Forum Discussion
Unable to make calls in the US despite having data access
I'm currently in Nevada, and since arriving my phone connection has been spotty at best in Reno. Now that I'm outside Reno I no longer can make phone calls despite having data access. Its meant tha...
Do you have roaming enabled in your device settings? Do you have VoLTE enabled on your device? Have you tried manually connecting to the T-Mobile network?
Did you purchase your device from Telus? If not. The issue might be that Telus has flagged your device as a 3G device regardless of whether it is or not. Telus blocks my Samsung s23 Ultra from using VoLTE and WiFi Calling even though the device is compatible and I get the following text every few weeks from Telus.
"TELUS Message: Hi J*******, as you may be aware, carriers in the U.S. stopped supporting mobile devices on 3G networks.
You’re currently using a 3G phone that connects to 3G networks and the next time you roam in the U.S., you will no longer be able to use data, text or make phone calls - including 911.
To stay connected in the U.S., you need to replace your phone with an LTE or 5G capable phone.
Learn more about the 3G network turndown in the U.S. at https://sms.telus.com/a519646aed"
My s23 Ultra was purchased from T-Mobile USA.
Did you purchase your device from Telus? If not. The issue might be that Telus has flagged your device as a 3G device regardless of whether it is or not. Telus blocks my Samsung s23 Ultra from using VoLTE and WiFi Calling even though the device is compatible and I get the following text every few weeks from Telus.
"TELUS Message: Hi J*******, as you may be aware, carriers in the U.S. stopped supporting mobile devices on 3G networks.
You’re currently using a 3G phone that connects to 3G networks and the next time you roam in the U.S., you will no longer be able to use data, text or make phone calls - including 911.
To stay connected in the U.S., you need to replace your phone with an LTE or 5G capable phone.
Learn more about the 3G network turndown in the U.S. at https://sms.telus.com/a519646aed"
My s23 Ultra was purchased from T-Mobile USA.
Hey Syaoran,
Roaming is enabled and VoLTE is as well.
My phone was already connected to the T Mobile network automatically but I tried connecting manually with no success.
I didn't purchase the phone from Telus, but I was in NYC a couple weeks ago and used this phone and plan with no issues.
Thanks for the response!
What device are you using? T-Mobile primarily uses bands 2, 4, 12, 66, and 71 for 4G LTE. That doesn't mean they are all deployed in the same place though. T-mobile has a big presence in Nevada. T-Mobile Arena as one big example. You might be running into band 71 coverage that your device might not support. If your device supports VoNR. N2, N41, N66, and N71 would be the standard NR possibilities.. mmWave is also available in parts of Nevada.
I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G, I just did a check on T Mobile's Bring Your Own Device checker, by entering the IMEI and there wasn't any flags about the device not working on their network as well.
