4G Phone? That's What YOU Think.

Think that new 4G smart phone you just bought for an exorbitant amount of money is the latest and greatest in download speeds? You're dead wrong.

For the last few months Sprint, Verizon & T-Mobile has been advertising the power of 4G speed on their networks as the new breakthrough in mobile technology. Telus also followed suit here in Canada, and today it was leaked that Bell Mobility will jump on the 4G advertising bandwagon.

But does anyone really know what the difference is between 3G and 4G connectivity speeds? Apparently there isn't one.

The International Telecommunications Union initially defined 4G as a reference to Long Term Evolution mobile standards (LTE for short). LTE meant a new version of wireless technology that could potentially offer speeds of 100 Mbps. So far, no commercial wireless network on the planet has deployed such a technology. And, as far as I know, no wireless communications company has even managed to develop such a technology that would work in a stable fashion on a consumer level.

The initial definition of LTE (100 Mbps) is considerably faster than the HSPA networks that are currently used by Bell, Telus & Rogers. Their HSPA networks generally tops out at 7.2 Mbps. Even improved HSPA networks known as HSPA+ only reach top speeds of 21 Mbps.

So if Bell, Telus & Rogers all top out at 7.2 Mbps, how can they possibly call themselves 4G?

In December, the International Telecommunications Union have changed the criteria or definition of 3G and 4G. Now 100 Mbps speed is no longer a definition of 4G. 4G is now considered any technology that shows a "substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities" over existing 3G networks.

As an example, Bell Mobility now refers to 3G as being any speeds slower than 3Mbps. And, since Bell's network can theoretically offer speeds up to 7.2 Mbps, (which IS a significant improvement over 3Mbps) presto! Bell is now a 4G network!

So the interesting part to watch for is how this will play out in the long term. Since all the 3G phones currently on the Bell and Telus network should theoretically be able to use the max network speed of 7.2Mbps (which can be less depending on location or network traffic), will Bell issue "4G" phones that operate in the same way so that everyone still has a phone that works at the same speed, (which would allow them to simply market their entire network as the latest and greatest 4G network) or will they attempt to choke bandwidth to keep existing 3G phones slower to encourage customers to upgrade to new 4G marketed handsets?

There is an old saying "Caveat Emptor". Or in English "let the buyer beware". I don't think there is any other product that this warning is most suited for than Telecomm Services.

Bell Mobility Overcharging For Data?

Kate & Daniel Methot from Merritt, BC, have been fighting Bell Mobility for several months over astronomical data charges that they have been receiving from Bell.

In October of last year, Kate purchased a Samsung Galaxy smart phone (shown above). After her first month of usage, the Methots received a bill for over $1000, mainly consisting of data charges.

The couple was shocked. Initially they thought they must have done something that they didn't realize was consuming huge amounts of data. Daniel deleted every app he had downloaded to the phone, thinking maybe it was an app that was accessing network data when not in use. Kate and Daniel also became scrooge-like with their data usage, basically not using the phone for any data if at all possible.

The couple also called Bell asking for an explanation into how is was possible they had used so much data. Bell was unable to give them an answer.

Even with their efforts to keep their data usage to a minimum, The Methots received another astronomical bill in December of 2010. At one point in December, the bill stated that they had used 30 hours of Data in one 24 hour period. The Methots maintained even if they had been frequently using their data capabilities on the phone, it would be impossible for them to use the phone continuously for a 24 hour period.

The couple has spent countless hours of time on the phone with Bell Customer Service to attempt to find an answer about the billing. Every time they called Bell, they were not able to speak to the same service agent, and would have to retell the whole story from the beginning. The responses from Bell was typically an agent telling the couple that they must be downloading video and to stop watching movies on the phone.

One other possibility that Bell suggested was that the couple had the hot-spot feature of the phone turned on, which allows tethering to 3 other devices. In other words other wireless devices that the Methots use, or someone else nearby uses has been connecting to the phone to access the internet.

The couple categorically denies that scenario is possible, stating that since the first two bills came in, the phone is rarely used and is always turned off because of the fear of excessive data charges. Daniel also maintains that some bills show data usage during time periods in which he knows the Samsung phone was turned off.

By the end of December, Bell Mobility had offered no answers for the outrages billing and had offered no solutions for the gigantic bills. Finally the Methots enlisted a lawyer for $400 and had the attorney send a letter to Bell, but that did not bring about any results.

However, in January, Daniel thought he had finally made a breakthrough with the phone company. On a call with a Bell rep that Daniel had recorded, the rep told Daniel that the problems they were experiencing was "known", and was a software problem that Bell was experiencing. Their account was immediately credited $3300. The couple thought that was the end of their problems.

They were wrong.

Within a few days, the couple received another bill for $1200. Bell has since recanted their admission to a software problem, saying the Account Rep the Methots spoke with was incorrect. Bell now says that the software issue they had been experiencing had charged a small number of customers for the correct amount of data, but at a rate that was much higher than in accordance with their monthly plan. Bell says this cannot be the same issue, as the Methots claim they are being billed for data they didn't use.

Since the Methots have taken their issues to CBC news, the couple claims that Bell has now offered to cancel their contract and waive all outstanding fees. The couple has not yet accepted this offer, as they feel this is not enough to make up for the hours of conversations with Bell Mobility, and the $400 for the unanswered lawyer's letter.

The CCTS, or Commissioner of Complaints for Telecommunication Services say this happens more often than people think. Last year alone the CCTS received almost 1000 complaints solely for over-billing by cell phone companies. And those are just the customers that actually filed a complaint. The CCTS also recommends installing a third party app on your smart phone that monitors your phone usage. It's important that it's a third party software, so if there are discrepancies between billing and usage, the customer has some evidence to back them up.

If you are having problems with your cell phone company, and want to file a complaint with the CCTS, you can do so here.

Bell, Telus & Rogers vs. iPhone Reception Problems

So I took a bit of a break from the blogging to get in a nice long Christmas Holiday and to catch up on some left behind work through January. I am back now, and will be posting regularly again. (Keep checking for the soon to be released Ultimate Guide to the Las Vegas Strip).

However, while I was away, I was monitoring the site traffic and still going through emails from readers. A common topic seemed to be complaints about iPhone reception problems.

Most of the email was from people who had iPhone 3 G(s) phones. A couple were from iPhone 4 owners, and a few others did not specify their models.

As for why there were fewer iPhone 4 complaints, I don't know if its because that specific model works better, or if there are just less people that currently own that version.

At any rate, I have some updated news.

The main complaints seem to be specifically with reception issues: dropped calls even when the phone indicates good reception, getting poor reception even when in large cities, or not getting any reception at all. These problems have been experienced by people currently on ALL of the big 3 networks. Telus, Bell and Rogers are all suffering the same issues.

My first initial thought was the problems lied with the networks. This may be partially true, as both Telus and Bell operate the iPhones on new networks (not the same network that most of their other handsets run on). A Telus technician admitted to me directly that the technology was new for Telus and that they were experiencing constant problems with it, and had no clue how or when it would be fixed. Therefore, I am assuming Bell is in the same boat, as both companies share the same network across Canada.

However, this line of thinking would not account for the iPhone users on the Rogers network who were experiencing the same issues. Rogers has had a GSM network for years, and was well established long before the iPhone entered the market.

So what gives? This led me to believe that Apple was actually the problem. This theory seemed to be proven by the numerous and highly publicized reception issues upon the release of the iPhone 4. I spoke with some Apple Techs, and while they would not admit that they were experiencing widespread problems with the reception of any version of their iPhones, they encouraged me to bring the phone in for inspection and/or repair. I have not yet done this, as my iPhone has mysteriously been working better lately. Not 100% mind you, but much better than it once was. (Firmware upgrade, perhaps?)

Since Apple clammed up and wouldn't give me any direct answers, I dug deeper. I happened to fortuitously meet a couple of Technicians who work for Texas Instruments. What most people don't know is that Texas Instruments (or TI) make a large percentage of components that go into cell phones and smart phones. One of the most notable being the touch screen components and the backlighting for the LCD screens. They make various other pieces as well.

Upon my conversations with the TI techs, I discovered that the issues are not such a secret in the telecomm world. The issues are well known within the industry, and at least in the opinion of the TI techs, the problems lies with a company called Qualcomm.

Qualcomm is the company that essentially makes the networking of the iPhone possible. They deal with the reception of all the handsets. And, at least according to my contacts, do a very poor job of it. My best understanding of what was explained to me is that the antenna in the phones are very poor. Not the placement of the antenna that Apple claimed during the iPhone 4 debacle, but the actual hardware itself.

It is possible that the newest versions of the iPhone 4 have had this problem corrected- I am not sure. And it may also be possible that updating the firmware on your current iPhone may help to reduce issues you experience, but for all intents and purposes, unless you get a new handset all together, you may just be stuck with the frustrations no matter what.

So there you have it. It seems to be everyone is a bit to blame: Telus & Bell for their networks, Apple, for refusing to admit that they may have a shoddy piece of hardware in their product, and Qualcomm for making the product.

But at this point in time, no one seems to want to take the blame, and the consumer is stuck in the middle.

My advice (which pains me to say this as I really like Apple products and find most of them better than average on the reliability scale) is to determine what you need or want most from your phone. If you want muti-functionality most, then try to update your firmware or upgrade your handset. If you want a smartphone with reliability first and the multi-function and ease of use is less important, then get a Blackberry.

Hope that helps everyone.

Rainn

Telus Mobility Sucks!

Ok, so lots of people say lots of different companies suck. So why should you read this post?

Here's why:

Telus Mobility is selling you a product that doesn't work properly. And they know it. And they won't compensate you in any way.

About a year and a half ago, the iPhone was made available in Canada through Rogers Wireless. Rogers was first to the market because they have been using the SIM card network for years. Canada was one of the few industrialized countries where the majority of the big telecoms (ie Telus & Bell Mobility) used CDMA technology - meaning that SIM cards were not used, and therefore most handsets were programmed to only work on one specific network.

However, Telus & Bell were wise enough to realize that the majority of popular smart phones would all use SIM cards, and that the manufacturers would not make special versions of their handsets to work with the CDMA networks that they were running. This forced the two companies to work together on their networks again to create a new SIM card enabled HSPA network. And presto! Both phone companies could now sell the iPhone.

So I finally caved in June of this year, and purchased an iPhone through Telus Mobility. I'm not a hardcore tech geek, but I already had an iPod touch, and my phone was outdated, so I thought why not combine the two?

When I first got the iPhone, I was working in Fort McMurray, Alberta, which is WAY north, and well known for cell reception problems and dropped calls. I would get the occasional dropped call on m iPhone when I was there, but my old phone (which worked on the old CDMA network) would do the same thing, so I figured things were par for the course.

After two months of using the iPhone, I traveled to the US for a week and my phone worked perfectly fine there. After returning from The States, I moved to Calgary, Alberta. Suddenly, my iPhone seemed to suck. Bad. Really bad, in fact.

I have now been in Calgary for 3 weeks, and I am averaging 2 - 3 completed calls out of every 10 calls made. The rest of the calls drop, and I get that lovely message 'Signal Failed' on my iphone. The signal typically drops right away. And in a some cases, the bars on my phone show full, but it drops the call any way. The call usually drops in the first five minutes or less. Yesterday, when I was trying to make a call, it dropped 3 times while the phone was still ringing.

So finally, the other day, i needed to call a utility company to get my utilities connected, since I had just moved into my new home. As usual for utility companies, I was placed on hold on their automated system. After being on hold for 18 minutes... You guessed it. 'Signal Failed'. This was the last straw. I called Telus.

I called Telus (and ironically the phone did not drop the call). I navigated my way through the automated system to talk to a technician. (I'm sorry, I do not remember his name). Here is a brief script of key points of the conversation as I remember it:

Tech: Thank you for calling Telus, how can I help you today?

Me: Yes, I was wondering if you have been having a problem with your network in the Calgary area lately? My phone has been dropping calls for-

Tech: (Interrupts) Yes, we are. We have been having problems across Alberta for some time due to the network upgrades we are doing.

Me: Oh, I see. Well do you have any idea how much longer this will go on for? I can barely make a call.

Tech: I really don't know. I could say 6 months, but it might be a year. The upgrades to the system are slow, because we have to work with Bell on the network and that takes time.

Me: A year? Really? Well, that's not really acceptable to me. This is the only phone I have and I use it for business. I was speaking with a client the other day, and the call dropped 3 times. That doesn't make me look very professional.

Tech: Yes I understand. But the network is in its infancy, and we are constantly trying to improve it. (Tech then goes into a long winded speech about the problems that other companies such as Rogers had when they launched their networks.)

Me: Ok, I understand that, but we need to come up with a solution.

Tech: Well, what do you suggest? You can always press both buttons on the iPhone and hold for 10 seconds to try and reset the phone. (I am not sure how he knew I had an iPhone.)

Me: Well, either provide an ETA on how long the reception troubles will be, or find a way to compensate me for service interruptions.

Tech: That is not likely to happen sir. We do not guarantee service or reception and we have a limited liability. You have signed a contract stating that you agree to those terms. Let me read the liability section of the agreement to you. (Tech then reads 2 paragraphs of fine print to me verbatim.)

Me: Well, I admit that I did not read all of the fine print in the contract. Who does? I will accept responsibility for not reading that, but in all fairness, what you just told me is that you sell a product but don't stand behind it in any fashion.

Tech: We stand behind our products, sir.

Me: How is that? The product doesn't work, I am paying full price on it, but you refuse to help me. In addition to that, it is misleading. Do you think any of your sales people are telling customers that there have been constant problems with the network?

Tech: We no, I am sure they don't. But it's not misleading.

Me: How is that not misleading? They are selling a product that they know does not work correctly, but they are not telling anyone. Do you think I would have bought the product if I knew there were network problems?

Tech: Well no, I am sure you wouldn't.

Me: Well then. It's misleading, isn't it?

Tech: Well what do you suggest?

Me: As I said before, either provide me with an ETA on when the service will be reliable, or connect me to somebody who can compensate me for lack of service.

Tech: Ok, no problem. I can connect you right away to someone from our Loyalty and Reception department. Can you hold for a moment?

Me: Yes that's fine.

That portion of the call lasted about 20 mins, as the tech told me all about their new HSPA network, and that it is a new technology for them, and like all new products, its takes a year or so to work the bugs out of it.

He didn't try to offer any solutions for compensation, and he couldn't offer any solutions to make the reception problems disappear, but he is a technician and his hands were tied. I understand that. So I waited on hold for about another 8m minutes, and I was seriously rocking out to some hard core elevator music. This is where the call gets more interesting.

Tech: Hello Sir. Thank you for holding. I have Nicholas on the line for you. I gave him a brief update of what we talked about, and he will take care of you now. Thank you for calling.

Nicholas: Hello, my name is Nicholas. How can I help you?

Me: Well, I am guessing that the Tech told you about the issues I was having?

Nicholas: Yes. (Pause. Nicholas liked to pause A LOT on this call.)

Me: Well the issues I am having are not really acceptable. I use my phone for business, and at this point in time, it doesn't hardly work.

Nicholas: I see. And what would you like us to do Sir?

Me: Well, either provide me with an ETA on when the network will be working normally, or, if it's not going to work properly, then we need to make it financially viable for me to stay with you.

Nicholas: You mean as in a credit? Why would we do that?

Me: Your product does not work consistently. There must be some benefit to stay with your company. Either reliable service, or reasonable prices. Currently, I am paying a premium to be on your network, but the network does not work well. So, then the price must be cheaper than your competitors, or there is no point in staying with your service.

Nicholas: Pause. I have nothing to credit you for. The network is fine. It sounds like the reception problem is with your phone, and I recommend you send the phone back to apple to be repaired.

Me: Pause. There is nothing wrong with the phone. It works perfectly fine everywhere except in Calgary. If the phone works everywhere else, then there is not a problem with the phone.

Nicholas: That's not true, if the phone works in other places, but not in a big city, then there could still be something wrong with your phone. We have not had any problems with the network in Calgary since last November.

Me: But that's not true. In fact that's the exact opposite of what your tech told me. He told me himself that you have had constant problems with the network here.

Nicholas: No, I don't believe so. To my knowledge there has been no problems with the network in Calgary since last November.

Me: Well, no offence to you, but I think I'll take the word of your technician over you on network problems.

Nicholas: That's fine. So what would you like me to do then?

Me: Well, credit my account for the service I am paying for but can't use please.

Nicholas: I have no credits for you and nothing to credit you for.

Me: Pause. Well then maybe we need to put in for a disconnection of service.

Nicholas: Snicker. Well what network are you going to go to then?

Me: There are others out there. There's Rogers.

Nicholas: Snicker. Yes, but their network is older and slower.

Me: Yes, but if I can actually make a call on their network, then it doesn't really matter, does it?

Nicholas: Well that's fine. When would you like a disconnect?

Me: Let's go for September 30th.

Nicholas: Your billing cycle ends on October 9th. I can disconnect then. Does that work for you?

Me: Yes, that's fine. And just so I can write it down, what is your name and position again please?

Nicholas: My name is Nicholas and I am in the Loyalty and Customer Retention department.

Me: Really? Well good job. Anyway, thanks.

So, the long and short of the call was the Tech admitted they have been having problems with the network all over Alberta for some time. He also told me that they have no idea when it will be working properly, as it is a 'new technology' for Telus. Both people I spoke with refused to compensate me in any fashion, and Nicholas, who supposedly works for Customer Retention did not even make a suggestion that would have attempted to retain me as a customer.

If you are going to purchase an iPhone, or a smart phone that uses a SIM card, I warn you, do not purchase it from Telus, or you will be really sorry.

Got a horror story about Telus? Tell Us all about it!