Database Users

HSPDA Confusion!

Hi everyone,
It's my first post here - most likely not to be my last. Oh, and i know i spelt HSDPA wrong in the title!
I very very recently (yesterday in fact) managed to get hold of my T-Mobile Hermes (one of the .37 batch) and am having no problems whatsoever with the phone, the only problem i am having is getting any web download speeds faster than around 40kbps?
I phoned T-Mobile yesterday and after being on hold twice and explaining myself many times i think i got HSDPA enabled as the lady (who was very nice) said she promises it has been enabled for me. I tried half hour later and sure enough, i used www.dslreports.com/mspeed and could now download at around 800kbps - perfect! Unfortunately i tried again this morning and it says 40kbps again
Is there any way to tell whether HSDPA has been enabled on my phone before i call T-Mobile again? Does HSDPA just run over 3G? I haven't got a brilliant signal where i am - usually 1 or 2 bars, could this be what is affecting my download speed? I need some help!

Just realised i have spelt HSDPA wrong in the thread title - never mind! Can anyone help?

Have you read this dude?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=276154&page=5
Theres a couple of files you can check you have i believe, also the Fit4cat program is worth downloading.

40kbps is GPRS data speed. Even without HSDPA you should get 300kbps on UMTS.
Your phone will show a U or a G depending on which network you are on.

It shows a "G" all the time in a little white block next to the signal bar, and sometimes the signal bar shows an antenna and sometimes a "G" also - does that mean when im on the "G" ill be on HSDPA and when im on the antenna (if i cant get 3G) ill be on GPRS 40kbps?
If so that makes a lot of sense as the signal is not brilliant round here, i went shopping in a much bigger town this afternoon and tested again -> full signal and downloading at around 1200kbps! Obviously it is enabled, think its just down to my signal....
Does that sound about right?

RTFM, the G is for GSM ie data will be GPRS.
You will either have a 3G or U depending on what ROM you're running for 3G/UMTS/HSDPA .

I'll be honest i only got half way through the quick start guide before i started playing with it. So, if my phone is always on "G" i'll assume i need to try and unlock it using the fit4cat thing? As T-Mobile have said they have enabled HSDPA on my account?
How did i get 1200kbps on GPRS by the way? It definately said "G" when i was connected and did the speed test...?!

I just ran the fit4cat Hermes tweaker and still no luck, it only connects to "G" rather than "3G", 3G is apparently available in this area so why does it only connect to G? Im confused and would really appreciate some advice...

Well if you probably didn't notice the U (or whatever) when you got 1mbps once it. This means that HSDPA is enabled on your phone and SIM.
The fit4cat tweaker only (dis)enables HSDPA but that isn't an issue because even without HSDPA you would be getting UMTS speeds.
One thing you could try is. Go to Start->Settings->Phone->Band set GSM/UTMS to GSM900+1800 + UMTS2100
You could also try a manual search for networks from Start->Settings->Phone->Networks->Find Network
Finally you can also disable GSM totaly using network type in the band selection and see if you get a steady 3G signal.

Thanks for your suggestions, here are my findings:
kevino said:
Well if you probably didn't notice the U (or whatever) when you got 1mbps once it. This means that HSDPA is enabled on your phone and SIM.
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Good point, i have a long drive home tonight so will check when going through built up areas to see if it connects to 3G or U then.
kevino said:
One thing you could try is. Go to Start->Settings->Phone->Band set GSM/UTMS to GSM900+1800 + UMTS2100
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Tried this, and phone disconnected then reconnected but still said "G" when connecting to Internet. Set back to "Auto".
kevino said:
You could also try a manual search for networks from Start->Settings->Phone->Networks->Find Network
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Did this also, it pops up with the message "Registering on the network" and disappears and thats it, nothing happens.
kevino said:
Finally you can also disable GSM totaly using network type in the band selection and see if you get a steady 3G signal.
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I cannot find an option to disable GSM in the Band tab, i have the following:
Select your network type.
__Auto
__GSM
Select your GSM/UMTS band.
__GSM(900+1800)+UMTS(2100)
__GSM(1900+850)+UMTS(1900+850)
and thats about it. Cannot find anything that would let me not use GSM whatsoever? I appreciate your help so far

It may be the case that your reception for 3G just isnt adequate enough to work where you live, O2 states there is reception in the area where i live but i only tend to get UMTS upstairs....just one of those things....here at uni i get FULL UMTS reception anywhere.

richieboy said:
I cannot find an option to disable GSM in the Band tab, i have the following:
Select your network type.
__Auto
__GSM
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Click to collapse
In the dopod ROM it has a WCDMA option too. No big deal !
Seting the band was just so that the phone doesn't bother looking for bands that are not available in this country. To try and encourage it to check the correct UMTS band more quickly.
My suggestion to use find network (you need to select manual search) in Networks wasn't too helpful anyway as it doesn't list the band. So no use unless you can disable GSM.
Of course you may have got a spurious speed test result. How old is your SIM? It needs to be a USIM

Yes firstly is your SIM card a USIM....or is it a SIM card from an old handset?? I think youve already said you have had the 'U' appear on your TyTN at some point.....so again im going with the assumption you just dont have adequate UMTS reception for it to work....hence why you are only seeing 'G'.

So, funny story...
It seems where i was over the weekend (girlfriends) is borderline, so as mentioned aboved i can get 3G upstairs but not downstairs - i decided to drive around and got 3G all over the place...the best news is i get 2/3 bars of 3G at home too!
Problem solved, im an idiot - but hey, it doesn't hurt to ask right?
680kbps! Woo

richieboy said:
So, funny story...
It seems where i was over the weekend (girlfriends) is borderline, so as mentioned aboved i can get 3G upstairs but not downstairs - i decided to drive around and got 3G all over the place...the best news is i get 2/3 bars of 3G at home too!
Problem solved, im an idiot - but hey, it doesn't hurt to ask right?
680kbps! Woo
Click to expand...
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girlfrends! Woo

3G drops to GSM when receiving calls and during calls

I searched all the threads and found nothing on this as far as I can see. I have been having this since day one with my G1. Every time I receive a call on my G1 or during the call it drops from 3G to GSM. I had stock T-Mo roms on my G1 (Pre/Post Cupcake) then JF 1.51 and now cyanogen 4.0.2 and this problem persists. I called T-Mo a few times on this and they exchanged my G1 3 times and gave me a new battery and charger free of charge. Does anyone else have this issue or know of a work around? This happens when I am at home and work. I travel for work to different locations and it still happens. When my phone rings it automatically drops 3G and goes to GSM (no icon next to the radio icon in the status bar). While making calls it stays on 3G for about a few seconds before it craps out and drops to GSM. It totally skips EDGE and GPRS. T-Mo said they sent out radio antenna tech's to the antennas near my home and they said all is fine and dandy. I live In Queens NY and work in the Bronx. When I travel to Brooklyn its the same as well as driving though Manhattan. I hope someone can help me with this.

PeterC18st said:
I searched all the threads and found nothing on this as far as I can see. I have been having this since day one with my G1. Every time I receive a call on my G1 or during the call it drops from 3G to GSM. I had stock T-Mo roms on my G1 (Pre/Post Cupcake) then JF 1.51 and now cyanogen 4.0.2 and this problem persists. I called T-Mo a few times on this and they exchanged my G1 3 times and gave me a new battery and charger free of charge. Does anyone else have this issue or know of a work around? This happens when I am at home and work. I travel for work to different locations and it still happens. When my phone rings it automatically drops 3G and goes to GSM (no icon next to the radio icon in the status bar). While making calls it stays on 3G for about a few seconds before it craps out and drops to GSM. It totally skips EDGE and GPRS. T-Mo said they sent out radio antenna tech's to the antennas near my home and they said all is fine and dandy. I live In Queens NY and work in the Bronx. When I travel to Brooklyn its the same as well as driving though Manhattan. I hope someone can help me with this.
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ive always had this as well .. just never considered it a bug lol ... but i could see why someone would wanna keep their 3g while on a call .. reminds me of how sidekicks would lose data connectivity due to a call

xidominicanoix said:
but i could see why someone would wanna keep their 3g while on a call .. reminds me of how sidekicks would lose data connectivity due to a call
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Could you elaborate?
If you've had 3 G1's and a tech says there's nothing wrong with the network then it's clearly an issues with cupcake, be it a feature or a bug...
I don't really see why you would want to keep data conectivity while in a call, (unless you're downloading something in the background..?) so it sounds like a way to save battery..

AdrianK said:
Could you elaborate?
If you've had 3 G1's and a tech says there's nothing wrong with the network then it's clearly an issues with cupcake, be it a feature or a bug...
I don't really see why you would want to keep data conectivity while in a call, (unless you're downloading something in the background..?) so it sounds like a way to save battery..
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Here's a perfect example where 3G would rule when working properly.
I'm talking to my wife on my BT headset while driving home from work. I have my G1 on my dash with google maps running with traffic patterns showing. While talking I am able to talk clearly on 3G and still see where traffic is building so I can avoid it. Being stuck in rush hour in NYC sux homeless man [email protected] Whenever I do this and my 3G connection drops my call quality drops and we both hear it while we're talking and then it cuts in and out and the call drops then I dont get updates. It's a feature I would really like to have. Even when Im working and talking and downloading a new update of an app. This happens when I am at a static location as well. I know driving from cell tower to cell tower can have bad effects but it does the same when I'm just at home or any of my work locations. When 3G works properly which is rare its amazing. Its helped me get un lost and find my way many of times.
Point being when T-Mo released the 3G statement they said all users with 3G phones will expierence higher call quality from the extra bandwidth. Why would they cap or or disable it when they are promoting it? I see the the point of saving battery life but it still shouldnt be happening. 3G is made for that feature to work voice + data being accessed together.

It might just be there 3g network, imo tmobile reception is horrible. Like at my house it is so f'ed up, I can sit in my chair and have 3 bars then walk 2 feet and lose service. It does this all through my house and at my work. They said it must be something in the buildings I am in, bull**** I say because ATT never does that nor did vzw when I used them.

same thing happens with me and 3g and calls..also about the house thing, hows this one for u ill be sitting in the same spot and have good 3g reception and all of a sudden it drops to edge. I know a way around this is to set phone to 3G only but then in areas where theres non im screwed

I don't get it. My wife who had the original iPhone and then 3g and now 3gs never had this issue. She would stay on Edge and 3g depending if she waned to save batery life. My old BB 8700g would always stay on Edge never drop to GSM in my apartment. My 3G doesnt even fall to Edge it goes right to GSM. This is really annoying.

every t-mobile phone I have does this
I'm pretty sure its normal

No one knows if this is a hardware, software, or network problem. Except maybe HTC/T-Mobile/Google.
If your phone stays connected to 3G, it's all good. If it drops down to EDGE, even if for half a second, it will NOT reconnect to 3G until you hang up.

c2tmdsn said:
every t-mobile phone I have does this
I'm pretty sure its normal
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My coworkers Samsung t819 doesn't. That's regular cell phone not a smart phone.
Gary13579 said:
No one knows if this is a hardware, software, or network problem. Except maybe HTC/T-Mobile/Google.
If your phone stays connected to 3G, it's all good. If it drops down to EDGE, even if for half a second, it will NOT reconnect to 3G until you hang up.
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Click to collapse
If any of those 3 know they should fix it or at the very least advertise that the calls you make are dropped to the lower bandwidth of the GSM network.
T-Mo finally got 3G for the last year don't dumb it down guys. Fix this.
Yes it is true once your phone drops beneath 3G it will not go to 3G until you hang up the call.

try running 3g only or wdma only by creating phone info shortcut on anycut .. im going to try that out and see if it ever drops .. should be a temporary fix for you atleast with the whole maps thing and such but if you ever in an edge only are your screwed

turboyo said:
try running 3g only or wdma only by creating phone info shortcut on anycut .. im going to try that out and see if it ever drops .. should be a temporary fix for you atleast with the whole maps thing and such but if you ever in an edge only are your screwed
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I changed it to wcdma only in phone info. Hopefully this works. Everywhere I travel to throughout NYC has 3G. Hopefully this works. Also I have noticed that when downloading anything from 3G be it the market or browser it would drop from 3G to Edge as well.

PeterC18st said:
I changed it to wcdma only in phone info. Hopefully this works. Everywhere I travel to throughout NYC has 3G. Hopefully this works. Also I have noticed that when downloading anything from 3G be it the market or browser it would drop from 3G to Edge as well.
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*UPDATE*
While at home downloading apps from Android Market on 3G with wcdma only selected the radio dropped with no netowkr connection. Bust.

PeterC18st said:
I don't get it. My wife who had the original iPhone and then 3g and now 3gs never had this issue. She would stay on Edge and 3g depending if she waned to save batery life. My old BB 8700g would always stay on Edge never drop to GSM in my apartment. My 3G doesnt even fall to Edge it goes right to GSM. This is really annoying.
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Did she use att or tmobile with the iphone? Because att has a much stronger 3g network then tmobile which could be why. I am pretty sure it is something to do with tmobiles network and not your phone, perhaps your area has to many users for it to stay on 3G. I have read about how the cell towers work and they have only so many bands for each user to access at any given time so if tmobile doesn't have enough towers or those things mounted on the towers it may be set up so you only get 3G for data usage and not calls since they don't technically require it to work.

crpercodani said:
Did she use att or tmobile with the iphone? Because att has a much stronger 3g network then tmobile which could be why. I am pretty sure it is something to do with tmobiles network and not your phone, perhaps your area has to many users for it to stay on 3G. I have read about how the cell towers work and they have only so many bands for each user to access at any given time so if tmobile doesn't have enough towers or those things mounted on the towers it may be set up so you only get 3G for data usage and not calls since they don't technically require it to work.
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Click to collapse
My wife is on ATT. Isn't lower frequency better at penetrating through walls and such? (T-Mo 1700 MHz and 2100 MHz compared to ATT 1800 MHz) They haven't booted their 850 MHz antennas yet so I hear.
If that is true then why not boot me down to Edge or gprs why all the way down to gsm? I been living in the same area for 26 years. I have been with T-Mo before they even had antennas in my area and walking outside was the only way to get a signal with my phone. Now I get full reception in and out of my apartment and 3G connectivity in my apartment with a signal strength of -93dBm through out my apartment on 3G and -79 dBm on Edge.
T-Mo stated that this should not be happening. Hence the 3 phones new battery and charger and techs to the antennas. I'm starting to think its a HTC Android problem and not a T-Mo problem. Hopefully a new radio update can fix it.

I didn't even know GSM was still used in that way, I thought GPRS would be the bare minimum. How can you tell the difference? I use to only get a G icon and I looked it up and for the g1 it said that meant GPRS, what does it show for GSM? Not like any of this matters though.
I really have no idea why all this is happening to your G1 but I hope it gets resolved, good luck.
edit: on the tmobile coverage map it says edge/gprs and 3g, no gsm. does that make any difference? I checked for NYC overall not any specific boroughs.

crpercodani said:
I didn't even know GSM was still used in that way, I thought GPRS would be the bare minimum. How can you tell the difference? I use to only get a G icon and I looked it up and for the g1 it said that meant GPRS, what does it show for GSM? Not like any of this matters though.
I really have no idea why all this is happening to your G1 but I hope it gets resolved, good luck.
edit: on the tmobile coverage map it says edge/gprs and 3g, no gsm. does that make any difference? I checked for NYC overall not any specific boroughs.
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GSM is what Edge Gprs and 3G run off of. Think of it as a progression. GSM>GPRS>EDGE>3G.
The way I know it is on GSM is to the left of the Radio icon on the home screen there is another icon that shows the network your on. 3G=3G E=EDGE G=GPRS and no icon means GSM. GSM is still being used. Most SMS and MMS messages get sent to your from through GSM while you are on a call.

No Service problem

I have got No Service sometimes on my N1, must restart to show signal and carrier name again. Have any one got same problem ?

Nothing like that here in Austin, TX. Where are you and what carrier do you use?

kozm0naut said:
Nothing like that here in Austin, TX. Where are you and what carrier do you use?
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Thanks, I'm using VinaPhone in Viet Nam.

luyen said:
I have got No Service sometimes on my N1, must restart to show signal and carrier name again. Have any one got same problem ?
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Same issue in the UK on vodafone. In general reception is worse than the hero or magic in the same location, same network. Not talking about data speed or 3G, just getting a signal is sometimes a pain in weak signal areas. Most times I only have one or two bars, or even none but it doesn't say no network! And sometimes it'll be on no network and I'll have to restart or move to a different spot. But it's weird cause it seems to fluctuate quite a bit.
Is there anything that can be done to boost the reception?

i have the same problem too - also on vodafone UK. phones been ok for a week or so but since yesterday i keep losing signal and either have to restart phone or manually connect to a network. i also get a sim card exclamation mark notification in the bar which i dont have a clue what it means!!
anyone out there no why?

adam18488 said:
i have the same problem too - also on vodafone UK. phones been ok for a week or so but since yesterday i keep losing signal and either have to restart phone or manually connect to a network. i also get a sim card exclamation mark notification in the bar which i dont have a clue what it means!!
anyone out there no why?
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Click to collapse
I would suggest to hold on until the OTA update will be deployed next week (more or less) it will be a fix for the US 3G issues and Im quite positive that it will increase stability of the 3G signal here as well.

that's what I'm hoping for too, although most of the complaints on that issue have been related to 3g/edge rather than the signal itself. I know the two are related but I've often had decent enough 3g with a weak signal so hopefully the ota fix will address all this

[Q] Not using wifi?

In my work developing an App for localized radar information, I find that when I need information from the internet, my phone doesnt use the wifi, but relys on data usage. My house's wifi is unsecured, and my phone is always connected when in range, but where I do my developing in the house there is scant 3g coverage and mostly Edge coverage. (Kinda inbetween towers where I live)
For example, my Weatherbug App will not load (and sometimes lock up) unless the signal indicator says H or 3G or 4G, while being connected to wifi.
I am new to mobile OS so is there something I am doing wrong or something I have not set on the phone?

I have a very weak signal in my apartment. My phone constantly bounces between no signal and 1 or 2 bars. I find that my DVP works much better when I manually turn off the data connection in the Cellular settings when I want to use wifi as my primary connection.

Your DVP says H or 4G? If so, you have soemhing the rest of us do not..
Sent from my Venue Pro using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

Yeah my carrier put a 4g sim into my DVP and upgraded the radio...Works too, I didnt believe it when I first heard it.

i call shenanigans.

if there was a way to screen cap i would show you...but i do not know of any way thus far.
speaking of which, what radio version do you guys have? I got radio software 2.2.50.18, is that any different?

Thunder_47 said:
if there was a way to screen cap i would show you...but i do not know of any way thus far.
speaking of which, what radio version do you guys have? I got radio software 2.2.50.18, is that any different?
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I have that same radio in my at&t dvp. Bottom line is that the phone does not ship with a 4g capable radio. No SIM card changes that fact. Don't let the goons at the phone store fool you.

venelar said:
I have that same radio in my at&t dvp. Bottom line is that the phone does not ship with a 4g capable radio. No SIM card changes that fact. Don't let the goons at the phone store fool you.
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Click to collapse
I agree. DVP is not 4G capable.

hey they offered a free upgrade and I took it...but I havent been able to connect to a 4g network so maybe they WERE fooling me....either way the Wifi issue has been solved so no more discussion on this if you would please.

who faced the same?

Low signal - not the phone

So I've been using this Omnia 7 for a while now. Fantastic phone. I bought it from a dealer in the UK and have been using it in Canada.
The phone works great with my carrier, but it drops signal every few minutes and refuses to get it back for a while. It's on the latest version of Mango Zune finds. If I leave it sitting in a spot, it gets full 3G+, is blazing fast, sends and receives texts instantly. But if I'm on the move, it's constantly dropping signal.
Anyone have any idea how I could fix this? It's becoming really annoying.
I know it's not the phone's hardware - I sent in the previous one because I thought it might be, and I had the exact same issue.

don't know what frequency your carrier uses but on att in US it doesn't support all the bands.. it's usually good for me though but some areas I have to disable 3g and I get better and consistent signal on edge. needs to be unlocked use samsung tools to enable 3g toggle

My carrier supports tri-band HSPA (900/1900/2100) and GSM. I regularly get 3G+ or full-strength 3G around the city - however, it seems that if I move around it drops signal right away.
For the 3G toggle, do I have to do a Chevron unlock? Or is there a simpler way?

I've had this problem for a long time and there simply doesn't appear to be a fix.

Oh, man. That really saddens me. I love this phone, and it's perfect when it works!

Cuddlesy said:
My carrier supports tri-band HSPA (900/1900/2100) and GSM. I regularly get 3G+ or full-strength 3G around the city - however, it seems that if I move around it drops signal right away.
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interesting, I've never had a connection problem like that even when driving on the highway
For the 3G toggle, do I have to do a Chevron unlock? Or is there a simpler way?
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Click to collapse
yes you need chevron unlock to install the xap, it will add the toggle to your "cellular" settings menu

DatDereX1 said:
interesting, I've never had a connection problem like that even when driving on the highway
yes you need chevron unlock to install the xap, it will add the toggle to your "cellular" settings menu
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Click to collapse
It's bizarre, truly. My city isn't that big, and my provider has a pretty good network. There are moments where I'm on the road and I have blazing-fast 3G+, then the next second no signal at all, repeat. I know it's not the carrier, because my old phone (using the same SIM) had no such issues, and I know it's not the hardware, because this is the second Omnia to do this. Gah!
I'm wary of Chevron unlock because everything already sort-of works, and I already have a Data toggle... I don't want to make it work less, especially because I have no idea what firmware I would restore to if I mess up.

Cuddlesy said:
My carrier supports tri-band HSPA (900/1900/2100) and GSM. I regularly get 3G+ or full-strength 3G around the city - however, it seems that if I move around it drops signal right away.
For the 3G toggle, do I have to do a Chevron unlock? Or is there a simpler way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what's your carrier?
what's your nationality?
it is a secret??

DJBlaster-303 said:
what's your carrier?
what's your nationality?
it is a secret??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Manitoba Telecom Services in Canada. I checked, and they have the exact same network type as T-Mobile Germany, which is where this phone originally came from. It should work fine but it doesn't!

strange issues, sorry but i believed you were from Europe, anyway the phone should automatically switch to E (dge) when it's not covered by 3G+, at least this is what happens to me, but i'm on different carrier

DJBlaster-303 said:
strange issues, sorry but i believed you were from Europe, anyway the phone should automatically switch to E (dge) when it's not covered by 3G+, at least this is what happens to me, but i'm on different carrier
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I think it's just low signal strength - it's typically out of reception in buildings, tunnels or basements, even though my old phone had reception there.

I live in London, I am on T-Mobile, with a T-Mobile branded handset which i chevronned to Mango.
I have lots of signal problems, which I posted about previouslty.
Would love some help - generally my signal either gets stuck on GPRS, or zero. I rarely see 3G in places I used to get full 3G+
help