RBI Tower behaving very strangely

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timofkingsland

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#290682 27-Nov-2021 19:29

There seems to be something wrong with our local cell tower. I'm not sure how to explain it easily, so bear with me.

Before the tower was installed, it was nearly impossible to get a signal out here. When they turned it on a bit over a year ago, everything worked perfectly. The tower is less than 1 km away, so the signal strength is always good. I'm using that tower to connect to the internet, and I'm consistently getting speeds of around 30 Mbps down. I've almost never had any issue connecting via the modem.

But phones are a whole different story. About month or so after the tower was turned on, all calls stopped working. This is how a call out goes: Nearly full signal > I start the call > Nothing happens for about 7 seconds > Signal completely drops out > Phone says "Mobile network not available" and drops call > Signal bounces back completely within a second. It always does that, despite the signal being otherwise consistently strong. All calls coming into my mobile go straight to voicemail when I'm here. Meanwhile, mobile internet and text messages work fine. It is exactly the same with my partner's phone.

Recently, things have gotten a lot worse. Now the phone often won't connect to the network at all, with an "emergency calls only" message. That's happening about half the time, probably more. The same thing with my partner's phone who also uses 2degrees, but there's no correlation between when my phone will connect and when hers will (‽). If the phones are restarted, they usually connect for about 20 seconds. But if it wasn't connecting before the restart, it almost always drops out again.

The tower was part of the RBI 2 roll-out, which to my understanding is a joint venture between 2degrees, Spark and Vodafone and thus will provide connectivity to all those networks. Nonetheless, I thought trying a different provider might solve it so I took out my SIM card and put in a Skinny one - exactly the same behaviour. My partner and I both have Pixel 5 phones, and I thought they (or the recent Android 12 update) could have been responsible, so I pulled out my old Galaxy S5 and tried that - still no difference. Meanwhile, my home internet connection is working completely fine. And I never have issues with my phone's connectivity anywhere else (same with my partner).

Does anyone have any idea what's going on and/or what I can do about it?

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#2820317 27-Nov-2021 19:35

Do any of those phones support VoLTE?

EDIT: This means voice calls on 4G basically. Phones have to be approved and supported by your carrier for this to work.

Have a read of this. https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=39&topicid=280371

RunningMan

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#2820319 27-Nov-2021 19:42

And another thread to read here on RCG towers https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=42&topicid=279748

Basically, you need a more modern (or non imported) phone to get voice on some of the new cell towers.

MaxineN

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#2820320 27-Nov-2021 19:49

This very much sounds like this tower is 4G only so you NEED a VoLTE handset. The reason why it cannot make calls is because there is no 3G fallback. This would be very bad in an emergency situation.

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sbiddle

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#2820325 27-Nov-2021 20:27

And a blog post I wrote about this issue last year. https://www.geekzone.co.nz/sbiddle/9030

The fact all 3 networks (and their MVNO's) are still selling non VoLTE handsets is IMHO inexcusable.

timofkingsland

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#2820332 27-Nov-2021 20:55

Technically, yes (though not the old phone). But you made me look it up and I've gotten a bit of a picture of the fiasco around VoLTE support. It seems like none of the NZ networks have enabled VoLTE on the Pixel 5. I had no idea that could even be an issue. It sucks. And the more I read about it, the more it gets under my skin. Anyway, that explains the calling problem. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

I thought of getting one of those 3G Sure Signal devices as a workaround but they're shutting them down. Vodafone says to use Wifi Calling instead... but that also isn't enabled for Pixel phones. And Vodafone say they're working on something to replace Sure Signal that will use.... VoLTE. It's so frustrating. I don't suppose there are any other 3G devices or other workarounds available?

And what about the refusal to connect recently? I can see there's a good signal in an app I've got, but it won't let me connect to the network for hours, sometimes days at a time. The same with my partner - but at different times. It seems completely random. But when we're connected, it's always a good signal.

Edit: I had this open while I was reading stuff and didn't see your edits or everyone else's comments.

sbiddle

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#2820337 27-Nov-2021 21:01

The Pixel is not sold nor supported in NZ by Google so doesn't contain the required settings. There isn't much the NZ networks can do about that.

Like pretty much every other mobile network in the world now using VoLTE if you want a handset with guaranteed VoLTE you need to buy it from the operator UNLESS you have an iPhone. Android is just fundamentally broken and lacks carrier files like the iPhone does.

WiFi calling is the replacement for the sure signal.

If you want voice calling you might have some luck if you lock your phone to 3G only.

timofkingsland

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#2820344 27-Nov-2021 21:16

sbiddle, I wish I'd read your blog post before I bought my phone.

Surely the VoLTE issue isn't the cause of the phones refusing to connect to this tower altogether now? It worked fine with these phones for about a year (other than the calling issue).

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nztim

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#2820347 27-Nov-2021 21:34

If you have iPhones you will have absolutely no problems with these towers

Android its hit and miss weather the phone would work, Just stick with iPhone and you will be fine

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timofkingsland

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#2820353 27-Nov-2021 21:51

OK, from a little experiment just now it seems Spark is connecting fine through the Pixel 5, other than voice calls. It's probably just a 2degrees problem.

Are there any networks here that allow non-business customers to forward mobile calls to landline if they're not picked up?

nztim

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#2820354 27-Nov-2021 22:00

I just struggle to see how RCG deployed a network knowing only too well how many phones would not work on it - I guess they had to take the plunge sooner rather than later

This affects a considerable number fof Android phones sold by PB Tech and other parallel imports who also know too well they wont work on these RCG towers - Its actually shameful they are selling them

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coffeebaron

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#2820355 27-Nov-2021 22:02

Another solution maybe getting a Cel-Fi repeater system installed, though probably cheaper to buy a couple of new phones.

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timofkingsland

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#2820358 27-Nov-2021 22:13

Are those Cel-Fi repeaters locked to a location at all or could I get a second hand one?

And will they broadcast a 3G signal if they can only receive an LTE signal?

MaxineN

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#2820359 27-Nov-2021 22:14

Knowing your rough location would let us see what towers are actually around and through what provider.

Ramblings from a mysterious lady who's into tech. Warning I may often create zingers.

timofkingsland

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#2820365 27-Nov-2021 22:33

And MaxineN, I understand your concern with emergencies. But I lived here with no mobile coverage and frequent power outages for quite a few years. So I've got various different backups for different situations. But you've made me consider getting the cheapest VoLTE-enabled phone I can find for emergencies. I'm not keen on giving up my phone at all. I've owned a bunch of different phones in my life, iPhone and Android, and this is the only I've really liked and kept on liking.

timofkingsland

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#2820368 27-Nov-2021 22:50

MaxineN: Knowing your rough location would let us see what towers are actually around and through what provider.

There are only two towers I have any chance of getting out here at all. The one close to me has two RCG 700 Mhz 4G LTE transmitters. The other one, which is about 17.5 km away and passes through the tops of some hills, has (according to GIS Geek):

One each Spark/Vodafone/2degrees 700 Mhz 4G LTE
One Spark 850 Mhz 3G UMTS
Two Vodafone 900 Mhz 2G GSM and/or 3G UMTS
One 2degrees 900 Mhz 3G UMTS and/or 4G LTE (I'm pretty sure this is 3G - my phone could sometimes connect to 3G in the right spots before the new tower)

I was connecting to this tower with a large antenna for internet before the new tower. It would alternate between 4G and 3G, which suggests the Vodafone 900 Mhz transmitter is also 3G.

Do you need more info? I'd prefer not to put up my location online if I can avoid it. There are very few of us living out here near the tower.

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