Cellular Experts, I Need Your Help..............

[Ductape]

I'm having a problem with my cell service, and I need advice from the folks that know more about the system than I do.

Problem: Whenever I use the phone in my home area (one tower), the person I'm talking to starts breaking up terribly (although they seem to hear me fine), then it will frequently drop the call. Texts often fail. This happens ONLY near home, everywhere else I go, the phone works fine. This just started about 60 days ago. I have been living here eight years, and have never had a problem until recently. I would estimate I have been with Sprint about 15 years continuously. I have a line of sight to this tower. It is about 2 - 3 hundred yards from my house..... quite close.

Observations: It looks to me that the tower I'm on at home is not owned by Sprint. Perhaps they pay to use it, or have some reciprocal agreement with the company that owns the tower???? I say this because when I've called Sprint to complain, they tell me they have a service ticket open on my area, then within a couple days I see a Fairpoint Communications (local communication company)truck at the tower. It appears to me that since Sprint is relying on a third party to make repairs, the third party has no 'skin in the game' to make Sprint customers (me) happy.

When I've called Sprint to complain about the problem, their customer service representatives appear to read from a list of things to appease customers. That is fine, however, I'd like to know how to get through to someone who actually might understand what would cause such problems. They have issued me credit in an attempt to make me happy, but the problem remains that my cell phone is now a paperweight. I'm hoping to get this resolved, as I'd actually prefer to stay with Sprint. We have had a few disagreements in the past, but I've always come away feeling that they valued me as a customer. As I said earlier, I've been with them for about fifteen years.

Does anyone here know enough about the workings of a cell tower to have any idea what might be the problem? I feel that I'd be better armed when talking to their customer service if might have an idea what the actual problem is. Is there an easy way to get through to someone beyond the generic customer service reps, including a 'supervisor' ?

 

[IXLR8]

I don't know about your situation, but we use Sprint/Nextel at work and reportedly Nextel is shutting down some services as cost cutting measures. About 1/4 of our employees can no longer send/receive texts at their home from our work system due tower/services being shut down. This started several months ago, not sure if you are on the Sprint system or the Nextel system, apparently they are separate systems and the Nextel system is the one getting the cuts.

 

[Ductape]

I'm with Sprint, not Nextel. It is not an issue with my phone either, as my wife is also a Sprint customer and is having the same problems..... only with the tower near our house.

 

[AKwelder]

I ended up purchasing a booster from Wilson Electronics, i can see the tower while talking in my garage with the door open, and they can't hear me. Walk out to the driveway and everything is great, what the heck?

 

[MarkV]

I have a feeling you are going to have an on going problem. My BIL had to change from Sprint recently, his work phone, and was told by Sprint that with Nextel cutting back that some service areas are not going to be supported as they were in the past. They actually removed a tower in my BIL's area which caused his problem. Sprint was most likely leasing space on the tower near you and have discontinued the lease in that location. That is very common to lease tower space, my SIL is in that business. Personally I would start looking for a new provider. There is no way you should be dropping calls if a Sprint were active on a tower that close to you. Good luck.

MarkV

 

[PhilY]

Here's what I know. Cell towers operate on one of two protocols. Either TDMA or CDMA. TDMA allocates a particular block of time for each cell phone. CDMA is a coded signal with each cell phone. Either way, there are only so many connections that can be supported by 1 tower. So, I'm not sure how populated the area is around that tower of yours, but this could be part of the problem. With the emergence of many other devices like Kindles, iPads, and smartphones, this could be really taking up the towers bandwidth, too. The tower always keeps one channel open with each cell/device that it is servicing. When your device, phone or iPad, either receives a call or is getting info from the internet, then a second channel must be opened. Since a tower can only support so many channels at anyone time, when there are more connections needed than it can support, it shrinks its coverage area. Meaning if you are on the edge of its coverage area, you will be dropped and it will focus on the people closest to the tower. In regards to you being able to hear the person you're talking to, but your signal coming in broken up is due to which is better at sending and receiving, and the tower has a much better antenna on it and a lot more power available to transmit than your phone does. Your symptoms make me think of either a tower that is in very high use or your signal is very weak. With only being a short distance to the tower, I would say it's overloaded as I would think a tower could easily do a couple of miles in a rural area. I have even received a brief connection from a tower while on a plane at 35,000 ft. And this reminds me of why they say turn off cell phones on planes. Towers can only support 400 or so devices in active 2 way communication at anyone time. As a plane files overhead, the phones will try to handshake with the tower (connect). Since many 747 can carry over 400 people this is why they don't want you to have your phone on. No one would want a plane flying overhead to suck up the towers bandwidth, especially because it would be like a rolling brown out hitting every tower the plane flew over. lol

 

[Ductape]

Well, just to add some info......

I just took a picture of the tower out my front window. I know it is a bad picture, but hopefully shows how close the tower is (OK.... technically not a tower, the antennae are mounted to a massive brick chimney, likely the tallest structure in my town.)..... clearly in my line of sight looking out any window facing south or east. I've never measured the distance, but again, it can't be more than 250 yards?. Right now my phone has full signal strength, going by the indicator on my screen. However, if I make a call, it will be very broken, leaving me hearing a few portions of words out of several complete sentences. Frequently the signal strength indicator will plummet, dropping the call. Again, this is not just my phone. My wife has the same problem.

If Sprint is reducing coverage, and was no longer servicing this tower, how would I have full signal strength in my livingroom?

I suppose that leaves only two options. Sprint having too many customers in my area, or there being a problem with the tower. Anyone want to speculate on why they have told me they have repair tickets open for my area when I have called to complain? Is this just BS they tell people to keep them quiet? This is what leads me to believe there is a problem with the tower. Again, I can drive across town, drive down the highway, drive to the city (basically anywhere away from this tower), and my phone works fine. It has worked fine at my house for eight years prior to the past 60 days or so.

Perhaps there will be no alternative but to switch providers.

Edit: forgot the pic to show how close the tower is.....
It is the tall dark thing sticking up to the left of my neighbor's house.

 

[mostly_gas]

I know of when people will start having problems such as not being able to use a tower after software updates to the hardware on that tower. Getting access to the people that can really help you can be a pain. Do you know which carrier actually maintains the tower?

 

[kco]

I'd talk to Sprint again and tell them I'm not happy with the service, and that I am looking for another provider.

It is disappointing that communications regulators don't seem to have built in consumer protection for quality of service. The airwaves are public domain and those licensing them should have to meet standards. I'm not sure if it is still the case in Canada but power providers had strict standards to maintain. For example, nominal 120v service could fluctuate from 110 to 125v with emergency conditions allowing 107 to 127v. There were also standards for flicker due to large loads stop/starting based on the percent of fluctuation and number of times per hour. It's been a long time so I may be off on some of these values.

It would not be hard to set and monitor standards for communications and put in consequences such as fines or loss of spectrum license if they are not met. It's a lot more complex than power monitoring, but doable.

Such monitoring would need access to communication equipment statistics. Power is much easier as anyone with a decent voltmeter can see what the voltage is doing.

Are you phones modern? The reason I ask is some just work on certain frequencies while others work on the newer ones also.

 

[deerseeker001]

i would try at&t this solved all my problems.i live in the country where the other providers dont have good coverage.

 

[Ductape]

I'd talk to Sprint again and tell them I'm not happy with the service, and that I am looking for another provider.


Are you phones modern? The reason I ask is some just work on certain frequencies while others work on the newer ones also.

Both our phones are current 4G smart phones. Mine is a Samsung, my wife's a Motorola.

Last I talked to Sprint before Christmas they (once again) told me they had a service ticket out for my area and it would be completed by the 27th, so my service would be back to normal by the 28th..... which it isn't. I'll have to drive to where I can pick up another tower and call to complain again, since I can't do it from home.

 

[k0ua]

Cell towers are owned by wireless carriers, but they buy their service connection from or thru the ILEC (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier) in the area. Towers now a days are usually fiber fed from the ILEC, due to the bandwidth needed but a tower out in the country could be fed by by something as small as a single T-1 or several bonded T-1's. In your case Fairpoint is the ILEC, and has nothing to do with the tower, or the radio's or antennas on the tower.. They are responsible for getting the bandwidth to the towers equipment. Thru their equipment and either copper lines or fiber lines. Most people think that when they are making a Cell call they are bypassing the "phone company". NOT so, you are contributing to the local phone company's revenue. not in the form of analog voice communication. But in the form of Digital Data bandwidth, which almost all of the local phone company's (ILECS) are losing voice lines and gaining data connections and constantly increasing bandwidth to cell towers.


here is some info on Fairpoint

FairPoint Communications - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James K0UA

 

[PhilY]

After I saw that you said you have had your phone for 8 years, it got me thinking about software updates, too. If you don't have the latest, you could have troubles. If you pull the battery out, wait 10 secs for the capacitors to discharge, and when you power it up, it will check for updates and do its thing and sometimes completely in the background. However, as you said, if its only around this one tower, I would agree that its a specific tower issue. I think this is backed up by the fact your wife is having the same issues with her phone. Due to this, you may be up a creek until something gets changed. Sorry...hope they can do something for you.

 

[EarPlug]

On your phone under Setting, there should be a place to find out the Signal Strength. If you can't find it Sprint tech support should be able to help you. The number should be able to tell you if the tower is actually operating.

 

[kennyd]

Cell towers are owned by wireless carriers, but they buy their service connection from or thru the ILEC (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier) in the area. Towers now a days are usually fiber fed from the ILEC, due to the bandwidth needed but a tower out in the country could be fed by by something as small as a single T-1 or several bonded T-1's. In your case Fairpoint is the ILEC, and has nothing to do with the tower, or the radio's or antennas on the tower.. They are responsible for getting the bandwidth to the towers equipment. Thru their equipment and either copper lines or fiber lines. Most people think that when they are making a Cell call they are bypassing the "phone company". NOT so, you are contributing to the local phone company's revenue. not in the form of analog voice communication. But in the form of Digital Data bandwidth, which almost all of the local phone company's (ILECS) are losing voice lines and gaining data connections and constantly increasing bandwidth to cell towers.


here is some info on Fairpoint

FairPoint Communications - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James K0UA

Most of that is 100% correct James, I work for a very large communications company that has the initials of VZ (not VZW however). I main job is working at cell sites, installing and maintaining FO (fiber optic) cable and mux's (digital multiplexers)-in other words the "ILEC" in your description. We provide high speed "landlines" or "back-haul" circuits for various cell carriers like Verizon Wireless, ATT, Sprint, T-Mobile, Cricket, Nextel (now pretty much all those site are off-air and abandoned now). We provide T1's (not used much anymore), TLS (ATT and some Sprint) and GIGE (VZW) services.

The one thing I will disagree with is that at least in this area, MOST cell towers are owned by a third party that just build and lease space on towers, around here there is American Tower Corporation (called ATC) and Crown Castle International, they own probably 80% of the sites/towers between them. They pay the property owner, secure right-of-ways and easements, negotiate 24/7 access, and lease ground and tower space to the carrier. Some carriers do pay building owners, like churches and farmers directly for putting antennas in steeples or on silo's. On most towers, there are multiple carries.

Ductape: Sprint has very few "technicians" that actually work for them, most are contractors that are probably not getting paid enough to troubleshoot crazy problems like this. I suspect one of two things are happening:
1) Your signal is "to strong", meaning that the receiver is getting overpowered. Ever mess with CB's in the old days?
2) You are suffering some the "umbrella" effect, meaning that the signal is going over your house and missing you completely-I have seen/experienced this myself while at cell sites. But looking at the picture, and base on the fact that you have full signal strength I doubt this is the cause.

 

[k0ua]

Most of that is 100% correct James, I work for a very large communications company that has the initials of VZ (not VZW however). I main job is working at cell sites, installing and maintaining FO (fiber optic) cable and mux's (digital multiplexers)-in other words the "ILEC" in your description. We provide high speed "landlines" or "back-haul" circuits for various cell carriers like Verizon Wireless, ATT, Sprint, T-Mobile, Cricket, Nextel (now pretty much all those site are off-air and abandoned now). We provide T1's (not used much anymore), TLS (ATT and some Sprint) and GIGE (VZW) services.

The one thing I will disagree with is that at least in this area, MOST cell towers are owned by a third party that just build and lease space on towers, around here there is American Tower Corporation (called ATC) and Crown Castle International, they own probably 80% of the sites/towers between them. They pay the property owner, secure right-of-ways and easements, negotiate 24/7 access, and lease ground and tower space to the carrier. Some carriers do pay building owners, like churches and farmers directly for putting antennas in steeples or on silo's. On most towers, there are multiple carries.

Ductape: Sprint has very few "technicians" that actually work for them, most are contractors that are probably not getting paid enough to troubleshoot crazy problems like this. I suspect one of two things are happening:
1) Your signal is "to strong", meaning that the receiver is getting overpowered. Ever mess with CB's in the old days?
2) You are suffering some the "umbrella" effect, meaning that the signal is going over your house and missing you completely-I have seen/experienced this myself while at cell sites. But looking at the picture, and base on the fact that you have full signal strength I doubt this is the cause.

Cool, but when I When I referenced "tower" I did not really mean the structure. People just use the term "tower" to refer to a cell site. Yes I knew that most of the tower installations were owned by others. Most people, unless they are into the business or just really curious have no idea how a cell "tower" operates, or what equipment is in them, and a lot of people don't even fully understand how many radio transceivers are even in the little Hershey bar shaped thing in their hand that they now call a "smartphone". I can think of 3 right off the bat. The CDMA or TDMA or GSM transciever, the WIFI and the blu-tooth.. Not to mention the GPS receiver. And for all I know there may be more. And that does not even cover the full duplex speakerphone, the Linux computer, the accelerometer, compass, Camera with flash, Huge LCD display with touch screen, Memory storage.. on and on ad-nauseam.. How do they get it all in there? I work for Windstream, but have nothing to do with that part of the business now. But I do know this, when I was involved in some ways with getting backhaul to various places, Cell towers were the biggest and ever growing consumer of broadband. 1 Gig was becoming common to take to a tower.. And I haven't been involved with this in a while.

James K0UA

 

[MRSDOUGLAS]

I've been with AT&T for 20 years. Two weeks ago I ported to Verizon. AT&T just wasn't working for me any more when at work or at our place in the country. My home service deteriorated as well. No technical answers but if one carrier isn't working where you need it to, see if anyone in that area has better service with another carrier. My phone now works where I need it to.

 

[jinjimbob]

If Sprint is reducing coverage, and was no longer servicing this tower, how would I have full signal strength in my livingroom?

Sprint (who bought Nextel years ago) and Nextel are one and the same company.
Sprint is shutting down the older Nextel iDEN network in 6 months, not to save money, but to reuse the 800 Mhz frequency spectrum.
They have already reduced the number of iDen only towers in the country as the number of users has declined over the years, not as many needed.

Sprint's (CDMA-3G and LTE-4G) network is in the 1900 Mhz spectrum, they are shutting down Nextel to add the 800 Mhz spectrum to the CDMA network now and over the next year, eventually adding LTE (4G) to the 800 Mhz band too.

Why does this matter to you and me? Well the 800 Mhz frequency can penetrate buildings walls and structures about 3 times as far as the 1900 Mhz frequency, which gives much better coverage indoors.
No other cell company will have that quality, apart from SouthernLinc.

Since Sprint is also buying (and owns over half it right now) Clearwire outright, over the next few years they are also adding LTE-4G to the 2500 and 2600 Mhz spectrums, to handle the increasing data usages of current and new users.

Once Sprint has bought Clearwire next year, they will will have more spectrum than any other cell company. http://gigaom.com/mobile/heres-why-sprint-offered-2-1b-to-buy-the-rest-of-clearwire/
Maybe your location is included in this transition right now.

Hope this clears things up. For more info see this site. Network Vision/LTE Deployment Running List - Sprint 4G Rollout Updates

Sprint and other cell companies buy their data connection (back haul) to the cell towers from all companies which includes local phone companies, Comcast and other cable companies, microwave, fibre, anyone that sells it in the area.

 

[edlegault]

I also have been a long time Sprint user (10+ years). Where we live now (7 years), our Sprint service has actually deteriorated over the last couple years. Don't know if it is because a local cell is out of order or because of more users on the system. I just know it leaves much to be desired.

I have had to call Sprint service many times and politely insist on speaking with someone higher up the management chain. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Again, the open cell tower ticket for something "wrong" or "needs to be upgraded". What I have noticed is a sort of correlation between our service getting worse after a major storm, like a hurricane or tornadoes, in OTHER parts of the country. I always suspected Sprint was cannibalizing equipment here to get other cell areas going.

Until recently I had a Blackberry phone on Sprint. Lots of problems between Blackberry/Rim and Sprint. Changed last summer to an Android phone on Sprint. Kinda wish I had kept my Blackberry. Lots of problems with the Android phone. Even found a bug with the built-in calculator. Showed the service technicians. they blamed it on the Android operating system. could be, but I am not happy. Thinking about going to a simple pre-paid Tracfone or something like that.

 

[Ductape]

Ductape: Sprint has very few "technicians" that actually work for them, most are contractors that are probably not getting paid enough to troubleshoot crazy problems like this. I suspect one of two things are happening:
1) Your signal is "to strong", meaning that the receiver is getting overpowered. Ever mess with CB's in the old days?
2) You are suffering some the "umbrella" effect, meaning that the signal is going over your house and missing you completely-I have seen/experienced this myself while at cell sites. But looking at the picture, and base on the fact that you have full signal strength I doubt this is the cause.

If I may ask you to elaborate in laymans terms...................

1) If I were getting overpowered, wouldn't I have been getting overpowered 6 months ago, a year ago? Perhaps I'm not getting it, but as I stated earlier, nothing has changed here other than the service has all of a sudden deteriorated within the past 60 days. I am using the same phone I was using a year ago. (my wife the same phone as a year and a half ago)

2) As far as umbrella effect, same question. Is there a reason I might have it now, when my service has always worked very well at home in the past (7 years)?

It seems as though no one I've talked to at sprint knows anymore about their own system than I do (which isn't much). I suppose I was hoping I might figure out what would cause my service to deteriorate overnight so that they could better inform whomever it is that is doing their service work. As far is the Nextel being dropped, I'm on the old Sprint (originally Sprint PCS), not nextel..... as is my wife.

I agree that I may end up with no other choice but to leave Sprint for another carrier (likely Verizon), but was hoping this could be resolved. No doubt starting over will require a two year service contract, etc. As I said, we have had some issues in the past, but in the end they made me feel like a valued customer (as much as any company that size can). There is a reason I've been with them 15 years..... 13 as a customer at will.

Thanks for the help......