Call dropouts with both Centro and Treo 680 on O2 UK

krpage · 07/09/2009, 07:41 AM

I ported to O2 a couple of months ago.

Since then I've had problems with voice calls: while I can always hear the other participant, they loose my voice for 5-10 seconds every now and again. Very annoying.

Speaking to a friend with a Treo 680 on O2, they also started experiencing this problem in around March, even though they'd be using the Treo on O2 for a year or two without problem prior to that.

So it seems that O2 have changed their network in some way and this is causing problems? Is anyone else on O2 experiencing this (or not)?

(I've also noticed that the MMS I send are shunk, as in:
http://discussion.treocentral.com/wo...ull-sized.html
so it seems O2 don't have it set up right for Palm there either?)

checkmate · 07/09/2009, 10:13 AM

I have this problem too! As well as the one mentioned in the 'small MMS pics' thread. I thought it was a reception issue until now....

krpage · 07/10/2009, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by checkmate

I have this problem too! As well as the one mentioned in the 'small MMS pics' thread. I thought it was a reception issue until now....

I don't think it's a reception issue - I can place the phone in one spot, point it at e.g. the radio, and listening on the other end the problem will sporadically occur. This happens with both a Treo 680 and a Centro, but not a Sony Ericsson K800. It certainly happens when bound to different cells: the problem occurs for us in Southampton, Gosport, and places in between.

checkmate: I see you have Southampton listed as your location. I guess I was hoping for a response from someone a little further from home

Do you experience the problem widely? It seems unlikely, but I guess it could be a local problem.

When did the problem start for you?

I've only been on O2 for a couple of months, but know of a friend with a Treo who had been using it trouble free for a number of years until recently.

Have you reported the problem to O2?

I'm trying to work my way through customer services, but they seem to only really be able to deal with the idea that it's a fault with the handset or a fault with the network (signal). It seems to me like it's a configuration problem relating to the interaction between the two...

pshrimpton · 08/03/2009, 10:24 AM

I have the same problem with my Centro on O2 uk. Phone has been back for repair twice and they found nothing wrong with it, but now I have found this thread I will contact o2.

krpage · 08/03/2009, 10:44 AM

After numerous calls to O2, they won't take it further than stating:
1) that it's a problem with signal strength - I've not way to confirm or disprove this really, though the Centro shows several bars signal, as do some Sony Ericssons I've tried in the same places
2) that Palms are known to O2 to have a problem with weak reception, and that I should buy another phone - when I pointed out that this occurred on two different models they said it was "all Palms"

It's tricky to get further than this, as the problem does go away with a handset that isn't a Palm. I still think it odd if it's a signal problem that I can hear the other party perfectly clearly (they just can't hear me). O2 also wouldn't countenance my statement that the Treo 680 had worked perfectly well for over a year on O2 until more recently.

So I suspect I'm being fobbed off, which is all the more worrying for the future given their "all Palms" comment and O2 having the Pre exclusively in the UK come winter.

I've only had my O2 contract since May. For those who've been with O2 longer, can we pinpoint a date when this started happening?

checkmate · 08/17/2009, 02:50 PM

Does anyone have experience with other networks?

Vodafone offer an equivalent contract to the SIM only one I'm on now but I need to know if I'll just end up with the same problems....

krpage · 08/17/2009, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by checkmate

Does anyone have experience with other networks?

My problems started the day I switched my T-Mobile SIM for an O2 one. I'm reasonably sure it's just an O2 issue, though don't know about Vodafone.

When did the problem start for you on O2, checkmate?

checkmate · 08/17/2009, 06:08 PM

Well I never had a problem with my Treo 650 on O2 but the Centro may well have had problems from the start. I was more focused on the fact that i was getting my MMS photos through small when I first got the Centro.

I would switch to Vodafone today if I wasn't tied in to my O2 contract until February....

Wuzz · 08/30/2009, 05:05 PM

I have the same problem with my iPhone on O2. It's rather annoying!

krpage · 08/30/2009, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wuzz

I have the same problem with my iPhone on O2. It's rather annoying!

That's interesting - is it a 3G iPhone or an older model? Does it happen all the time? Do you know if it's a widespread iPhone problem (any forum threads etc.)?

Today I had the first long (30 mins or so) call where I didn't experience the problem. Interestingly the Centro was showing very low signal (whereas where I normally have problems I have good signal).

Wuzz · 09/05/2009, 10:30 AM

It's a 3G iphone. Happens 2-4 week. Normal phone calls with full bars then suddenly they lose my voice for 10-15 seconds. Started in the last 3 months or so. Don't know if it's a bigger iphone problem?

krpage · 09/05/2009, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wuzz

Happens 2-4 week. Normal phone calls with full bars then suddenly they lose my voice for 10-15 seconds. Started in the last 3 months or so.

Yes, that's exactly what I get on the Centro. O2 didn't really get any more helpful that suggesting I get a Nokia, so it's interesting that if also afflicts their flagship handset!

What did O2 suggest to you? (Get a Nokia?!)

mark680 · 11/06/2009, 03:46 AM

Same problem with T-Mobile in the US using Treo 680. It has been going on for a couple of months. Other users are reporting the same trouble.

krpage · 09:38 AM

The thread discussing the same problem on T-Mobile US is here:
http://discussion.treocentral.com/pa...s-tmobile.html

This links to a thread on the T-Mobile forum that's very useful:
Palm Centro intermittent voice with T-Mobile servi... - T-Mobile Forums

particularly posts 57, 58, 82, and 120.

So there was definitely a base-station software update on T-Mobile US that caused an identical problem. It seems highly likely this same update was applied to O2 in the UK earlier this year.

If anyone has a technical contact in O2, or knows how to escalate to one, please say/PM. I'm confident at this level of detail myself (have some background), but no-one I've spoken to a O2 is at anywhere near the correct level of expertise.

If anyone else has the time to go through this with O2 please do and report back! I'll try and do something, but to be honest I'm only on a monthly contract and was ready to switch to another network to fix the problem.

krpage · 01/22/2010, 06:53 AM

I'm more convinced than ever that the problem is that described in the US T-Mobile forums.

So after writing to O2 with specific questions about the specific technical issue, and having been met with a generic "we'll run some line tests" letter 2 months(!) later (although our original letter detailed the lines tests O2 had already run) I've left the network. They seem incapable of investigating and managing a technological fault even when someone has handed them diagnosis and solution on a plate (or indeed reading a letter or consulting their own notes).

I'm now on Vodafone, and the issue has gone away. And SMS receipts work, they support the voicemail icon, and my MMS pictures aren't shrunk. i.e. all the GSM bits appear to work as they should.

So my advice to anyone experiencing this problem is: leave O2. Their network implementation is a complete shambles, as is their technical support.

checkmate · 01/22/2010, 09:45 AM

Likewise - I've just received my Vodafone SIM and I leave O2 on the 29th Jan. I tested my sister's Vodafone SIM before Xmas in my Centro and like you krpage it worked flawlessly!

The simple fact is that there aren't enough of us with this problem to make it an issue for O2.

07/09/2009, 07:41 AM	#1 (permalink)
krpage Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: UK Posts: 37 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Call dropouts with both Centro and Treo 680 on O2 UK I ported to O2 a couple of months ago. Since then I've had problems with voice calls: while I can always hear the other participant, they loose my voice for 5-10 seconds every now and again. Very annoying. Speaking to a friend with a Treo 680 on O2, they also started experiencing this problem in around March, even though they'd be using the Treo on O2 for a year or two without problem prior to that. So it seems that O2 have changed their network in some way and this is causing problems? Is anyone else on O2 experiencing this (or not)? (I've also noticed that the MMS I send are shunk, as in: http://discussion.treocentral.com/wo...ull-sized.html so it seems O2 don't have it set up right for Palm there either?)
	Liked by

07/09/2009, 10:13 AM	#2 (permalink)
checkmate Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Southampton, UK Posts: 803 Likes Received: 39 Thanks: 16 Thanked 36 Times in 17 Posts	I have this problem too! As well as the one mentioned in the 'small MMS pics' thread. I thought it was a reception issue until now.... __________________ HP Pre 3 (UK)
	Liked by

08/03/2009, 10:24 AM	#4 (permalink)
pshrimpton Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 26 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I have the same problem with my Centro on O2 uk. Phone has been back for repair twice and they found nothing wrong with it, but now I have found this thread I will contact o2.
	Liked by

08/03/2009, 10:44 AM	#5 (permalink)
krpage Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: UK Posts: 37 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	After numerous calls to O2, they won't take it further than stating: 1) that it's a problem with signal strength - I've not way to confirm or disprove this really, though the Centro shows several bars signal, as do some Sony Ericssons I've tried in the same places 2) that Palms are known to O2 to have a problem with weak reception, and that I should buy another phone - when I pointed out that this occurred on two different models they said it was "all Palms" It's tricky to get further than this, as the problem does go away with a handset that isn't a Palm. I still think it odd if it's a signal problem that I can hear the other party perfectly clearly (they just can't hear me). O2 also wouldn't countenance my statement that the Treo 680 had worked perfectly well for over a year on O2 until more recently. So I suspect I'm being fobbed off, which is all the more worrying for the future given their "all Palms" comment and O2 having the Pre exclusively in the UK come winter. I've only had my O2 contract since May. For those who've been with O2 longer, can we pinpoint a date when this started happening?
	Liked by

08/17/2009, 02:50 PM	#6 (permalink)
checkmate Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Southampton, UK Posts: 803 Likes Received: 39 Thanks: 16 Thanked 36 Times in 17 Posts	Does anyone have experience with other networks? Vodafone offer an equivalent contract to the SIM only one I'm on now but I need to know if I'll just end up with the same problems.... __________________ HP Pre 3 (UK)
	Liked by

08/17/2009, 06:08 PM	#8 (permalink)
checkmate Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Southampton, UK Posts: 803 Likes Received: 39 Thanks: 16 Thanked 36 Times in 17 Posts	Well I never had a problem with my Treo 650 on O2 but the Centro may well have had problems from the start. I was more focused on the fact that i was getting my MMS photos through small when I first got the Centro. I would switch to Vodafone today if I wasn't tied in to my O2 contract until February.... __________________ HP Pre 3 (UK)
	Liked by

08/30/2009, 05:05 PM	#9 (permalink)
Wuzz Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: London, UK Posts: 22 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I have the same problem with my iPhone on O2. It's rather annoying!
	Liked by

09/05/2009, 10:30 AM	#11 (permalink)
Wuzz Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: London, UK Posts: 22 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	It's a 3G iphone. Happens 2-4 week. Normal phone calls with full bars then suddenly they lose my voice for 10-15 seconds. Started in the last 3 months or so. Don't know if it's a bigger iphone problem?
	Liked by

11/06/2009, 03:46 AM	#13 (permalink)
mark680 Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 4 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Same problem with T-Mobile in the US using Treo 680. It has been going on for a couple of months. Other users are reporting the same trouble.
	Liked by Thanked By: krpage

11/06/2009, 05:38 AM	#14 (permalink)
krpage Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: UK Posts: 37 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Problem with update to cell phone tower software The thread discussing the same problem on T-Mobile US is here: http://discussion.treocentral.com/pa...s-tmobile.html This links to a thread on the T-Mobile forum that's very useful: Palm Centro intermittent voice with T-Mobile servi... - T-Mobile Forums particularly posts 57, 58, 82, and 120. So there was definitely a base-station software update on T-Mobile US that caused an identical problem. It seems highly likely this same update was applied to O2 in the UK earlier this year. If anyone has a technical contact in O2, or knows how to escalate to one, please say/PM. I'm confident at this level of detail myself (have some background), but no-one I've spoken to a O2 is at anywhere near the correct level of expertise. If anyone else has the time to go through this with O2 please do and report back! I'll try and do something, but to be honest I'm only on a monthly contract and was ready to switch to another network to fix the problem. Last edited by krpage; 11/06/2009 at 09:38 AM. Reason: Fixed link
	Liked by

01/22/2010, 06:53 AM	#15 (permalink)
krpage Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: UK Posts: 37 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I'm more convinced than ever that the problem is that described in the US T-Mobile forums. So after writing to O2 with specific questions about the specific technical issue, and having been met with a generic "we'll run some line tests" letter 2 months(!) later (although our original letter detailed the lines tests O2 had already run) I've left the network. They seem incapable of investigating and managing a technological fault even when someone has handed them diagnosis and solution on a plate (or indeed reading a letter or consulting their own notes). I'm now on Vodafone, and the issue has gone away. And SMS receipts work, they support the voicemail icon, and my MMS pictures aren't shrunk. i.e. all the GSM bits appear to work as they should. So my advice to anyone experiencing this problem is: leave O2. Their network implementation is a complete shambles, as is their technical support.
	Liked by

01/22/2010, 09:45 AM	#16 (permalink)
checkmate Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Southampton, UK Posts: 803 Likes Received: 39 Thanks: 16 Thanked 36 Times in 17 Posts	Likewise - I've just received my Vodafone SIM and I leave O2 on the 29th Jan. I tested my sister's Vodafone SIM before Xmas in my Centro and like you krpage it worked flawlessly! The simple fact is that there aren't enough of us with this problem to make it an issue for O2. __________________ HP Pre 3 (UK)
	Liked by

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