Network upgrades create problems for rural customers
- Details
- Published on Thursday, November 19, 2015
By Kira Paterson
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
Since the transition to a new network with MTS began, some people have come to notice issues with their cell service. Places where customers had no trouble getting a signal with their old phones seem to be out of reach of the new networks.
The new HSPA+ network was launched in 2011 and phones that run on that network started being sold at the same time. The HSPA+ network includes 3G and 4G services. Phones on the old CDMA network are still being sold, but are in limited supply as they are being reserved for areas that are only serviced by the old network. Those areas don’t include the places that are within the service area of the new network, but aren’t getting good reception. These phones are only sold on monthly or one-year contracts now, because MTS is planning on decommissioning the CDMA network by December of 2016.
Neepawa gets full HSPA+ coverage. Neepawa also gets LTE, which is just a faster data network to complement the HSPA+ network. Dave McIntosh, owner of Team Electronics in Neepawa, said that he’s had very few complaints about the service in Neepawa. He said there have been a lot of compliments about the new network speeds.
But some rural areas around Neepawa that should be covered by the new network only get patchy HSPA+ service. In MTS coverage maps that show where there should be service, it shows that these areas should be covered by the HSPA+ signal. These areas had no trouble with the CDMA signal, but for some reason, HSPA+ doesn’t reach them. One of the main problems is that new phones only receive the HSPA+ signal, so even if there is CDMA signal in the area, the phone won’t be able to make calls or send or receive text messages if the HSPA+ doesn’t reach it.
Bill Jackson, a Langruth resident, said that since buying his new phone about a month ago, he’s been unable to get consistent service where he lives. He said that MTS was very good to talk to, but he doesn’t understand why they would sell him a product that he can’t use.
When Jackson got home after buying his new phone and found that it didn’t get service, he went back to get his old phone. The people at MTS told him his old phone would soon be obsolete, as MTS is working on phasing out the CDMA network. He said that the customer service at MTS was very good, and the people there were very friendly, but they were not able to solve his dilemma. They suggested a signal booster might help him get service, but boosters can cost hundreds of dollars. There really didn’t seem to be any affordable solution. Jackson isn’t upset with MTS, but he is not happy that the technology that is supposedly new and improved seems to be worse than the old technology.
Jackson isn’t the only one with problems in Langruth, either. He said that anyone he’s spoken to in the area who has bought a new phone has been experiencing the same problem. The coverage map shows that there is service there. But when you look at the map that shows the signal strength, it shows it’s very patchy and not very strong in that area. Even with service in Neepawa, there are places as close as 15 kilometres out of town that get little to no coverage from the HSPA+ networks.
Andrew Parkinson, an MTS spokesperson, said that the signal strength depends a lot on topography. Topography includes trees, hills and even buildings that could interfere with a signal. If there are a lot of trees or hills in an area, the signal will be weaker. Parkinson said that in the case of Neepawa and its surrounding area, the HSPA+ networks are broadcasted from a different tower than the CDMA, so even though the CDMA reaches some areas, there may be obstacles that weren’t in the way of the CDMA that keep the HSPA+ from reaching that area. He said that there are a few cases like that throughout the province. The coverage maps of the different networks show the big picture of areas the networks reach, but it doesn’t show the all of the “dead-zones” that are a result of topographic obstructions. On the MTS website, where the map can be found, it says, “The wireless coverage area shown is approximate. Coverage is subject to change and may vary based on technology, topography, network load and other factors,” meaning that not necessarily all of the areas with service problems are shown to have bad service.
Parkinson said that the best thing for customers to do would be to call MTS. What they can do varies on the individual case, but they will do their best to find a solution.
As for the areas that are only covered by the CDMA network, Parkinson said that MTS aims to have HSPA+ networks installed in all those places by the time the CDMA network is shut down.
