Dropped Calls-Public Service Network Priority to Blame?

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NFL - 14 Oct 2004 01:07 GMT

Hi..
Since Howardforums has become utterly useless (mysterious server
issues..it's up one minute, down the next and when it's up you can't post
and it loads extremely slow-owner isn't providing any explainations or eta
of repair) and WirelessMatt has now disappeared as well, I'm hoping someone
here can answer my question.
I have an i710. It has given me flawless service. But today every call I
made or got dropped after 5 minutes or so. I had 4 bars of signal and a TX
of about 28. I called Nextel and they said there were no known outages in
this area. So the only explaination I can think of is that all day today the
power company was working across the street. They were putting up a new pole
and transferring the wiring. There were 2 crews with huge
cherrypickers...about 10 guys total, and they all had Nextels-the public
service versions. Now I know Nextel give public service people network
priority. Could that have been the reason I was constanty getting dropped
calls? If so I am not happy. I can understand the need for them to have
network priority at times, but
they had to shut my power off to do their work and it was off all day. With
no power my landline doesn't work so my Nextel was all I had. I think it's
very unfair if I was constanty being knocked off the network for non
emergency reasons. Anyone know
if network priority works that way?

Reply to this Message

MarkF - 14 Oct 2004 17:52 GMT

> Hi..
> Since Howardforums has become utterly useless (mysterious server
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> emergency reasons. Anyone know
> if network priority works that way?

NEXTEL priority won't knock an already existing conversation off of
the network. It is used to move a channel request to the beginning of
the que should the site be overloaded if a user has Priority. If the
site isn't busy then Priority does nothing for the person who has it.

There is also 2 types of Priority, one for DC and one for Phone. Both
operate independently as DC and telephone are 2 seperate technologies
in iDEN and even occupy different frequencies at the same sites. The
only thing they share is the control channel. I had NEXTEL DC for the
recent hurricanes in Florida and it was nothing special. I still had
to wait for a channel on DC most of the time and the phone section was
useless.

I find it hard to believe that their NEXTEL usage interrupted your
call. I would think that maybe your house and the NEXTEL site shared
the same grid and when you had no power so did the site and the power
back-up technology wasn't working properly or with a severly reduced
power decreasing the usable distance of the site.

Time to get a wired landline phone as the phone company typicially
doesn't depend on the power company for dialtone.

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Frank Cole - 24 Oct 2004 12:59 GMT

yes it does. I used to work for Nextel.

> Hi..
> Since Howardforums has become utterly useless (mysterious server
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> emergency reasons. Anyone know
> if network priority works that way?

Reply to this Message

Scott Stephenson - 24 Oct 2004 15:35 GMT

> yes it does. I used to work for Nextel.

In what capacity?

Reply to this Message

dep_blueman - 29 Oct 2004 21:10 GMT

Network priority is only envoked when requested by the user via the
handset and it is highly unlikely that the cell tower you were using
was at 100%. Ten people all using DC at the same time would use less
than 2 ch. total.

In addition, it is my understanding that network priority would only
place the user at the front of the line to get an time slot and (in
the case of DC) hold the slot for 3 min. rather than ?~6 seconds? and
NOT kick an existing user off the cell once they were issues a slot.

-D

> Hi..
> Since Howardforums has become utterly useless (mysterious server
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> emergency reasons. Anyone know
> if network priority works that way?

Reply to this Message