Mobile data performance terrible while on a phone call

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Mobile data performance terrible while on a phone call

blair003

557 posts

Ultimate Geek

#248066 9-Mar-2019 12:01

Hello,

I have a Google Pixel 2 XL and last week I moved from Vodafone to Spark.

I routinely use data/mobile hotspot while on a phone call. For some reason, since moving to Spark the data performance while on a call is terrible/unusable. Once the call is terminated it is very responsive/fast.

I am in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, in town center with 4G.

What could the cause of this be? I'm sure it can't be a spark thing, as surely nobody would use them. But I didn't have the problem with Vodafone a week ago so...? (hence posting here)

I don't have another phone readily available for testing but that or factory reset would be my next troubleshooting step.

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rugrat

2726 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#2194382 9-Mar-2019 12:19

That will be with all networks.

Phone drops to 3G I think for when doing a voice call, voice doesn’t work on 4G, don’t know why.

Edit: Suprised it didn’t happen with Vodafone.

sbiddle

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Biddle Corp

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#2194385 9-Mar-2019 12:28

Data will always drop to 3G when you're on a voice call as 4G doesn't support circuit switched voice. A handful of networks around the world support VoLTE to allow voice over 4G over VoIP, but none in NZ do.

If it's poor on Spark but not Vodafone it obviously indicates their 3G performance isn't as good as Vodafone's.

blair003

557 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2194399 9-Mar-2019 12:56

Thanks for your comments.

It does revert to 3G while on a call, but I don't consider 3G/HSPA to be unusable, it is OK (or it was on Vodafone) for the type of usage I'm talking about.

Based on your comments I switched my phone to prefer 3G so it dropped down. I tethered to my laptop and did a wireless nation speedtest.

No call I get about 9/1.5mbit 80ms which is fine.

On a call I get 2/0.01mbit 150ms which is pretty borderline.

I then switched to 4G and repeated.

No call I got 20/5mbit 85ms.

On a call it said can't connect to server. I tried again and got 0.7/0 150ms, but basically unusable.

This is making it seem as though it's just a thing with spark at least where I am? Can anyone confirm it is this bad?

blair003

557 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2196421 12-Mar-2019 10:51

To summarise.

Vodafone in my area is 3G/HSPA only. I get something like 10/1 mbit, dropping to 5/1 while on a phone call. That is all completely usable for cloud stuff.

Spark is 4G in my area, which drops to 3G while on a call as normal, but when it does that data is unusable (possibly upload related)

If I set Spark to prefer 3G, while data works on a phone call, it is still borderline unusable, possibly due to the upload bandwidth/speed.

So my conclusion is that sbiddle is correct, Vodafone 3G is better than spark in my area and furthermore, spark data is unusable while on a phone call (seemingly due to the insufficient upload bandwidth).

So I am forced to move back to Vodafone.

Mark

1607 posts

Uber Geek

#2196427 12-Mar-2019 11:03

Wait for the VoLTE stuff to roll out, then you can have voice and 4G/5G data etc.

hio77

'That VDSL Cat'
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Voyager

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#2196452 12-Mar-2019 11:30

Personally i use Join to sync all my sims together, VF sits in another device.

Packet data doesnt work at all while voice calls are ongoing.

Never tried it on spark as it all just works for me....

YMMV i suppose..

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

blair003

557 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2196457 12-Mar-2019 11:38

Packet data while on a call works for me with Vodafone.
(Unless there's another type of data)

Technofreak

5427 posts

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#2196478 12-Mar-2019 12:03

Mark:
Wait for the VoLTE stuff to roll out, then you can have voice and 4G/5G data etc.

This comment doesn't help fix the OP's problem because this solution isn't available now which is when he needs it.

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Technofreak

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#2196481 12-Mar-2019 12:05

blair003:
To summarise.

Vodafone in my area is 3G/HSPA only. I get something like 10/1 mbit, dropping to 5/1 while on a phone call. That is all completely usable for cloud stuff.

Spark is 4G in my area, which drops to 3G while on a call as normal, but when it does that data is unusable (possibly upload related)

If I set Spark to prefer 3G, while data works on a phone call, it is still borderline unusable, possibly due to the upload bandwidth/speed.

So my conclusion is that sbiddle is correct, Vodafone 3G is better than spark in my area and furthermore, spark data is unusable while on a phone call (seemingly due to the insufficient upload bandwidth).

So I am forced to move back to Vodafone.

Have you contacted Spark. Perhaps there's a problem they're unaware of.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

blair003

557 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2196486 12-Mar-2019 12:25

I did contact spark twice to explain in detail as I have done here. I have no idea if it got to the appropriate second level team.

The last guy was going to call back but didn't, hence going back to Vodafone today.

hio77

'That VDSL Cat'
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#2196488 12-Mar-2019 12:32

blair003: I did contact spark twice to explain in detail as I have done here. I have no idea if it got to the appropriate second level team.

The last guy was going to call back but didn't, hence going back to Vodafone today.

Please provide me the Ticket reference you would have been given and i'll happily check that.

otherwise your number will do to reference back - Even if you have ported out, I'm happy to settle that discussion.

I had to ask the RF folk about how all this multi Rab works myself, so it would not surprise me if T1 were confused.

Quite a unique usecase to business rather than residential.

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

Behodar

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#2196489 12-Mar-2019 12:42

I just tested this myself (Whakatane CBD, iPhone 8) and can confirm the issue. Data is unusably slow (I couldn't even get the GZ home page to load) when on a call, then jumps back to normal once the call ends, even when forcing 3G.

blair003

557 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2196503 12-Mar-2019 13:15

hio77:

blair003: I did contact spark twice to explain in detail as I have done here. I have no idea if it got to the appropriate second level team.

The last guy was going to call back but didn't, hence going back to Vodafone today.

Please provide me the Ticket reference you would have been given and i'll happily check that.

otherwise your number will do to reference back - Even if you have ported out, I'm happy to settle that discussion.

I had to ask the RF folk about how all this multi Rab works myself, so it would not surprise me if T1 were confused.

Quite a unique usecase to business rather than residential.

Thanks, have PM'ed

(or do we say DM'ed these days?...)

Mark

1607 posts

Uber Geek

#2196525 12-Mar-2019 13:55

Technofreak:
Mark:

Wait for the VoLTE stuff to roll out, then you can have voice and 4G/5G data etc.

This comment doesn't help fix the OP's problem because this solution isn't available now which is when he needs it.

Changing how the technology works is beyond even me I'm afraid ... which is why I suggested waiting for VolTE where your voice call is over IP and the LTE connection (amongst other things) ... Spark and friends are putting it all in place, you just have to wait .. just like I'm waiting for my flying car ...

robjg63

3476 posts

Uber Geek

#2196529 12-Mar-2019 14:03

But it sounds like quite different behaviour between the 2 suppliers and asking the OP to wait for a technology that is yet to arrive is not super helpful.

One could argue that clobbering mobile data (even when dropping back to 3G) while a call is in progress may be a bug. It appears that one supplier can make it work so you would reasonably hope the other could also make it work.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

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