Mobile Congestion Chaos In Thailand

[george]

Mobile congestion chaos in Thailand

BANGKOK: -- Hard to call on your mobile? Network error?

You are not alone. To call an AIS number from a DTAC mobile or opposite is nearly impossible.

To call a landline from or to a Thai mobile is no success, since many days.

Thaivisa.com tried to connect this evening to several networks, but it's impossible.

A lot pf promotions from AIS, DTAC and True has made it impossible to call through these networks. It is a mess!

We have tried to get an answer from both AIS and DTAC Customer Services, the two leading mobile operators in Thailand. They refuse to speak with journalists.

Your comments and complaints here, please!

--thaivisa.com 2006-05-14

RELATED NEWS:

Too much promotions!

Higher Mobile Rates will solve the problems!

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68899

Mobile Phone Traffic Jam To Be Solved

Expansion of inter-network capacity

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68615

[SoMeOnEnUlL]

Wow.. that's true one of me friend can't call my cell the other day. He use DTAC and I use AIS

[britmaveric]

Had that problem in the past, but sounds like its getting much worse.

[puipuitom]

simple Thai system:

make 10 connections, but sell 10,000

When complains: ignore

When complains go to the government: pay to that minister/official, and problem has probably ended.

When the problem continues: go to temple and pray

When problem sustains: change of name, so the bed spirits cannot find you anymore

When problem persists: hire in a farang to solve it.

[SMS]

simple Thai system:

make 10 connections, but sell 10,000

When complains: ignore

When complains go to the government: pay to that minister/official, and problem has probably ended.

When the problem continues: go to temple and pray

When problem sustains: change of name, so the bed spirits cannot find you anymore

When problem persists: hire in a farang to solve it.

When the matter is out in the press: Simply say its the teenagers fault for calling too much

I too have been having huge problems making inter network calls....calls droping in middle, not connecting, going to voicemail when i know the other phone is on.

[Khutan]

Before we get the "Hounds and Flaming Torches" to go after the carriers, look carefully at the handset you are using.

Old Handsets and handsets with OEM equipment (O2, Blueberry etc) seem to be the most prone to trouble. The next handset problem is the new ones there the retailer has re-loaded their version of the firmware, also causing trouble.

Next remember that your handset is little more than a 2-way radio. Sure its a special one, but thats all it is. So these things are subject to atmospheric conditions. A bit of "noise" on the Data lines from your Habdset to the Base-Station, or from the Base Station to the Central Database will also cause Call problems, particularly when you are trying to initiate or receive a call. So the neighbour with a Motor-bike, will make noise on the signal.

The Signaling gateways between the carriers seem to be a constant point of argument in the press. Simply because it makes their competitor spend millions on sometheing that may not be needed.

I hae a new handset with the correct firmware, and the only stuff-ups I get is true network congetsion like too many calls in the one cell area. Like in the Asoke Traffic jam in the afternoons. It is obvious by looking around there may be many thousand handsets trying to use a network that only has limited spaces.

So please be careful before we go after the phone companies on this one. I know as a fact the links are very closely monitored, and their utilization is not as high as claimed in the media.

[LivinLOS]

Worst is Orange...

My close buddy has an orange dog and bone on Phuket.. It is practically unusable.. I have just taken to phoning his girl to talk to him..

[Beanster1]

My wife just got a package from Dtac 5am -5pm free calls for 299 Baht a month.

Before there were these crazy promotions Thai's had their phones glued to their ears.

What do you expect if you give out unlimited calls, people are going to use them to the fullest.

No wonder the networks are jammed

[pschef]

Yes today evening, I called my friend in Laos. very terrible connection, usually its okay. Im on DETAC. I thought internatinal is not acfected, I think wrong. Like a high bussing sound

[ChiangMaiSky]

Used my mobile yesterday (in Chiang Rai) to call o/s. He heard me fine, but I was running out of money and asked him to call me back. I never got a call. Going to pray.

[danone]

AIS didnt invest anything anymore in their networks for years. DTAC for instance invested into EDGE technology. AIS customer service always excused themselves with: no customer requests for EDGE.

well, finally the house is sold to foreigners, who surely will invest into the network. sometimes thailand is truly better run by foreigners, sad as it is.

[aussieiris]

Did anyone try DTACS 2bht per minute for international calls during Songkran?..I did, and went through 2000 bht. On investigation I was told I had to dial 008 or 009 instead of 001 (not mentioned in the promotion sms I received). Although I did try as I could never get through on 008 or 009 anyway, day or night.

The whole Thai telecomunication system is a joke and a farce.

[SMS]

Yes today evening, I called my friend in Laos. very terrible connection, usually its okay. Im on DETAC. I thought internatinal is not acfected, I think wrong. Like a high bussing sound

Last few weeks international calls got worse for me. VIOP is clear

Perhaps seconding Khutan theory that its more of a cell site congestion rather than inter network connectivity.

very soon the time will come where the mobile networks will implement some sort of call priority system where the calls from promotion packages would be given a lower priority than regular calls.

[Griffin]

I have always used Orange. From Koh Chang to Chaing mai and kanchanaburi I have never had a problem. In fact when I splash out on a 1000 credit they often give a bonus of several hundred baht.

I can't find fault with Orange.

[mai_reuh]

I have zero knowledge of the mobile phone networks in Thailand other than I have a mobile phone which works most of the time if I keep it charged.

Yes, I have an agenda and I'm pushin' it. It's called comedy, light relief, don't take life so seriously.

You should try it ?

[dotcom]

I have been totally pissed off about this for weeks. AIS can call AIS. DTAC can call DTAC. The trouble starts when someone with SIM card Brand X tries calling someone using SIM Brand Y.

We have been over this for months.

Edited May 14, 2006 by george

[bkkjosh]

I have been with DTAC for 3yrs on the mobile phone, I've noticed this year and in the last 6 weeks in particular that sometimes it takes up to 6 times to connect (usually I'm calling a landline). I had a friend on AIS just the other night trying to call me in vain for a few hours.

It all comes down to planning and infrastructure. It just hasn't happened.

[Cowboyshoe]

I've had an interesting problem for the last few months. Friends will call my cell. I can hear them but they can't hear me. They instead are talking to some poor Thai lady (who I can't hear) and who is confused as to why she keeps getting my calls.

Funny sure, but hard to explain to certain people!

"Why Thai Lady answer your phone? You have another girlfriend?"

I also noticed that service and reliability in general started to slip around the same time Taksin started having his problems - of course that's just crazy talk, it's not like the Prime Minister of a country could have any influence on the telecom industry...

[Thaipwriter]

My favourite provider here is Orange

I cant seem to make calls

I never seem to be able to receive calls

B300 top up card lasts for one month

I have a peaceful life

I love Orange!

[Joey Boy]

Orange seems to be workin fine to call all networks @ the moment, it was totally fvcked about a year ago when they first started this price war though

[sleepyjohn]

I don't think that post about technical problems has much validity, because I have noticed the change. Hey, same phone. In other words...up til a couple of weeks ago I never noticed a problem....now its

NETWORK BUSY

NETWORK BUSY

NETWORK BUSY

NETWORK BUSY

NETWORK BUSY

NETWORK BUSY

NETWORK BUSY

NETWORK BUSY

My God I got through!

NETWORK BUSY

NETWORK BUSY

NETWORK BUSY

[som nom naa]

oh i forgot........"a major force on the world global market" aswell-great if you can get through on the phone to your customers

[slackula]

Here in Phuket I have huge problems calling from my AIS phone to another AIS phone always from around 4pm in the afternoon onwards.

I bought a secondary phone with a pre-paid DTAC card and that one so far has never had any probs calling either network.

[hkt83100]

I bought a secondary phone with a pre-paid DTAC card and that one so far has never had any probs calling either network.

So you must be pretty lucky. I have AIS monthly bill and DTAC prepaid, but after about 4p.m. DTAC->AIS ist almost impossible, even DTAC->DTAC is very hard to get connected. AIS->AIS works, AIS->DTAC is about a 50/50 chance :-(

[merlin1]

It may be affecting the land lines as well. I'm in Canada and I placed a call to a friend in Bang Na last week. The guy who picked up on the other end lived in Lard Phrao! I called the next day and got through all right, but this thing is really screwed up.

Also I have heard from friends in the States who can't call friends mobiles either.

Naturally, the enquiring minds want to know how and why is this happening. And why now? My Thai friend immediately assumed Thaksin was behind it all. Comments?

[slackula]

I bought a secondary phone with a pre-paid DTAC card and that one so far has never had any probs calling either network.

So you must be pretty lucky. I have AIS monthly bill and DTAC prepaid, but after about 4p.m. DTAC->AIS ist almost impossible, even DTAC->DTAC is very hard to get connected. AIS->AIS works, AIS->DTAC is about a 50/50 chance :-(

Weird: that's the opposite to my experiences.

I would dump my AIS number completely because of the frustration I get from it daily but I have had it for so many years now that I need to keep the number. From AIS I can't even call my house on its TOT land line half the time, but the DTAC one always gets through.

On another not, a colleague has an Orange card here and it is virtually impossible to get through to him from any network regardless of his signal strength or the time of day.

[dezeure]

simple Thai system:

make 10 connections, but sell 10,000

When complains: ignore

When complains go to the government: pay to that minister/official, and problem has probably ended.

When the problem continues: go to temple and pray

When problem sustains: change of name, so the bed spirits cannot find you anymore

When problem persists: hire in a farang to solve it.

you forgot one: sell your Shin sattelite to Singapore for a big load of money... problem also solved...

[gharknes]

i think this is a very childish ploy initially by Dtac and now AIS, it almost worked with me, i call dtac number from AIS and it doesn't work, my friend on Dtac can call me no problem, I call AIS support and they say it isn't their problem, they blame dtac, so i get pissed off with AIS and tell them i am going to Dtac because they have no problems..........get the picture ? dtac get a shit load of AIS customers transferring to them because AIS is crap.

I think there is more to this than meets the eye, also this problem started very suddenly, the day after sokran in pattaya, it was like someone threw a switch, one day everything working, next day big problems, i have a couple of friends on dtac and would ring them every day, suddenly i just can't call them and it's been that way ever since...about one month. Networks gradually fail, they don't work 100% one day then fail 100% next day, something sinister is going on.

This is why we need a regulator, to stop this kind of nonsense and poor service

[Udox]

Here in Isaan, AIS to AIS sucks late afternoon onwards.

What worries me is that if one has to make an urgent call or even life threatening. constant drones of 'Network Busy' is hardly consoling.

Its one thing having a phone for leisure puposes to chat to mates but what about serious business.

What can we, as the consumer do about it though?

Is the only option to change networks ? - Out of the frying pan into the fire !

[gharknes]

Here in Isaan, AIS to AIS sucks late afternoon onwards.

What worries me is that if one has to make an urgent call or even life threatening. constant drones of 'Network Busy' is hardly consoling.

Its one thing having a phone for leisure puposes to chat to mates but what about serious business.

What can we, as the consumer do about it though?

Is the only option to change networks ? - Out of the frying pan into the fire !

regonal congestion on one network is a different problem to the one above, I can call AIS to AIS 100% without any issue, your problem us purely one of capacity within the AIS network in your area, the problem of inter-network connection is completely different, each network operator allocates a number of gateways that allow incomming or outgoing connections to other networks, they can even be specific as to which network gets XX number of gateways.

i really do think this is a ploy by dtac to draw customers away from AIS, i can see how this would work, i nearly did it myself, this kind of activity would not be allowed in the west.