cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Unable to make calls in the US despite having data access

IanB1
Neighbour

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 that I wasn't able to access my voice mail ( can't make a connection to any of the various numbers), nor can I call the Telus support line.

I've already tried airplane mode on and off, resetting network connections and changing networks etc but nothing seems to change, and others in the group with me aren't having any problems. Any suggestions?

 

Glad that $15/day I'm paying for Easy Roam is worth it! 

6 REPLIES 6

Syaoran
All-Star
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.

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.

Syaoran
All-Star
Have you tried a network reset? Have you tried powering off the device for a minimum of 5 minutes to allow it to drop off of the network to refresh the connection?

T-Mobile doesn't block devices that aren't US devices. T-Mobile is one of the most friendly BYOD carriers I have personally ever used. If your device supports WiFi Calling on Telus and is provisioned for it. Give 611 a call and reach out to Roaming Support about your issue.

Turned off the phone for the ~10  minutes, but no luck.

 

Wifi here at the hotel is very weak so I'm apparently unable to make WIFI calls, and so unable to call *611. Interestingly, I received a text from Telus asking how the recent service was, I was able to text single digit answers, but when I was asked to give a comment at the end, my text didn't go through.