my telecom nightmare in China

[dondiego]

Hi all- I arrived in Beijing nearly a month ago and from the moment I fitted a China Mobile SIM card into my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact purchased in Singapore, I've had nothing but trouble. Maybe it's because of the way Android is configured on my phone to rely on Google products, but at best I get poor data transmission -E and LTE- and at worse, which is about half the time, none at all.

 

In a recent trip to Shanghai I inquired at a big China Mobile store why was I being put through this and someone told me that China Mobile has a proprietary 4G technology that was not supported by my phone. Thus the max I could aspire, regardless of the VPN and what not, was a measly 2G. So there's where I am now. 

 

My questions are:

 

1. Does anyone know a shop in town where my settings can be manipulated to support such technology?

 

2. Am I better off with a different provider that uses a 3/4G technology that is compatible with non Chinese phones? In that case, can I keep my prepaid number and just change providers?

 

3. Or, should I just buy a new handset exclusively for use in China?

 

Sincerely,

 

a very frustrated FOB...

[gato]

You need to get a China Unicom SIM card, which follows the international standard 3G and 4G.

China Mobile uses a China-proprietary 3G and 4G standard. You need a compatible phone to use these standards.

[dondiego]

Thanks for your answer gato! do you know if I can keep my China Mobile prepaid number?

[abcdefg]

do you know if I can keep my China Mobile prepaid number?

 

 

If you change carriers, you will be given a new phone number.

 

---------------------

 

I have a Sony Xperia Z3 which I bought in Hong Kong. Use it here in Kunming with a China Mobile SIM card and local number. It seems adequate, but I'm not a heavy user of online services, games, streaming video, etc.

 

The Sony phones are not popular here on the China Mainland, and it's difficult to get support. Even though it's a good phone, I sometimes wish I had bought a different brand.

[dementior]

Its not only 4G but 3G as well, China Mobile prefers to use different technologies than the rest of the players...

So yes, you have two options: get a 4G compatible terminal (TDD) or change operator

 

Actually the Z3 could be compatible with TDD as well, but probably your Singapore edition has that technology unavailable.

[abcdefg]

I hope this is the most serious "nightmare" you have to endure while living in China.

 

1. Does anyone know a shop in town where my settings can be manipulated to support such technology?

 

Before changing carriers or changing phones, it wouldn't hurt to go to a China Mobile service center with a Chinese friend. These are different from the small stores that sell phones, even though those latter also often display a large China Mobile sign outside. What you want is called a 中国移动服务厅 or 中国移动服务中心。

 

I've found (here in Kunming) that there are many levels of service they can provide, not all of which are immediately obvious. Sometimes various features need to be "unlocked" or "enabled" by a service technician at the China Mobile store. Sometimes these are free, sometimes they cost a little extra.

 

The language involved can be difficult, and if your Chinese isn't fluent, this is one of those places where it really helps to have a bilingual native speaker at your side. These service people are racing the clock, and usually are not willing to go slow and say everything as clearly as you would like. And you will also need to be able to clearly tell the phone people what you think is wrong (in Chinese.)

 

Footnote: Take your passport. You need it for almost everything connected with your phone.