Setting up 4g calling ready for next year.

[gazmix8]

Hi

i have received a text saying 3g calling will end next year. I entered my IEMI number into the check box & it says that my Sony Xperia X Compact is compatible with 4g calling so i contacted a Vodafone worker via Facebook messenger & he sent me a few texts & to text CALLING to 97888. I did this & it said WiFi calling is added but nothing about 4g calling..

How can i make sure that my phone has 4g calling ? or is the WiFi calling & 4g calling the same? 

Regards

gazmix

[gazmix8]

@hrym So which setting do I have it on to get 4g Internet and 2g calls? When I choose either WCDMA options my Internet goes to H in the signal area which I hear is 3g.. Another responder here said that if i dial a number & 4g changes to H it means it goes to 3g. 

[hrym]

This is a fit and forget option. Leave it as it is and let the phone sort itself out. As long as it makes calls, the exact route doesn't matter.

[gazmix8]

@hrym ok i hope so, i just don't want to leave it to last minute to find out it won't work come January.. I can't find anything online to say that the phone has 2g.. Vodaphone should say that the phone will use a lesser quality calling method (2g) as opposed to telling me i definitely need to upgrade. 

[hrym]

Even if you don't do anything, the phone will work on 2G as it does now. It's the basic GSM signal, so should be widely available. You're unlikely to notice any difference in call quality between that and 4G.

You now have 4G (and should have WiFi calling as well), so the phone will use what's available to it.

[gazmix8]

@hrym thanks, my phone is 4g calling provisioned but drops to H when making a call... Ah so 2g is GSM so it will drop to that when 3g finishes i guess. WiFi calling i dunno, when i take my sim out & connect to WiFi & try make a call it asks me to activate Wifi calling which is nowhere to be seen in any settings.

I've had another email saying my phone uses 3g for calls but i guess the marketing plan is to get people to get a new phone as opposed to 2g.

[hrym]

Exactly.   2 & 3G are both GSM and 3 is effecively a faster data protocol (usually appears as H or H+).   4G is data only, so you'll need VoIP (which you have) to use it for calls.  Once 3G is turned off, you'll be seeing a lot more 2G (possibly appearing as G or E).

[gazmix8]

thanks @hrym i hope so, if that's the case it's bad they tell yer that you need to upgrade & not given the option to keep yer old phone but with 2g calling. 

[hrym]

I wouldn't disagree with that. However, it remains to be seen how great the 2G reach is. Probably good, though.

I'd also like to see VoIP made universal without the need for device-specific settings. Other networks seem to manage that and Vodafone will lose out if especially those going SIM-only lose out.

[gazmix8]

@hrym Yes for sure, I thought initially that the cheaper phones on offer were 3g and they wouldn't be usable next year. Older people especially who don't want medium or high end phones were screwed i thought but i guess the lower end phones are 2g. 

[hrym]

If you just want a phone for calls and texts, 2G is all you need until everything goes VoIP.

But please don't assume "older people", of whom I am one, don't want or understand technology.