Maxis has a truly crappy 3G network

[Adrian Wong]

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the introduction of the Apple iPhone in Malaysia but ever since then, I've been experiencing dropped calls on my mobile phone even though I don't use 3G!

What happens is that the 3G network would die in mid-call, cutting off the call, while the phone attempts to connect to the GSM network. Whenever the 3G network dies, the signal strength goes from full bar to 0. That's when the call drops.

Sometimes, the phone just won't connect to the GSM network and remains with "No Service". I have to turn off the phone and back on again to reconnect to either the 3G or GSM network.

For months, I thought it was my phone's fault. That is until I started talking about it with friends and family. Then suddenly, I realized I wasn't the only one affected! Practically everyone on the Maxis network was affected, no matter what phone they were using.

I called Maxis up to complain. They gave me the run-around, trying to blame it on my phone.. until I pointed out that a variety of phones was affected. They even made me list down the phone models and their phone numbers.

Their first solution was to ask me to turn OFF the 3G network for my phone. Well, I already had it turned off by default!!!

They then asked me where I experienced the dropped calls. When I told them EVERYWHERE!!! they wouldn't accept it (Error! Error! Cannot compute!). I had to give them precise locations, which turned out to be a pretty long list since I've been everywhere up and down Malaysia.

Finally, they decided to blame it on my SIM card which they declared was pretty old. Fine, I went to a Maxis Centre and had it replaced. Before the day was over, I had my first dropped call on a brand-new SIM card.

I called them up again, suffering several dropped calls in the process, and complained about it. This time, I learned from my lesson and told them to call ME back if the call dropped. Otherwise, I would have to explain the problem again to a different person.

One of the support guys told me that it's because of the weak 3G network in some areas which he promised would be rectified very soon because they are erecting a tower near my home. Somehow, I doubt it. This has been going on for months and it's not just happening where I live but practically everywhere I go.

Has this affected you too? If it has, be sure to complain, because I don't think Maxis is taking this seriously. Even in the US, AT&T customers are already complaining about the poor 3G network which has been blamed on AT&T pushing the Apple iPhone without upgrading their 3G network to handle the load.

This problem is not only important for iPhone and 3G users, it is critical to anyone using a phone because dropped calls mean a higher phone bill for you, and more profit for Maxis!

Think about it. Maxis counts in blocks of 30 seconds. Everytime a call drops, you lose the unused portion of that time block and even more time when you call back and continue your conversation.

What's worse is the fact that it takes your phone some time to connect to the GSM network, at which time your friend may have attempted to call you, only to be sent to your voice mail, costing him a call and you as well if you call to retrieve the voice mail.

I know my phone bills have gone up quite a bit since these problems started. This, I pointed out to Maxis but they never offered a rebate, even though they acknowledge that my records do show lots of dropped calls.

Of course, to Maxis, I'm just one small insignificant user. Who gives a shit about us consumers in Malaysia? "Take it or leave it" rules in Bolehland. That is if we continue to let these corporate entities ignore us. So, if you experience the same problem - CALL UP AND COMPLAIN!!!

[ZuePhok]

thanks to huawei i suppose.

when it comes to million dollar telecommunication infrastructure, i guess, european products remain the leader, both capability and capacity wise. perhaps they go through more thorough validation as well?
but many telcos arent willing to pay for its expensive deployment and equipment costs.

chinese technology is very competitive in term of pricing. huawei, zte, they will get bigger. and i suppose more service providers will switch eventually. you know where we are heading to..

[lee_what2004]

speaking of connecting to network, I also having it for couple of months on Celcom.

I had to restart my phone and waiting who-knows-how many minutes just to connect.

There's also times where the phones is just too silent, just realised the network is gone

even if there's network, I couldn't call nor receive one

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by lee_what2004

speaking of connecting to network, I also having it for couple of months on Celcom.

I had to restart my phone and waiting who-knows-how many minutes just to connect.

There's also times where the phones is just too silent, just realised the network is gone

even if there's network, I couldn't call nor receive one

Wow.. Celcom too??? I was considering switching to DiGi or Celcom!

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by ZuePhok

thanks to huawei i suppose.

when it comes to million dollar telecommunication infrastructure, i guess, european products remain the leader, both capability and capacity wise. perhaps they go through more thorough validation as well?
but many telcos arent willing to pay for its expensive deployment and equipment costs.

chinese technology is very competitive in term of pricing. huawei, zte, they will get bigger. and i suppose more service providers will switch eventually. you know where we are heading to..

Haha.. That's possible. I know that TM has been "upgrading" their Cisco or 3Com ADSL ports to Chinese versions over the last few years.

But I never had this dropped call problem until about half a year or so ago. That's what made me think of the iPhone and the effect it has on the 3G network.

[ZuePhok]

as far as i know, celcom offers the best 3g performance in MY.

if im not wrong, their equipments are supplied by ericsson. im not referring to the port or anything, but the broadcast tower and the system behind it. then again, I don't know anything about telecommunication.

i know maxis has adopted huawei solutions quite aggresively. a close friend of mine has worked for both companies, and listening to his frustration @work is like a daily routine to us. the differences, and quality, in backend infrastructure, are really there for us to see..

[Chai]

Yup, that's what I heard too. Celcom has better 3G implementation even from the beginning.

I did notice the line drop during mid call problem LONG before they start selling iPhone. I think it's when I started using 3G connection (voice only).

[Adrian Wong]

Frankly, I have never used 3G before, not even until today. In fact, I set my phone to use GSM. However, the phone still drops calls whenever the 3G network goes down.

Even though my phone is set to use GSM, it will still show 3G network availability at all times. The problem occurs when the 3G network availability icon disappears. Almost instantly, the signal strength goes from full (or almost full) to ZERO. Then the call gets cut.

If I'm lucky, the phone can connect to the GSM network within 2-3 seconds and I can call or receive calls. But about half the time, the phone cannot reconnect to the GSM network and states "No Service Available". I have to restart the phone to get it to connect to the Maxis network again.

[Lacus]

Try Digi 3g Boss,it's really good..been testing it lately XD...around your area should have line for it ...(off topic ) hmm could it be your sim card has issue? it's the same for a friend of mine too (using Nokia 5800XM) which Maxis give the same reason to switch off the 3g (time to change, DiGi. Always the smarter choice )

[Dashken]

Mine still OK. I seldom call though. Each call doesn't last more than 5 mins.

The problem now is, the coverage at my new house is weak. For both TM and also Maxis. Always have to run around the house looking for 2-3 bars...