MTN 3G coverage SUX

He has never been able to get better signal than GPRS/EDGE (236k). If this does not improve he will be forced to go for a vodacom sim or contract making his mtn data contract a bit useless.

Will log a complaint today.

Thanks
d
 
debug said:
Hi there MTN_DD

I tested a friend of mine's MTN Data card tonight with some shocking results. No HSDPA coverage and no 3G coverage whatsoever. I tested in Protea Heights (Brackenfell, Western Cape) and in Vredekloof (Brackenfell, Western Cape). What can he do to get some better coverage ? Buy an antenna perhaps ?

I will pm u his details tomorrow.

Your help is always much appreciated.

\\Regards
d
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I know that these data cards link up with the best available speeds, but why do people buy these cards before they check the coverage in their respective areas? Seems that a lot of people think they will automatically have 3G/HSDPA when they buy these cards. Sales people push these cards no matter what & coverage department cannot deliver.
 
rph72 said:
I know that these data cards link up with the best available speeds, but why do people buy these cards before they check the coverage in their respective areas? Seems that a lot of people think they will automatically have 3G/HSDPA when they buy these cards. Sales people push these cards no matter what & coverage department cannot deliver.
Click to expand...

What I really hate is sales people that mislead customers :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
 
debug said:
He has never been able to get better signal than GPRS/EDGE (236k). If this does not improve he will be forced to go for a vodacom sim or contract making his mtn data contract a bit useless.

Will log a complaint today.
Click to expand...

As Piesang says, the coverage map doesn't show 3G/HSDPA in his area, so there's not much that coverage complaints can do.

The good news for your friend is that MTN are in the process of a massive 3G rollout in Cape Town, I think this is scheduled to be complete by February 2007.

I wouldn't say his data contract is a bit useless, after all it's covering the cost of the data card. Until the upgrade is complete at least he does have the option, thanks to MTN not locking their cards, of using Vodacom, although thats at R2 per MB.
 
ginggs said:
As Piesang says, the coverage map doesn't show 3G/HSDPA in his area, so there's not much that coverage complaints can do.

The good news for your friend is that MTN are in the process of a massive 3G rollout in Cape Town, I think this is scheduled to be complete by February 2007.

I wouldn't say his data contract is a bit useless, after all it's covering the cost of the data card. Until the upgrade is complete at least he does have the option, thanks to MTN not locking their cards, of using Vodacom, although thats at R2 per MB.
Click to expand...


:D
 
rph72 said:
I know that these data cards link up with the best available speeds, but why do people buy these cards before they check the coverage in their respective areas?
Click to expand...
It doesn't always help, before I got a card for myself and one for my father, I went to the trouble of borrowing a friend's for the weekend. As we could see from the coverage map we weren't in 3G areas, but were just hoping for a reliable GPRS/EDGE connection. The test went perfectly, we both signed up for contracts and then the problems started.

I think it was around the second week, my father couldn't connect at all, apparently he's in an area with too much coverage, he has seen at least 15 different towers on his phone at his home. I tried to get hold of the antenna, but nobody at MTN I spoke to had any idea what I was talking about, even after a complaint on Hello Peter, I was referred to the Service Centre, who also had no idea what an antenna was. Eventually, the stock arrived and my father and I were each given a HUawei unipole antenna and a 3G SIM card.

The antenna sorted my father's problem out. It unfortunately it didn't do much for my connection, which was switching between EDGE and GPRS, depending on the weather. EDGE when rainy, GPRS when sunny. Eventually, in the middle of September EDGE stopped completely. I logged a call with coverage complaints and Lynton Klassen came out to my place armed with a Yagi, unfortunately even with the Yagi I was just out of range of 3G, but could get a 100% EDGE signal. He couldn't install the Yagi that day, as MTN didn't have any of the connectors for the Huawei card, but promised to come back as soon as they got them.

Two days after his visit, I suddenly got a very good EDGE connection (-67dBm) and I consistently get over 200kbps, and this is still with the unipole antenna. Lynton says this is a coincidence, but its almost as if he went to the nearest tower and pointed an antenna straight at my house!

I do get a strong Vodacom 3G signal at my house, but none of their contracts suited me like MTN's did, and I'm not paying R2 per MB for their PAYG. I'm happy to wait for MTN's 3G upgrade.

MTN are capable of providing excellent service, its a shame its so difficult to get to speak to the right person. Thanks to MTN_DD and Paul, who responds to the Hello Peter queries, you can get excellent service.
 
ginggs said:
It doesn't always help, before I got a card for myself and one for my father, I went to the trouble of borrowing a friend's for the weekend. As we could see from the coverage map we weren't in 3G areas, but were just hoping for a reliable GPRS/EDGE connection. The test went perfectly, we both signed up for contracts and then the problems started.

I think it was around the second week, my father couldn't connect at all, apparently he's in an area with too much coverage, he has seen at least 15 different towers on his phone at his home. I tried to get hold of the antenna, but nobody at MTN I spoke to had any idea what I was talking about, even after a complaint on Hello Peter, I was referred to the Service Centre, who also had no idea what an antenna was. Eventually, the stock arrived and my father and I were each given a HUawei unipole antenna and a 3G SIM card.

The antenna sorted my father's problem out. It unfortunately it didn't do much for my connection, which was switching between EDGE and GPRS, depending on the weather. EDGE when rainy, GPRS when sunny. Eventually, in the middle of September EDGE stopped completely. I logged a call with coverage complaints and Lynton Klassen came out to my place armed with a Yagi, unfortunately even with the Yagi I was just out of range of 3G, but could get a 100% EDGE signal. He couldn't install the Yagi that day, as MTN didn't have any of the connectors for the Huawei card, but promised to come back as soon as they got them.

Two days after his visit, I suddenly got a very good EDGE connection (-67dBm) and I consistently get over 200kbps, and this is still with the unipole antenna. Lynton says this is a coincidence, but its almost as if he went to the nearest tower and pointed an antenna straight at my house!

I do get a strong Vodacom 3G signal at my house, but none of their contracts suited me like MTN's did, and I'm not paying R2 per MB for their PAYG. I'm happy to wait for MTN's 3G upgrade.

MTN are capable of providing excellent service, its a shame its so difficult to get to speak to the right person. Thanks to MTN_DD and Paul, who responds to the Hello Peter queries, you can get excellent service.
Click to expand...

Good day,

Ginggs

Thanks for the positive feedback in general I appreciate the complement for myself and Paul

MTNDD
 
Clive you are sooo modist..lol... anyway I am very lucky if I get more than 100kbps but hell, Feb is just around the corner and I am getting my antenna on Saturday. What I would like to know is where you get the 64db from. Either I am blind or using the wrong panel for my Data Card but I cant find it on my panel.
 
I note that MTN_data_dude says 'log a call' with the coverage dept. Doesn't help much.
I did that about 4 months ago and they got back to me to say my number was 0009337 and that they will look into it. Nothing since then, other than the coverage in my area has been upgraded to HSDPA on the MTN website.
What a gas !!! I can see the 3G tower (according to MTN techie) from my roof at about 800m away. Outside at ground level, I get 1-2 bars and inside I get only GPRS/EDGE or, if forced to 3G, then 60-112Kbps.
Vodacom got a similar complaint from me and downgraded their coverage to GPRS from HSDPA. Makes one think that MTN overstates their coverage !!

You have got to check coverage before you buy a 3G card - internet website is no guide.
 
Olddude said:
I note that MTN_data_dude says 'log a call' with the coverage dept. Doesn't help much.
I did that about 4 months ago and they got back to me to say my number was 0009337 and that they will look into it. Nothing since then, other than the coverage in my area has been upgraded to HSDPA on the MTN website.
What a gas !!! I can see the 3G tower (according to MTN techie) from my roof at about 800m away. Outside at ground level, I get 1-2 bars and inside I get only GPRS/EDGE or, if forced to 3G, then 60-112Kbps.
Vodacom got a similar complaint from me and downgraded their coverage to GPRS from HSDPA. Makes one think that MTN overstates their coverage !!

You have got to check coverage before you buy a 3G card - internet website is no guide.
Click to expand...

Good day,

Olddude

If you have logged a coverage call already then you can give me the ref # I'll follow it up.

MTNDD
 
coverage Pretoria Zambesi?

Hi MTNDD,
I've also given up on MTN coming back on a coverage query.
But don't worry about it anymore.
What I would very much like to know is, if there are any plans to upgrade the coverage in Montana Park Ext5 in Pretoria, the area close to / next to the Zambesi N1 Tollgate.
If you look on any of the cellphone companies coverage maps, you'll see there is no coverage of 3G/HSDPA from anybody, jislaaik, there's not even EDGE, only (crappy) GPRS coverage.
What's very weird is that this could be considered a (dare I say it?) affluent area? Whoever gets 3G/HSDPA coverage here could take the market, and easily make up the cost of a tower quickly, especially if they do a small marketing campaign in local area newspaper, and get even more non-data users.
I think the problem is the mountain / ridge between this side of Pretoria and the city, which could be blocking the signal. One well placed tower could give great coverage to this whole area.
My parents moved here a while ago, and it is very disappointing to not have any decent connection speed, using MTN E620 and Telkom dialup (!) is a tossup about who is the fastest ( :eek: )
 
CeeBee said:
Hi MTNDD,
I've also given up on MTN coming back on a coverage query.
But don't worry about it anymore.
What I would very much like to know is, if there are any plans to upgrade the coverage in Montana Park Ext5 in Pretoria, the area close to / next to the Zambesi N1 Tollgate.
If you look on any of the cellphone companies coverage maps, you'll see there is no coverage of 3G/HSDPA from anybody, jislaaik, there's not even EDGE, only (crappy) GPRS coverage.
What's very weird is that this could be considered a (dare I say it?) affluent area? Whoever gets 3G/HSDPA coverage here could take the market, and easily make up the cost of a tower quickly, especially if they do a small marketing campaign in local area newspaper, and get even more non-data users.
I think the problem is the mountain / ridge between this side of Pretoria and the city, which could be blocking the signal. One well placed tower could give great coverage to this whole area.
My parents moved here a while ago, and it is very disappointing to not have any decent connection speed, using MTN E620 and Telkom dialup (!) is a tossup about who is the fastest ( :eek: )
Click to expand...



Good day,

When I check on the plans for 3G phase 2 roll out I see Montford Park Queensburgh area built in the roll out

MTNDD
 
Ok, finally there seems to be some 3G activity in this area 565B/GOODWOOD FIRE STATION of Goodwood.The signal however seems to be unusable. Packet data not available & unable to make or receive calls. I have to reboot my phone into GSM mode for it to work.

Are they running tests on the tower??
 
rph72 said:
Ok, finally there seems to be some 3G activity in this area 565B/GOODWOOD FIRE STATION of Goodwood.The signal however seems to be unusable. Packet data not available & unable to make or receive calls. I have to reboot my phone into GSM mode for it to work.

Are they running tests on the tower??
Click to expand...

Good day,

I've sent this to Coverage and will advise ASAP

MTNDD
 
MTN_Data_Dude said:
Here's the feedback



From: Dealer Helpdesk
Sent: Friday, 17 November 2006 10:10 AM
Subject: RE: Please assist

Yes there are plans;

TREVENNA, MILNERTON

Rdgs
Click to expand...

Western Cape Trevenna Milnerton Tygerberg Western Cape
 
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