Re: Verizon 4G LTE 700 MHz Interference at Mexican Border San Diego
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Good morning, fookoff96.We certainly understand the frustration; unfortunately, it is a difficult situation since the interference is being caused by a carrier outside the United States.

Please know our teams are working every possible angle to address this issue. Talks continue with the highest levels of the United States government and our network team is making regular adjustments to the network to help mitigate the issue in the interim. Does this provide clarity?

TracyB_VZW

0 Likes
Re: Verizon 4G LTE 700 MHz Interference at Mexican Border San Diego
aj80
Enthusiast - Level 2

Unfortunately repeating the answer of "we are trying to work on it and it is out of our control" is not very useful, nor does it provide any clarity.

The issue for Verizon users in El Paso and other affected border cities is not WHAT is happening to cause the problem but rather WHAT is VERIZON going to do to take care of its customers. So far, what Verizon is NOT doing is:

1 - Fix the problem outright

2 - Provide a CURRENT update to show customers that it is a priority and allow us to see any progress

3 - Provide a timeline of when it might work again

4 - Give a credit on the bills for the loss of use of a service that was paid for

Essentially, all that Verizon has done is repeat over and over that it is due to a wireless carrier in Mexico, Not our fault!!  Truly, we get that. The real problem goes far beyond the ability or authority of online customer service agents to adequately respond. As a result we hear the same not-helpful statements over and over. 

Let's do some real talk then: At what point do we all cut ties with Verizon and pick up Sprint, AT&T or T-Mobile?

Re: Verizon 4G LTE 700 MHz Interference at Mexican Border San Diego
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

We would never want to see you leave us aj80. We understand your frustration. If we had a different answer to share, we would be anxious to provide it. Please know that we are working with the FCC to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Do you have Wi-Fi available in your home? Have you tried Wi-Fi calling by chance? 

RosanneM_VZW

0 Likes
Re: Verizon 4G LTE 700 MHz Interference at Mexican Border San Diego
fredtheocelot
Enthusiast - Level 3

I agree that Verizon needs to provide regular updates on their progress, a timeline for resolution,  and credit bills until it's resolved. They need a  better solutions than suggesting wi-fi calling and network extenders. The point of mobile phone service is that it's mobile. Being limited to wi-fi calling doesn't solve the issue especially in rural areas with poor or no internet service. Well, I can call you from work, from home, or some random place with wi-fi or hey maybe there's a payphone nearby.

Verizon doesn't have a solution so they keep repeating the same message. Altan is causing interference,  it's not our fault but we're sorry, have you tried wi-fi calling,  oh and we're sorry but have no update and haven't made any progress on solving this.

T-mobile may be the best company to switch too since AT&T uses some of the 700 mhz frequency. Not sure what frequency Sprint is on.

0 Likes
Re: Verizon 4G LTE 700 MHz Interference at Mexican Border San Diego
MEasties
Enthusiast - Level 1

This thread and its lack of resolution has clinched it. I'm switching my company's service to T-Mobile today.

0 Likes
Re: Verizon 4G LTE 700 MHz Interference at Mexican Border San Diego
bnewall1
Enthusiast - Level 2

We've been experiencing similar issues here in the South Bay area of San Diego (city of Chula Vista).  We switched from T-Mobile to Verizon about 4 weeks ago, after being on T-Mo for just over 4 years.  We went to T-Mo because, 4 years ago, they were the only company offering Mexico and Canada service without roaming (it was called "Simple Choice North America").  Immediately after switching, however, I discovered that I had zero service inside my building at work.  Similarly, 2 of my inlaws who live in a small town in Missouri had no service inside their home.  We had all been with Verizon before, and all had great service.  But, Verizon didn't have the Mexico and Canada service.  We were going back and forth to Mexico a lot, since my wife has family there, and one of my in-laws in Missouri is from Canada and has relatives there, and they go back and forth a lot, so the switch seemed only logical.  Unfortunately, the service was less than stellar.

We stuck with it for 4 years.  About 2 years in, the service at my work improved.  Not the case in Missouri, though... little to no service for them.

Around that time, I found out that Verizon had also been offering the Mexico/Canada service, so I investigated switching.  At the time, it would have been too cost-prohibitive, so we stuck with T-Mo for another 2 years.  But after hearing firsthand (via a phone call with her) how bad my sister-in-law's service was in Missouri, I decided to investigate again.  And this time, Verizon had a new Unlimited plan that was only $30/month when you have 5+ lines (we have 5), and have auto payments and paperless billing, so I decided to make the switch back.

The family in Missouri is doing fine.  We, however, have issues.  We live in a condo complex.  I noticed that our phones were constantly landing on network extenders, then switching back to VZW towers.  When they switched back to a tower, they would sometimes lose service for 30-45 seconds.  Once outside of our complex, though, our service is GREAT.  We have not experienced actual interference from Altan.  Our problem has been the proliferation of extenders in our complex.  There were 2 that I could confirm existed, because in our condo, we were getting connected to one ID, and across the alley at my mother-in-law's, we were getting on a different ID.

I've been in contact with VZW many times about this.  The last call resulted in them sending US an extender, which I really didn't want, because I was sure it would only exacerbate the problem.  But just to see, I went ahead and hooked it up.  It didn't make any difference.  However, the extender can detect other extenders nearby, and it detected FOUR more that I never saw on my phone.  That means that those 4, plus the 2 I knew about already, plus ours, makes a total of SEVEN extenders within range of each other.  That's simply ridiculous!  The extenders are causing more interference problems than Altan.

@vzw_customer_supportThis has been our biggest frustration.  Per FCC regulations, Verizon DOES have the power to contact customers with extenders and ask them to stop using them.  (Granted, they can't show up at customers' doors and make them disconnect them...)  Too many extenders in the area is simply making the problem worse, not better.

Wi-Fi calling is also not a viable option for us.  Several VZW support reps have confirmed that VZW's Wi-Fi calling ONLY kicks in when the phone completely loses its cellular signal, including any signal eminating from an extender.  So, as long as the phone is receiving some kind of cellular signal, it will NOT switch over to Wi-Fi calling, unless you turn on Airplane mode and then turn Wi-Fi on.  But... seriously?  What happens if you're on a call and have to step outside your house?  Or take off somewhere in the car?  "Hold on, Mom, gotta turn Airplane mode off..."  If you forget, which is easy to do when you're on a call, as soon as you get out of range of your Wi-Fi, *zap* there goes the call.  At least T-Mobile's Wi-Fi calling would enable itself whenever you had Wi-Fi coverage and the phone could reach the T-Mo head end over the internet.  (That's what I did at work when I had no T-Mo service in the building, but then some firewall changes prevented Wi-Fi calling from working.)

Wi-Fi calling is also not possible for my mother-in-law, for 2 reasons:  1) She has basic internet service, which, I believe, doesn't meet the Wi-Fi calling requirements, and 2) Even if #1 weren't an issue, her phone is an LG Stylo 4, which I bought, unlocked, from Amazon for her last year.  We brought it over from T-Mobile.  But as an unlocked phone, it does not support Wi-Fi calling (it didn't with T-Mobile, either).

So, while my service works GREAT everywhere EXCEPT at home, my wife has a real issue because she works from home and depends on her phone.

Here's a question:  Pretty much all phones are multi-band.  Couldn't Verizon simply turn off 700 MHz along the border, and its phones would use other frequency bands?  At least as a temporary measure until the issue with Altan gets resolved?

0 Likes
Re: Verizon 4G LTE 700 MHz Interference at Mexican Border San Diego
DAVFER39
Enthusiast - Level 1

Verizon should paid the mexican cartel to take down those towers. 

0 Likes
Re: Verizon 4G LTE 700 MHz Interference at Mexican Border San Diego
Tigerstep
Specialist - Level 3

@MEasties wrote:

This thread and its lack of resolution has clinched it. I'm switching my company's service to T-Mobile today.


The only sensible reaction in this thread.

People drilling Verizon reps for updates, I'm not sure what they expect from people who deal with billing, not radio bands. You don't yell at the person behind the deli at Walmart for an issue in automotive.

Verizon or any carrier can't just purchase spectrum like it's a soda in a vending machine. That takes red tape with the FCC. The best option for now if you have spotty service is switch to another carrier then port back once the two telecoms have an agreement.

Re: Verizon 4G LTE 700 MHz Interference at Mexican Border San Diego
MagicMEB
Newbie

@Tigerstep wrote:

@MEasties wrote:

This thread and its lack of resolution has clinched it. I'm switching my company's service to T-Mobile today.


The only sensible reaction in this thread.

People drilling Verizon reps for updates, I'm not sure what they expect from people who deal with billing, not radio bands. You don't yell at the person behind the deli at Walmart for an issue in automotive.

Verizon or any carrier can't just purchase spectrum like it's a soda in a vending machine. That takes red tape with the FCC. The best option for now if you have spotty service is switch to another carrier then port back once the two telecoms have an agreement.


Yep.  I'm 14 miles from the border but have definitely noticed the decline in data speed and connectivity.  In the supermarkets and restaurants and movie theaters where I've had no signficant connectivity issues in the past, suddendly I was having issues starting in August.

I'm sick and tired of waiting for Verizon and the respective governments to do something.  I still had a couple of months left on my contract but, yesterday, a Verizon rep told me they are authorized to end some contracts early with no penalty.  So, early next week, I will be switching to AT&T.

I might come back to Verizon if the issue ever gets resolved.  I had AT&T in 2007 to about 2013 and I wasn't unhappy except when I traveled outside of California.  We are traveling less these days, so I might stick with AT&T.  I think AT&T covers San Diego better than Verizon does.

0 Likes
Re: Verizon 4G LTE 700 MHz Interference at Mexican Border San Diego
Droppingverizonasap

This is a garbage response. I've been having issues for months, and I am almost 3 hours from the border. But I can go to rural communities 3 more hours north and get 4 bars. Have not had more then 2 bars in Albuquerque. Verizon is downplaying the vast areas being impacted. 

0 Likes