Network time updates now working on MTN

[palmandy]

I searched this forum and couldn't find anything on this. This may not be news but I enabled automatic time updates on my Palm Centro and it gets the time correctly from the MTN network. I switched off the cellphone connection and changed the clock a few minutes out and then switched the connection on and the clock was correctly reset. I check with a SNTP source and the clock was correct. I did this on a Treo 650 and it worked also.

- Does anybody know whether the time is only set when the cellphone is switched on or is it periodically set? Is set periodically how often?
- Will this work on all phones that have the "network time" function or are there many different protocols from different cellphone manufacturers and my Centro just happens to work.
- If you do some testing can you add to this post that your phone works or doesn't with network time updates.

 

[andres101]

Most cellphones support this feature on the GSM network. Only one protocol is used: NITZ - Network Initiated Time Zone

It used to give you the wrong time on some towers. Great news that this is working now.

 

[palmandy]

I should have said that I have tried this on all my phones for years and only now does it work. I assume that MTN must have made a recent change which enables this.

 

[ginggs]

I should have said that I have tried this on all my phones for years and only now does it work. I assume that MTN must have made a recent change which enables this.

Not working for me on a Nokia N95, near N1 City, Cape Town.
Set the phone to update time from the network, switched the it off and on again and left it for about an hour.

Where are you based? The might have only enabled this on a couple of towers.

I was hoping Insider had taken note of my comment:

Maybe everyone should synchronise their watches to the network standards so that the seconds align

Maybe MTN should implement "network operator time" on their network

 

[palmandy]

I am in Pinetown in Durban. Does anyone have a contact at MTN that can confirm this?

 

[ObeyTheDiode]

I noticed my Nokia 6110 Navi gives me a message the last few weeks stating I might have missed some or other alarm due to time being set. I assume this is the network time 'cause I kniow it is enabled. I'm on MTN in PTA

 

[chris2.0]

I searched this forum and couldn't find anything on this. This may not be news but I enabled automatic time updates on my Palm Centro and it gets the time correctly from the MTN network. I switched off the cellphone connection and changed the clock a few minutes out and then switched the connection on and the clock was correctly reset. I check with a SNTP source and the clock was correct. I did this on a Treo 650 and it worked also.

Hiya Andy - I read somewhere that the older Treo's had problems with alarms/appointments going haywire with automatic updates turned on... I take it you haven't had any problems yet?

I have a Treo 680 still, looking to upgrade to a Centro! Either that or a 3G iPhone, but I think I'm going to miss the physical keyboard of the Treo too much! I'm VERY picky - the inferior keyboards on the BB Curve AND Moto Q9h made me sell them VERy quickly and trade up to a Treo again after my 650 gave up and died!

 

[palmandy]

In my area the automatic updates are stable and haven't caused my time to jump. I have just reviewed a program called atomclock which sets your clock every day to an atomic clock on the net. I can post a link to the review when it is published in a few days. I will probably switch off the network updates since this time update program is more bullet-proof since I control what it does and when.

I changed to a Centro from a Treo 650 and I think it is a good device. I mainly got it because it was cheaper. I now find that having a smaller phone with all the same functionality as a Treo 650 is great. The screen is smaller and the battery life a bit shorter but then that is what you get for a smaller device.