No service around Te Puke

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › No service around Te Puke

Ivelisse

14 posts

Geek

#115120 14-Mar-2013 13:05

Hi!!

I just moved to NZ a few weeks ago, and i brought with me a Samsung Galaxy Ace (model GT-S5830i), i choose 2degrees because everyone told me was a good company and with the cheapest prices, my phone worked fine on Auckland, then i moved to Tauranga and most of the time i had reception but at moments my phone would die without any signal, now i'm living on Te Puke and the phone is dead ALL the time, the only place where i can get some signal is on the main street of town and just at some moments (like 50/50 the time when i have service vs when i don't have), i thought the problem would be the bands in which the phone works but they seems to be compatible with 2 degrees service, according to the manufacturer website my phone works on those bands:

GSM and EDGE: 850/900/1,800/1,900 MHz
Band GSM and EDGE: 850/1,900 MHz
HSDPA 7.2

This lack of service is driving me nuts, any idea about how to solve this problem, could be my phone or just the network? I really don't care if i have to switch to Vodafone or Telecom, but i don't want to change my phone since i just bought it 3 months ago.

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#781596 14-Mar-2013 13:15

Those specs seem to conflict with each other; the first line says that GSM/EDGE works at 850/900/1800/1900 but the second line only lists 850/1900.

2degrees runs EDGE at 900, but you're better off with a WCDMA 900/2100-capable phone (or WCDMA 850/2100 for Telecom).

Which country is your phone from?

Edit: Also, make sure that 3G is turned on in the settings.

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wongtop

545 posts

Ultimate Geek

#781606 14-Mar-2013 13:22

I was in Te Puke (actually Maketu) over summer and had no problems with 2degrees coverage. In that area your phone should automatically hop onto Vodafone if the 2degrees coverage is weak. Assuming that there is a typo somewhere and the 3G (UTMS/WDCMA) rather than GSM band your your phone is 850/1900, then you may be better off on Telecom.

If I were you I would buy a $5 SIM from a telecom store and give it a try. To be honest there is not much difference between the Telecom and 2degrees plans anymore (unless carryover minutes and shared data are important to you)

Ivelisse

14 posts

Geek

#781627 14-Mar-2013 13:40

It's a phone from Mexico, on the network settings just give me the option of turn on/off the use of just 2G networks (i have that turned off), no 3G option.

If i dial *#197328640# (got this trick thanks to google) and on the band selection i can choose between GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900, and WCDMA 2100, 1900, 900, 850, i have choosen the automatic option, so, whould give me whatever it's available at the moment, but that isn't happening.

And a few days ago someone lend me his Telecom simcard and still i couldn't get any signal on the phone.

Behodar

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#781634 14-Mar-2013 13:49

I've found the specs on Samsung Mexico's site. It appears to be a 2G-only phone, which means that you should not expect good performance or coverage in NZ. Telecom doesn't offer 2G and 2degrees' coverage is limited. You may have some luck with Vodafone but it will be slow.

Ivelisse

14 posts

Geek

#781659 14-Mar-2013 14:14

The phone is 3G also, my carrier on Mexico offers 3G and i would use it back there. Checking on the website of my carrier back home there says the phone gets on their network 3G 850 and 1900, GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900.

Looking at the mexican carrier website they offer international roaming here on NZ on the Vodafone network for my cellphone and is listed as 3G on the 2100mhz frecuency, and on GSM 900 and 1800, so, what do you think? Vodafone is my best option with this phone here on NZ?

Edit: If i use this code *#*#4636#*#* on the option of "set the prefered network" i have selected "WCDMA preferred" would be better if i change it to "GSM only", "WCDMA only", "GSM auto (PRL)", "CDMA auto (PRL)", "CDMA only", "EvDo only", "GSM/CDMA auto (PRL)", or "Unknown"

Behodar

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#781671 14-Mar-2013 14:26

Only Telecom offers 3G 850, but for full coverage your phone also needs to support 3G (WCDMA) 2100. Vodafone offers GSM, and I think it's at 900. Do a network search on your phone and see whether Vodafone shows up. You won't be able to connect without a Vodafone SIM but this'll at least determine whether your phone can "see" the network.

wongtop

545 posts

Ultimate Geek

#781672 14-Mar-2013 14:29

If it does 3G at 850 it should be fine on Telecom. The fact that you get no coverage at all on Telecom suggests that something isn't right. I suspect that the phone doesn't support 3G 900/2100. To confirm this you should select WCDMA only, and if I am correct you should get no coverage at all on 2degrees or Vodafone.

If you are running a 2 degrees or Vodafone SIM, I would run it in GSM only mode for a while and see if that improves things. Data will be slow though.

Ivelisse

14 posts

Geek

#781674 14-Mar-2013 14:31

If i look for networks my phone just finds 2degrees, nothing else.

Edit: Yeap!! If i choose WCDMA only the phone dies, on GSM only i get signal

old3eyes

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#781873 14-Mar-2013 19:15

I think you will find most people in that area are on Telecom as it has good coverage. I did some test around there about a year ag o and a couple of Km east of Te Puk I lost 2D all together where as the XT fone kept going fine..

Regards,

Old3eyes

ajw

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#781964 14-Mar-2013 22:12

old3eyes: I think you will find most people in that area are on Telecom as it has good coverage. I did some test around there about a year ag o and a couple of Km east of Te Puk I lost 2D all together where as the XT fone kept going fine..

According to bartenders map 2 degrees has got two cellsites in Te Puke and Telecom has only two sites.

2degreesCare

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2degrees

#782275 15-Mar-2013 13:44

Ivelisse: The phone is 3G also, my carrier on Mexico offers 3G and i would use it back there. Checking on the website of my carrier back home there says the phone gets on their network 3G 850 and 1900, GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900.

Looking at the mexican carrier website they offer international roaming here on NZ on the Vodafone network for my cellphone and is listed as 3G on the 2100mhz frecuency, and on GSM 900 and 1800, so, what do you think? Vodafone is my best option with this phone here on NZ?

Edit: If i use this code *#*#4636#*#* on the option of "set the prefered network" i have selected "WCDMA preferred" would be better if i change it to "GSM only", "WCDMA only", "GSM auto (PRL)", "CDMA auto (PRL)", "CDMA only", "EvDo only", "GSM/CDMA auto (PRL)", or "Unknown"

Set it to GSM (2G) only and you should get a signal. Our network is 900MHz GSM and HSDPA at 2100MHZ within our Mobile Broadband Zones. Data is provided using both GPRS and EDGE technology and outside our canopy you will need to have 'Data Roaming' enabled.

Hope that helps.
^POB

Ivelisse

14 posts

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#782329 15-Mar-2013 15:04

I just put me cellphone on GSM only and still no signal, dead as always :(

johnr

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#782334 15-Mar-2013 15:11

Ivelisse: I just put me cellphone on GSM only and still no signal, dead as always :(

Are you sure this handset supports GSM / 2G on 900Mhz? I would say it supports GSM / 2G on 850 / 1800Mhz so will only work when located near a GSM 1800 site

Ivelisse

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#782337 15-Mar-2013 15:20

No idea about that! What i know is just what i have posted, the bands that the phone is supposed to work.

johnr

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#782338 15-Mar-2013 15:25

In network settings is it set to use GSM 1800Mhz only?

Did the handset come from the US?

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