Reception Question

[Pangloss]

I have a Sony Ericsson T68i, and I've been very unhappy with the reception. I get terrible reception in my house, at my workplace, or in just about any other building. The problem is, how do I know if the problem is with the telephone or with the provider?

I'm using AT&T Wireless in South Florida, specifically the SW Broward area.

I'm trying to decide if I should upgrade to a newer SE model, such as the Z600, or perhaps change over to another line, such as the new Motorola MPx200, or perhaps get out of GSM altogether and go back to a TDMA phone. My wife's Sanyo-made Sprint phone works great in all the same buildings where mine fails. (sigh)

Any advice or suggestions appreciated. Thanks!

[Michael]

The T68i is not known for great reception. This I know all to well.

The Z600 was quite a bit better for me.

[Ack]

It's not the phone, it's AT&T. Basically they suck. Did you remember the salesperson telling you that GSM doesn't work too well inside ? Well its very true in the US because GSM is still not everywhere.

I had the Unlimited plan with AT&T and it was usually good unless I was inside a building that didn't have a lot of windows or was in a basement.

Here in Hong Kong, the phone works perfectly, even in the subway.

I only switched to AT&T because my phone bills were running $600-$800/month and the $99.00 was an awesome deal. So until AT&T adds more towers, I would stick to CDMA.

[Pangloss]

I appreciate the input.

AT&T customer service says I can switch back to the CDMA network, I just need to pay for a new phone. Seems kinda silly, since I could switch carriers and not have to pay for the phone, but the CDMA phones aren't very exciting anyway, so I'm not sure that it matters. (sigh)

[Michael]

Originally posted by Ack
Here in Hong Kong, the phone works perfectly, even in the subway.

Only because there are GSM repeaters in your subways, I'll wager.

No mobile phone is able to pick up surface based signals deep under ground.

T68i reception is known to be weak when compared to other models, regadless of how well it works in an urban environment with a strong signal.

Get any recent Nokia Series 40 device and you will see a vast improvement.

[Pangloss]

What about the new Motorola MPx200? I'm intrigued by that one because of the software, but I'm curious about its reception quality. I don't want another phone I can't use in the house or at work!

[Pangloss]

I spoke with someone at AT&T today and got a little more information.

Apparently the 1900 mhz (GSM) network here in South Florida has a lot of trouble penetrating buildings. AT&T had an all-employees meeting a while ago in which they explained that the other providers in the area were better able to provide indoor service because they were also using the 850mhz signal range. AT&T is trying to upgrade its towers to support that signal range as well, but you have to have a phone that supports it.

Interesting stuff.

[augustus108]

Yes, they do have repeater in the subway, that's why one could hear pretty clear.