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Looking down the rabbit hole at the iPhone 3G's issues

The iPhone 3G is one of Apple's flagship products.  Many would argue it stands far above its most able competitors in terms of capabilities. Yet, the iPhone has been having some problems.

The iPhone's problems began when users started to become frustrated with dropped calls and poor call quality.  They took their frustrations and poured them out on Apple's message boards.  Sources in Apple said that CEO Steve Jobs was unconcerned with the problems as he said they likely only affected 2 percent of iPhone customers, or about 60,000 people.

Then came the report from Sweden's foremost tech weekly Ny Teknik, saying that it had test the iPhone's 3G and it fell well below the standards set for 3G, and should not be certified and as a 3G product.  Many, including sources inside Apple, seemed to place the blame on the Infineon chipset in the phone.

Further complicating the issue are new tests from Göteborgs-Posten, a Swedish newspaper, which show the phone to be only slightly short of its competitors in terms of quality.  So, barring wildly varying batches of hardware, these reports paint an unclear picture of what is wrong with the iPhone and how badly it is wrong.

The final bit of confusion was the update to the iPhone's firmware.  The 2.0.2 update said it had "bug fixes" for the iPhone, but gave no specific details.  Apple's Jennifer Bowcock did tell USA Today that "the software update improves communication with 3G networks".   With such a hazy picture, a new inside source from AT&T steps in to try to clarify exactly what the fix did according to Roughly Drafted.

Basically the update "fixed power control on the mobile" according to the source.  To understand what they're going to say next, you must first know a bit about AT&T's jargon for UMTS -- the technology it uses to deliver its 3G network.  In the technology, phones are referred to as user equipment, "UE" for short.  The base transceiver station towers are known as "Node B".

With this jargon in mind, the AT&T source explains:

In UMTS power control is key to the mobile and network success. If the UE requires too much downlink power then the base station or Node B can run out of transmitter power and this is what was happening. As you get more UEs on the cell, the noise floor rises and the cell has to compensate by ramping up its power to the UEs.  If the UE power control algorithm is faulty then they will demand more power from the cell than is necessary and with multiple users this can cause the cell transmitter to run out of power. The net result is that some UEs will drop their call. I have seen the dropped call graphs that correspond to the iPhone launch and when the 2.0.2 firmware was released. The increase in dropped calls, (were the result of) dropped calls due to a lack of downlink power.

In essence, the iPhone is asking for a stronger signal than it needs.  In areas with lots of users, some or all of whose phones are doing this, calls start to get dropped and signal quality drops.  This all follows with the conclusions the media had reached -- the problems were somehow correlated to user distribution and seemed puzzlingly to be both with AT&T's network, and with the hardware.

The source continues:

The power control issue will also have an effect on the data throughput, because the higher the data rate the more power the Node B transmitter requires to transmit. If the UEs have poor power control and are taking more power than is necessary then it will sap the network’s ability to deliver high speed data.  This is one of the reasons why AT&T has been sending text messages to users to persuade them to upgrade to the 2.0.2 software. In a mixed environment where users are running 2.0, 2.0.1, and 2.0.2, the power control problems of 2.0 and 2.0.1 will affect the 2.0.2 users.  It is not the network that is fault but the interaction of the bad power control algorithm in 2.0 and 2.0.1 software and the network that is at fault. The sooner everybody is running 2.0.2 software the better things will be. Having seen the graphs the 2.0.2 software has already started to make difference.

Since transmitting lots of data takes lots of transmission power, and transmission power was unnecessarily being raised above that necessary for the use levels on phones, the network in areas of heavy use was unable to handle high speed data.

This revelation offers up two key pieces of insight.  The first -- this explains why there was little difference seen among individual users in the news media who downloaded and tested the update.  The updates did not majorly change the phone on an individual basis; rather they changed how the phone interacted with the network in a small way. 

Secondly, the quality of the fix is directly proportional to how many users download it.  There are still many users running old firmware, so problems are continuing.  AT&T is going as far as to send users text messages to try to get them to download the fix.

With this latest update from within AT&T, we are presented with a picture of a company struggling with a serious technical issue.  It appears it is well on the way of solving the problems, but the rub is that the solution will only come if users are willing to cooperate.

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Oh, woah is the minority...
By theplaidfad on 8/28/2008 9:32:55 AM , Rating: 2
I have not had a single dropped call, software crash, crack in the casing, weak signal or any other problem with my iPhone 3g since I purchased it on release day.

The only thing I've noticed is slight slowdowns in the UI when installing apps and trying to do something else at the same time.

I guess I fell within that 98% "good 2 go" phone crowd.




RE: Oh, woah is the minority...
By Believer on 8/28/2008 10:03:40 AM , Rating: 3
Did you not even read the article and problem description???

This "would" affect you too if there were more people with the faulty firmware connecting to the same transmission tower that you do.

It's about power saturation in the available transmission tower, not about certain crowds or special phones.

If you live in such a rural area that you can safely hog the extra transmission power from the tower (or share it with others that hog), good for you. Better wear a tinfoil hat to protect yourself from the extra radio frequency though...


RE: Oh, woah is the minority...
By theplaidfad on 8/28/2008 10:16:13 AM , Rating: 3
I read the article just fine.
My comment was directed not just at this article, but all of the ones about the different problems people are reporting with their iPhone 3G's. Perhaps that tin-foil hat you're so fond of mentioning has blocked some the other transmissions on the tubes?
Now, To narrow it down for you so that it pertains to this article and ONLY this article so as not to strain your comprehension: I work in NYC, and live 10 mins away in NJ. I'd say there would be plenty "UE" here, and I'm still not having these issues.


RE: Oh, woah is the minority...
By heffeque on 8/28/2008 10:22:07 AM , Rating: 2
The problem is that AT&T can't handle all the iPhone usage. The iPhone "fix" made it a little easier for AT&T but still AT&T's network is so crappy that it can't still keep up.
Orange had to slow down HSDPA to 386 Kbps because it couldn't handle all the iPhone data, although they said that they would bump it up to 1 Mbps in September.
Just comes to show that it IS iPhone's fault: it's making use of the available bandwidth, something other phones don't because they're not as user-friendly.


RE: Oh, woah is the minority...
By Believer on 8/29/2008 3:12:27 AM , Rating: 2
Yes, because in NYC there wouldn't be an abundance of transmission towers to handle the higher concentration of UEs...
/end sarcasm

Think of it like I refereed to the two extremes, either you lived in rural countryside with nearly no UEs spread out on few towers or, you lived in the "big" cities where transmission is in abundance.

Regretfully I had you taken for the first, since I have some sad biased view upon "big" city dwellers to be more technologically profound then those in rural parts to understand these rather simple things of availability, demand and usage.


The Problem
By silvaensis on 8/28/2008 9:39:47 AM , Rating: 2
The Problem comes when dense areas where to many phones are running at full power. Its the same concept as wireless network crowding causing problems. When everyone in the same area is running at full power it causes interference. Using a lower power in congested areas helps fix this because not as much data is trying to be forced through and the signals are less likely to interfere with each other.




RE: The Problem
By Smilin on 8/28/2008 10:10:58 AM , Rating: 2
Why are non-iPhone 3G devices not reporting problems when an iPhone right next to them is? They are both on the same tower and if the iPhone is introducing a problem at the tower level it should be affecting all iPhones on that tower as well as non-iPhones on that tower.

This sounds like the chewbacca defense.


RE: The Problem
By heffeque on 8/28/2008 10:25:17 AM , Rating: 2
Maybe because non-iPhone 3G users aren't using their 3G at all.

From the article I linked earlier:

"Outside of the Bluetest lab, Wieselgren reported that at one location where a Sony Ericsson phone displayed full bars, one iPhone 3G showed low 3G reception while the other indicated it was on EDGE. When attempting to download a web page however, Wieselgren wrote that "the Sony Ericsson with all the 3G bars makes it in 46 seconds. For my iPhone with Edge it takes 32."

Just an example.


RE: The Problem
By mvpx02 on 8/28/2008 11:43:59 AM , Rating: 2
There's no real way to know for sure that as a whole, outside the lab, there aren't other phones having the same performance problems.

But for problems like this, the iPhone is its own worst enemy....

- Hype from fans & Apple alike (including allegedly misleading advertising) has made expectations very high

- The price of the phone in addition to the price of whatever extra package AT&T is selling with it will lead people to complain more/louder than I will with my $40.00 Nokia

- Consumers of Apple products in general have become accustomed to Apple's whole "It Just Works" thing. I'd expect that group to, as a whole, have less patience for problems like this.

- Because of the ease-of-use & capabilities of the phone, as well as the lifestyle of the typical iPhone user versus that of users of other 3G internet-capable phones, I'd imagine the average iPhone's amount of daily 3G use is considerably higher than that of other 3G internet-capable phones.

- The number of 3G iPhones adds to the problem, simply because there are so many of them. Even if the percentage of connection issues per phone is the same as other phones, there is still probably a much larger number of problems with the iPhone than with others.


simplified
By teldar on 8/28/2008 11:46:35 AM , Rating: 3
AT&T's system can't handle the number of phones on it.
It will get worse as more phones are added.
iPhones are the worst because they demand more power than everything else. Newer iPhones are slightly better.

You're still screwed because the system can't handle the load.




RE: simplified
By FITCamaro on 8/28/2008 12:15:33 PM , Rating: 3
Do not look at the man behind the curtain!!!


RE: simplified
By Solandri on 8/28/2008 7:50:12 PM , Rating: 2
Read the comments above by jaydubya and RHITee05. They are spot on. The problem isn't that AT&T's system can't handle the number of phones on it. The problem is that the uncooperative iPhones are trying to grab more bandwidth than they need, reducing the overall bandwidth capacity of the system due to noise. It's just one of the funny ways CDMA works - there is no fixed limit on how many phones it can handle. Instead, that limit depends on the signal strength of the multiple phones that are transmitting at any given time. The iPhone transmitting with more power than necessary is reducing the overall bandwidth.


Shocker? I think not...
By ScottHardy on 8/29/2008 11:35:19 AM , Rating: 2
How is this a surprise? First iterations of smart phones rarely work 100% on launch. It takes a few hundred thousand people using the phones to find larger problems and allow the manufacturer (in this case Apple) to fix them. As someone who worked in the mobile industry for five years their explanation makes sense and I applaud Apple for not only identifying the glitch, but proactively contacting customers to get them to update.
People should recognize that if you buy a smart phone right when it's launched, they will need to perform a software update within two months. Probably two Unfortunately there's no way to find every software issue, even when you have 10,000 test units. Until you have those same 1,000 test units in the same geographical area you wouldn't be able to identify, replicate and create a fix for this problem.

Kudos to Apple for getting this resolved ASAP.

Warm Regards,
Scott Hardy
http://www.topclassactions.com




RE: Shocker? I think not...
By pecosbill on 8/29/2008 2:24:52 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Kudos to Apple for getting this resolved ASAP.

For apple to really resolve this, they need to make 2.02 mandatory for all with 2.0.x. I can't imagine iTunes supports that form of update yet. Had I not updated, and after most others update their phones, I'd have a better solution.


RE: Shocker? I think not...
By bohhad on 9/12/2008 10:32:24 PM , Rating: 2
i wouldn't be patting apple on the back, especially since mr jobs was unconcerned with fixing the problem, as it only affected a minority of users. it's at&t that is contacting customers to download the new firmware, not apple.

plus, even if the first iterations of smart phones rarely work 100% at launch, this is a product from a company whose slogan is "it just works." in this case, it just doesnt work


Sun Activity
By pityme on 8/28/2008 1:01:54 PM , Rating: 2
From WWith respect to global warming, though solar activity has been at relatively high levels during the recent period, the fact that solar activity has been near constant during the last 30 years precludes solar variability from playing a large role in recent warming. It is estimated that the resdiual effects of the prolonged high solar activity account for between 18 and 36% of warming from 1950 to 1999.[4]

ikipedia on solar global related warming. Realize that our solar data is very primitive relative to the global warming data. If you look at the irradiance data, there does appear to be a baseline shift to higher levels.




RE: Sun Activity
By Icelight on 8/28/2008 3:49:02 PM , Rating: 3
A stunning account! If I understand what you're getting at, the iPhone results in increased carbon emissions (people exhaling a lot as they rapidly talk before their call disconnects on them) and, in turn, global warming.


CDMA FTW!!
By MrPerez on 8/28/2008 11:35:15 PM , Rating: 3
CDMA would not have this problem. if anyone knows CDMA holds more UE's per cell than TDMA/GSM can. so if the iPhone was on the CDMA technology and it had this same "problem" no one would have noticed because CDMA can handle such power outputs. in reality this is both their fault, at&t for having poor quality service and iPhone for thinking the at&t network can handle such power outputs.

and i dont think it will get any better. so people enjoy your 3G phone that dont get full 3G unless your in the 40% coverage area that at&t does have 3G running, and keep enjoying your constant drpped calls from a network that has always had such problems.

no iSmug for me!




RE: CDMA FTW!!
By pecosbill on 8/29/2008 2:39:17 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
CDMA would not have this problem.


Gee, CDMA, specifically w-CDMA, DOES have this problem as UMTS is based on its next gen version. The iPhone with AT&T is UMTS.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UMTS#Features

UMTS uses one part of GSM, MAP, that could have a bearing on this but I doubt it. (The GSM audio codecs do not.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Application_Pa...

I've not seen info on how a call is supposed to be "downgraded" to the 2G network. The 2G network works fantastically. I used to have a GSM phone with T-Mobile and was extremely impressed with the quality, coverage, and lack of dropped calls.

Your post reads that you're already smug, IMO.


DoS