbsmd1   So your phone is not on the VoLTE certified list.  I wonder about others who are getting the message.  Does your phone actually get VoLTE?  You can test by turning off wifi and turning on cellular data, make a phone call.  Does the phone then drop from 5G or LTE to 3G?

[jsbsmd1]

I have a LG V60 thinQ which is 5g ready.

[Sam-I-Am]

Okay, like the guy said below, I guess time will tell. The problem is I have some life-and-death messages coming and going this week. Don't know if people will still be able to leave voice mails, and if I can pick them up from a working phone. The medical profession still likes using the phone, not texting or email. 

[GPs4evr]

That could just be where it's currently connected to but not words always connecting to. If you've ever seen LTE then perhaps your phone is capable

[Phil_Adelphus]

@jsbsmd1  What phone do you currently have?  Based on some other posts I'm wondering if this has to do with preparation to decommission 3G (as Rogers is doing this year).  If that's the case perhaps these messages are going to people with phones that are not on PM's VoLTE "certified" list here:

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

See also 

https://www.koodomobile.com/help/explaining-koodos-3g-usage-price-increase 

If your phone is on the list then that theory bites the dust!

[GPs4evr]

I don't think that this is always going to be accurate to determine if you have VoLTE because my cell service changes the icon depending on where I am. So sometimes I would see 3G sometimes H, sometimes H+, and yes sometimes LTE.

[Sam-I-Am]

What happens if someone leaves me  voicemail while/if my service is down? 

[Sam-I-Am]

it switches to 3G

[GRR]

@Sam-I-Am if you want to know if your phone uses volte for calls just turn off your WiFi if you're connected to it so that you can see LTE on top of your phone, then make a call to voicemail or anywhere and watch if it stays on LTE  while you're on the call.  If it stays on LTE then you're on volte,  if it goes to 3g or 4g while on the call then your phone isn't on volte and will may not be able to make calls in a few days as they say. 

[GPs4evr]

I'm currently looking into this too. My toggle switch is not there but under mobile network it says 5G/4G/3G/2G (Auto).  

According to an internet search, it could be the SIM card needs updating. If you create a ticket they should be able to tell you if it can be enabled.

[Chalupa_Batman]

Many people have got this message without any real communication from Public Mobile on these forums. We've asked people who have received this message to contact a CS Agent and report back to us. So far no word from anyone why this is happening. 

[jsbsmd1]

Received following sms message:

Public Mobile Here.

We are making upgrades to our network that may impact your connectivity. After February 20th, 2025, your device may lose service or experience a degraded connection.

To ensure you stay connected, we're offering a Certified Pre-Owned iPhone 13 for $0 upfront and just $5/mo on an eligible 2 year Tab plan when you switch to Koodo - rate plan includes 60GB of data, unlimited Canada-US calling, and texting for only $34/mo. Hurry, offer ends March 14th.

To redeem this offer, visit your nearest Koodo store and use promo code 850P2PT4KP. For a list of store locations, visit publicmobile.ca/sl/Y41HOneDPQ

Need support? Contact us at publicmobile.ca/sl/jUzVYoGs1c

Conditions apply. Reply STOP or visit publicmobile.ca/sl/wAbsyAg6na if you no longer wish to hear about Public Mobile offers.

My questions are:

1. Is this just sale offer to switch to koodo?

2. If I stay with public mobile, will my phone and options work fine once the upgrade is done or will it be degraded permanently?

3. I personally do not want to use an iphone, so is public mobile going to continue to stay on the telus network?

4. Can they degrade the network for us but not for koodo or telus?

Thanks in advance

[Sam-I-Am]

I can't find a voLTE toggle on my phone. According to info out on the web, it can fail to appear due to the carrier not making it available. I'm very confused. CS agent not helpful. Just "buy a new phone". I have medical professionals calling me over the next few days. 

[Sam-I-Am]

REsponse. I'm having a heart attack. Somehow have to get a new phone and get it set up at a really terrible time, in a couple of days.

The notification you received today is because Public Mobile is shutting down the 3G low band frequency (850MHz) in some areas to reduce 4G network congestion. Thus, some of our customers may need to take action to stay connected.

In order to continue having services, we offer two options: 

Upgrading to a new device: It's a perfect time for customers with 3G devices to switch to a newer, more capable device.

Migrating from Prepaid to Postpaid: Offer device financing, exclusive rate plans, and tailored offers.

In case you are not interested in upgrading and have a VoLTE-capable device, you can enable VoLTE on your current device to stay connected. If you want to know if your phone is VolTE capable, please share with us the model for us to check.

Respectfully, 
Sandra
Customer Support Agent 

[GPs4evr]

This doesn't seem right. My phone is capable of VoLTE and I have their 5G plan. So I shouldn't have connectivity issues. I haven't had any connectivity issues to date. So if I do experience issues after the 20th then it's time to switch to a different carrier.

[j1moolee]

[Sam-I-Am]

I am having trouble figuring out if this is a phone issue or a plan issue, or both. I really, really, don't want to have to get a new phone in 2 days. They really need to put something on the website, with instructions about how to proceed. 

This is what AI says:

AI Overview

Learn more

If you can't make phone calls after upgrading to 4G, it's likely because your phone needs to have "VoLTE" (Voice over LTE) enabled to make calls over the 4G network; check your phone settings to ensure this feature is turned on and that your network supports it; if not, your phone might be automatically switching to a weaker 3G network for calls. 

Key points to remember:

• VoLTE is necessary: Most modern phones require VoLTE to make calls on 4G networks. 
• Check your settings: Go to your phone's network settings to verify if VoLTE is enabled. 
• Contact your carrier: If you're still unable to make calls, contact your mobile carrier to confirm if your plan and phone are compatible with VoLTE. 

What to do if you can't make calls after upgrading to 4G:

• Check your network mode: Make sure your phone is set to automatically select the network type, or try manually switching to 3G to see if calls work. 
• Restart your phone: Sometimes a simple restart can resolve network issues. 
• Check your signal strength: Ensure you have a strong signal in your area. 
• Update your phone software: Check for any available software updates that could include VoLTE improvements. 

[GPs4evr]

I don't think the chat box reply is wrong because it was very specific. However, what you're referring to about them upgrading to 4G could cause issues with connectivity. Currently public mobile seems to be offering upgrade packages themselves to 4G which would solve the problem I would think in terms of anyone who is experiencing connectivity issues after February 20th.  

I received this text message on January 31th from the same short code.

"Public Mobile here.

We are making upgrades to our 4G network that may impact your 3G voice, messaging, and data connectivity. You may experience a degraded 3G connection from February 3 to February 8, 2025 and then ongoing after February 20, 2025.

Public Mobile support publicmobile.ca/sl/NmWI3dImOJ is available to help you if you are impacted."

[Sam-I-Am]

FYI all, someone privately messaged me the following. They don't seem to want to post here. If true, this seems crazy. Come on, surely we don't all have to buy iphones?

The problem is the severe restrictions on anything else other than iphone 8 and newer for the newer talk system called volte. It's like it's an iphone provider and other phones are barely tolerated. It sucks. My phone is perfectly able to use volte with other providers but this place refuses to enable it. They are intentionally filtering devices using what is clearly a non-standard proprietary system to cut them out. Except iphone 8 and newer.

So if they are in fact starting to shut down the old 3G/UMTS/WCDMA/HSPA networks then this will affect those devices that aren't able to use volte. The same thing happened in the states when they all shut down their 3G networks. People had to scramble to get a device that was able to use volte and be accepted by the providers.

[hTideGnow]

HI all, I would not panic yet, let's ask PM CS agent and confirm

[slusagm]

@GPs4evr but chatbot answer just general answer.  PM never really make it that up to date with current issue

[GPs4evr]

The chat box is part of public mobile so I wouldn't think that it would send a reply that is very specific to receiving a text about this very issue and saying it's a scam.