Terrible roaming experience in USA

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › Terrible roaming experience in USA

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nztim

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#2963587 5-Sep-2022 18:52

KiwiSurfer:

That little table they have showing what you can/can't do with which phone on which network makes the whole situation look so amateur. In some cases you can do that but not this, and in other cases you can't do that but you can do this. Try explaining that to a typical customer...

Best they can do given the circumstances, Its AT&T's fault for shutting down a 3G Network with no VoLTE roaming in place

At least Vodafone is doing something (defaulting people onto T-Mobile over AT&T) so they can use GSM to make/recieve calls which is better than when I was over there in May/June

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johno1234

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#2963588 5-Sep-2022 18:53

We had a mixed bag in Hawaii last week. Both our phones on the same spark account. Mine an iPhone and wife’s a cheap xiaomi. Mine worked perfectly with voice, SMS and data. Wife’s worked for data and sms and receiving some calls but couldn’t make any. If she tried she got a voice saying “all our circuits are busy”.
Friends with us on Vodafone roaming and iPhones. Some worked and some had same issue as above but then worked after calling Vodafone who changed something at their end.

cokemaster

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#2965931 11-Sep-2022 20:31

@Johno1234 - common issue when roaming, first port of call is to make sure that contacts are all in international format. eg. 021 xxx xxx becomes +64 21 xxx xxx. If they aren't - expect to have issues making outbound calls.

I noticed that 2 Degrees does have a page now about roaming in the US - https://www.2degrees.nz/help/mobile-help/roaming/roaming-and-using-your-phone-overseas#us-roaming-services

I also noticed that Spark has the following on roaming to US page:

3G networks have been retired by some US carriers. Historically, voice calling has operated over the 3G network. To check that you’ll be able to make calls over 4G, visit 'Spark VoLTE Roaming' for more information

And their VoLTE page:

Spark VoLTE roaming capable phones

Worldwide, our roaming carrier partners are starting to retire their 3G and 2G networks to free up frequencies and network resources for their 4G and 5G networks.

To ensure customers can continue to make and receive calls when roaming, Spark is working with manufacturers to enable VoLTE roaming on most commonly used mobile phone models, and with its roaming carriers to launch VoLTE roaming on their networks.

VoLTE roaming is very similar to VoLTE calling within NZ, however there are some restrictions around mobile devices.

To find out if your device is VoLTE roaming capable, please see ‘Is my device VoLTE roaming capable?’ This is located in the FAQ section below.

....

VoLTE roaming capable phones

Even though your device may be VoLTE capable for use when in NZ, it may not be VoLTE roaming capable. Spark is working with device manufacturers to provide upgrades to devices as soon as possible. It is recommended that you always ensure your device is running the latest software build. (Data charges apply to software updates installed using data, so we recommend downloading software updates over WiFi.)

Is Spark saying that they support VoLTE when roaming? If this is the case, I think the others might need to lift their game.

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quickymart

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#2965940 11-Sep-2022 22:21

Oh I'll probably have to replace my Spark Nokia phone before going anywhere overseas then. A pity as I quite like it.

andyb

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#2965957 12-Sep-2022 08:07

Is Spark saying that they support VoLTE when roaming? If this is the case, I think the others might need to lift their game.

Yes, Spark has launched VoLTE Roaming in May with AT&T, and is working with a number of other carriers around the world to launch.

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nztim

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#2966977 14-Sep-2022 09:22

andyb:

Is Spark saying that they support VoLTE when roaming? If this is the case, I think the others might need to lift their game.

Yes, Spark has launched VoLTE Roaming in May with AT&T, and is working with a number of other carriers around the world to launch.

This is the first step in the right direction going forward

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

Peppery

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#2967984 14-Sep-2022 10:35

Anecdotally, whenever I'm in the states I pick up a T-Mobile prepaid SIM. LTE coverage has always been excellent on NZ-sourced devices (an iPhone 7 and iPhone X) and rarely ever dropped down to 3G. Would roaming be different in some way?

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cokemaster

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#2967985 14-Sep-2022 10:43

Roaming will be different. Data coverage will be very similar but because 2 Degrees and Vodafone don’t currently support VoLTE roaming, any inbound or outbound calls will drop you to 3G (decommissioned) or 2G (GSM) which are may have a different coverage footprint to their LTE network.

Because your iPhone supports Volte, you will be able to place a call wherever there is coverage (whether 2G or LTE)
When roaming, you might find instances where there is 4G coverage but no 2G-GSM coverage. In these circumstances, you won’t be able to make or receive calls.

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Peppery

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#2968062 14-Sep-2022 11:58

I was more referring to OP's comments that they had issues with data connectivity :)

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#3009736 14-Dec-2022 09:04

Peppery:

Anecdotally, whenever I'm in the states I pick up a T-Mobile prepaid SIM. LTE coverage has always been excellent on NZ-sourced devices (an iPhone 7 and iPhone X) and rarely ever dropped down to 3G. Would roaming be different in some way?

Depends when you last visited. Prior to this trip roaming disaster in June 2022, I was there Jan 2020 and roaming was flawless in LA, SF and Boston. Fast forward 2.5 years and it was unusable.

As per the comments the recent phase out of 3G & 4G (incl LTE) in the USA and NZ phones are borderline useless. I dont think a local SIM would necessarily help in that regard given the phones we were using were newish iPhones.

Anyway, in other news, SO just returned from 3 weeks in South Africa where roaming on 2 Degrees was flawless even in some far flung places. Not a single complaint from the SO. So well done 2 Degrees!