[April 2006] Current 3G problems - Feedback Please

[zoot]

Hey Zoot, how do you find the combo of Linux & 3G without the problems you are now facing?

Ha! It's relatively simple to setup and run as a regular dialup connection. If only the actual access were reliable! Have used Linux for the past 8 years and never looked back

 

[snap]

How about we start a petition thread with our complaints to vodacom about the service over the past 2 weeks?

If we can get them to compensate us for a month at least it hurts them a little. Right now they dont care coz we still have to pay at the end of the month.

Who can make it a sticky?

 

[SoftDev]

Hi all,

I did e-mail the Vodacom customer care this morning @ 7:55. The e-mail is as follows:

---
Hi,

I am sure that Vodacom knows about the problems with 3G that have been going on for the past 10 days. I logged a call with the data help desk last night as well (AS-PGQ4-GD3YZ). I have also kept an eye on the Vodacom Broadband forum (http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=103) and have notice that a lot of customers have been impacted by this problem. The problem started from the 2nd of April when the new HSDPA service was launched.

The question that I have is what is Vodacom going to do for the customer (me) who have been unable to use the 3G service for the past 10 days? This is the same question that I posted on the public broadband forum last night.

To summarise I would like Vodacom's response to the following questions:
1) Will the customers be compensated for the loss of service for the past 10 days?
2) What process / procedures will be put in place to ensure that the reoccurrence of these type of problems will not occur in future?
3) What process / procedures will be put in place to ensure that problems that take so long to resolve will be resolved quicker in future?
4) How was the problem communicated to the 3G customers?
5) How was the rollout of HSDPA tested?
6) If the HSDPA service was tested how did this problem then occurred?
7) As I have had a few problems with the 3G service in the past how is Vodacom going to ensure that the customer (me) will extend my contract after it expires?

Your urgent response would be welcomed.
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I then received a reply from them @ 11:12, the reply is as follows:

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Thank you for your e-mail.I have forwarded your email to network department as I feel they would be best suited to answer your questions.
You will be advised in due course. Should you have any further queries, please contact us via e-mail at customercare@vodacom.co.za.

Warm RegardsSamier LuttaEmail Contact Centre
---



I the replied with another e-mail as follows:

---
Hi Samier,

Thank you for the prompt reply.

I agree to some point that the Networks department would be best suited to respond on question 2 to 6, but question 1 and 2 should be answered by someone in Vodacom's business clusters. Can you please ensure that someone from a Vodacom business point of view also receives the e-mail and will respond?

Regards



Should I keep you posted on this development?

SoftDev.

 

[SoftDev]

Hi ,

"...but question 1 and 2 should be answered by someone in Vodacom's business clusters."

should have been

"...but question 1 and 7 should be answered by someone in Vodacom's business clusters."

SoftDev

 

[zoot]

1) Error type (one of the above)

Primarily 2 (Connected but no downlink data), but 1 and 3 occasionally too.

2) Description of error

Connection comes up and I have access for a while, but eventually everything times out - ie no data transfer. I have to reconnect to get access again.

It's apparent that data transfer is maintainted when inactivity is minimized. ie if I'm browsing the web and don't pause for too long, data transfer continues. This appears to be related to some sort of keep-alive timeout???

Definitely! I "paused" to write this post and now have to reconnect again!

A quick and dirty bash shell script seems to do the trick (though this does consume unnecessary bandwidth):

while true; do ping -c 1 www.google.com; sleep 18; done

 

[snap]

I tried a quick and dirty keep alive a few days ago coz I thought this would help but it didnt work for me. Maybe my sleep was too long!

 

[zoot]

Yep, I think your 'sleep' may be too short.

The script below seems to work (for now). I removed the hostname (to save on DNS cache lookups) and reduced the packet size (to save bandwidth).

while true; do ping -s 1 -c 1 216.239.37.99; sleep 18; done

 

[kaspaas]

Yep, I think your 'sleep' may be too short.

The script below seems to work (for now). I removed the hostname (to save on DNS cache lookups) and reduced the packet size (to save bandwidth).

while true; do ping -s 1 -c 1 216.239.37.99; sleep 18; done

Is there a MS XP translation for

while true; do ping -s 1 -c 1 216.239.37.99; sleep 18; done

??

 

[vodacom3g]

Is there a MS XP translation for

while true; do ping -s 1 -c 1 216.239.37.99; sleep 18; done

??

ping -t "ip"

It won't have a sleep period, but the shorter the better if the above theory is true.

 

[snap]

@kaspaas you could google "stay alive" and pick up one of the free ping programs and see if that works.

 

[vodacom3g]

It will really help to get an exact date and time.

JohanduToit was chasing a problem and when we got the right date it started, could link it to the cause and a fix was implemented.

 

[kaspaas]

@kaspaas you could google "stay alive" and pick up one of the free ping programs and see if that works.

Kaspaas bashing MS for less functionality than Linux!

 

[vodacom3g]

Some feedback:

A patch must be deployed on 3 systems across the country. The first (serving users in Midrand and Jhb) will go in tonight. It will then be monitored for stability, etc. The other two systems, serving the rest of the country will then be rolled out.

Not sure exactly when it will go in tonight, probably in the early hours, so your feedback tomorrow will be appreciated.

Those who are getting the downlink stop symptoms; Can you try something and post the results?

Open a DOS box and do a continuous ping with a large packet size, say 1000 bytes.

Something like "ping -t -l 1000 www.google.co.za"

Don't use the default packet size of 64bytes.

What I'm trying to test is the effect of having a constant flow of data in the uplink.

Carry on working normally and see if you get the downlink stop problem.

 

[SoftDev]

Hi V3G,

Thanks for the feedback. Since I am in Pretoria will the patch for Midrand affect me? If so then I will do some monitoring tomorrow night.

SoftDev

 

[vodacom3g]

Hi V3G,

Thanks for the feedback. Since I am in Pretoria will the patch for Midrand affect me? If so then I will do some monitoring tomorrow night.

SoftDev

No, you'll be on the Pretoria system scheduled for the second batch.

Have you tried the 1000 byte ping?

 

[SoftDev]

No, you'll be on the Pretoria system scheduled for the second batch.

Have you tried the 1000 byte ping?

V3G,

Yes tried it last night for about 20 min, all was working no stopping of the down link. I will try again tonight for a longer time period, say an hour or so. Will post the result.

SoftDev

 

[vodacom3g]

V3G,

Yes tried it last night for about 20 min, all was working no stopping of the down link. I will try again tonight for a longer time period, say an hour or so. Will post the result.

SoftDev

Please do, will appreciate it.

 

[grim]

I've been having a different probblem with my 3G connection, after x amount of time even with active downloads running, whenever i try to access a web page or start a new download i either get an error saying: Cannot create socket", or nothing happens. Any downloads already running still download so i still recieve dowlink data, and it uploads fine aswell i just can create new sockets it seems. Disconnecting and the connecting again doesn't solve the problem i have to restart the pc to get it working again.

ps. Pretoria East is still experiencing no dowlink data after a short while, happened when i was writing this message was connected for about 6 mins before i realised it was working any more.

 

[snap]

I am running a freebie "stay live 2000" set at 15 seconds and I have not had the problem with loss of downlink data since. It might be worth trying something similar until the problem is fixed. Tried to stretch it to 30 seconds but that doesnt work.

Seems like a straight ping with minimum data only program does not work.

 

[snap]

I know this question has been asked before but is there anyone with this problem - loss of downlink data that isnt running a compaq/hp notebook?