Hi,

I have a BB curve which I bought from an O2 shop, so i assume it's locked to O2. I certainly haven't unlocked it if it isn't.

For the first few weeks that I had it, i wasn't haveing any problems with recieving a signal. Suddenly I've started getting long periods of nothing. Instead of saying GPRS (most common) or Edge and the network as O2 UK, it's coming up as SOS and no network listing as connected too. Even when i can get a signal back on the O2 UK network it's struggling to get anything more than 2 bars.
I looked at my old phone using another O2 sim and that too now has nothing or a low signal, so i know it's not the BB phone itself.
Recently an new 3 story block of flats has been built over the road. I assumed that it was that which was causing me the problem and taking out my signal, but now I'm not so sure.
Whilst having a look around on my phone trying to work out what i had done to bugger up the wifi on it I stumbled across something I hadn't spotted before.

If I use the BB menu and the following route,

BB > Manage Connections > Mobile Network Options

It says Mobile Network.

When I get a signal from O2 it says O2 - UK. However when I am being told its connected to no network and instead of GPRS/EDGE it says SOS it's coming up as Mobile Network - Orange.

Living in SE London I have around me relatively near me masts for O2, Vodaphone and Orange.
Is it possible the signal from the Orange mast is taking out my O2 signal and leaving me with no signal?
I've never ever got it saying Vodaphone even when outside. It's usually O2 with GPRS or Nothing and SOS.

I was looking at getting an O2/Vodaphone GSM booster but don't know if it will ork or just increase the Orange signal too and leave me with nothing still.

Thanks for any help or light you can shed on this.

I think they are on different frequencies to avoid interference mate

Usually on phones you can tell it which network to connect to, did you try selecting O2-UK?

Orange wont be affecting O2. Orange is most likely using 1800mhz and O2 900mhz

Thanks to everyone that answered.

Yes I tried that and usually it does go straight onto O2-UK.

Rather strangely the problem only seems to happen when I'm indoors in my groundfloor flat. Once I leave the flat and start walkng up the road out the front door it switches to O2 and I'm ok. When I go out the back door which puts me nearer to the Orange mast it still switches to O2 again.

Sometimes I need to switch the phone off and back on again or on rare occasions take the battery out to reboot the whole thing to get out of the Orange SOS trap.

That makes me think it's the phone iteself, but I'm getting the same problem on an Samsung mobile with an O2 sim too, so it can't be.

no...one network signal does not interfere with another.

all that's happening is that the O2 network is in a blackspot, so the handset is connecting to strongest available signal so you can still make 999 calls

I think you've just answered your question. You live in a ground floor flat...

You've possibly got the problem that people who live underneath TV masts have with no reception.

If you are quite close to a mast, it could be that you too low down. Although there is likely to be some downwards tilt (so that you could get reception when stood underneath the mast), this will not be able to get through the flats above you - rather than coming in from the side, your mobile signals could well be coming in from above and getting blocked - hence they work ok once you are outside in the street. In a built up area, signals from the next nearest cell are also likely to be greatly reduced due to interference from the side with other buildings.

This could be why things are fine outside - nothing above you to block the signal, and poor indoors where you have other flats above you

Andy

I get nearly no signal in most of my house, but a decent half signal at the bottom of the garden. All the electrical equiptment indoors probably blocks what the walls don't.

02 has some 1800Mhz bandwidth but all the networks have sufficient space and guard bands between them so it's not possible for mobiles to suffer interference from each other. I regularly use Orange and Vodafone handsets sitting next to each other and have had no problems. Both seem to be able to make and receive calls, texts etc.