Network Selection conundrum

[bardos]

Hello all, I am using an IPhone 4 with latest ios 9.35 (that's the phone's limit for upgrading the OS) for roaming. My problem concerns network connection. I am on roaming here in the USA in Hawaii. My sim card is from a Spanish operator. Up till now, for weeks, I have been automatically connecting to at&t, no problem. Since yesterday, there has been a problem with a tower in my area where I live and at&t has informed me that they are working on on it, no idea when it will be repaired.

My Spanish operator told me to go to "Network Selection", and instead of "automatic", which I had it on, to change it to "manual" and see what pops up. Evidently they have contractual connections to various US operators for roaming. I did that. T-Mobile shows up and when I click on it a blue check shows next to the name. However, I am not connecting to T-Moblie I am still with "No Service" showing.

Is it because T-Mobile has lame coverage in my area? Or do I need to do something else, as my phone appears to SEE this network... any advice welcome. thx

 

[zstairlessone]

The older AT&T phones wouldn't connect to some networks, CDMA not being part of the chipset. I don't know what T-Mobile uses, but this might be part of the problem

 

[bardos]

This is not an at&t phone... not sure what you mean. T-Mobile uses GSM, no?

 

[scifan57]

Hello all, I am using an IPhone 4 with latest ios 9.35 (that's the phone's limit for upgrading the OS) for roaming. My problem concerns network connection. I am on roaming here in the USA in Hawaii. My sim card is from a Spanish operator. Up till now, for weeks, I have been automatically connecting to at&t, no problem. Since yesterday, there has been a problem with a tower in my area where I live and at&t has informed me that they are working on on it, no idea when it will be repaired.

My Spanish operator told me to go to "Network Selection", and instead of "automatic", which I had it on, to change it to "manual" and see what pops up. Evidently they have contractual connections to various US operators for roaming. I did that. T-Mobile shows up and when I click on it a blue check shows next to the name. However, I am not connecting to T-Moblie I am still with "No Service" showing.

Is it because T-Mobile has lame coverage in my area? Or do I need to do something else, as my phone appears to SEE this network... any advice welcome. thx

What happens if you go to an area serviced by another cell tower? If it works then, you have no issues with the phone itself and you’ll just have to wait for AT&T to fix the problem tower if you want a connection in its coverage area.

 

[bardos]

Yes, I did that. I connected to at&t perfectly when I left my area. At some point I'll see if the same happens with T-Mobile... I live in an area of very poor coverage. However at&t, miraculously always gave me two bars where I live. On my American sim phone, an Iphone6s, I am lucky to get one bar with my operator TPO, which I think uses Sprint.

Basically, I am trying to find out what the manual network find is all about and how it works, or doesn't.

 

[HunnieBunnie]

The older AT&T phones wouldn't connect to some networks, CDMA not being part of the chipset. I don't know what T-Mobile uses, but this might be part of the problem

Yes, I can attest to this. My provider was MetroPCS, but a few years ago they eliminated their support system which I believe was CDMA. My phone would not work with the new system, so I was forced to replace my phone. That was whence I switched from an Android phone to an iPhone.

If your phone is working outside of your area where it can connect to a strong signal, then I would have to agree that the phone is not the problem. I live in a very large metroplex, and I still did not get a very good connection with my Android phone. iPhone has been a little bit better, but I still have problems sometimes, and I have never gotten a very good explanation as to why. I suppose it is just something one has to live with if one uses mobile phones.

 

[zstairlessone]

This is not an at&t phone... not sure what you mean. T-Mobile uses GSM, no?

AT&T, like most of the rest of the world uses GSM technology. Some American providers use a technology called CDMA. These aren't compatible and early iPhones (the 4 being among them) only worked on one or the other as they did not contain the chipsets for both like newer iPhones do. It looks like you have a GSM iPhone as it works in Europe and on AT&T. If T-Mobile is running on Verizon's backbone where you are because AT&T isn't there you may just be limited in that area due to your phone's hardware.