Cellphones, Providers, and Plans → [Need Info] Change default outgoing ring from 7 to higher on UMTS network.

I have a new Samsung Galaxy Discover phone and when I call out the phone will only ring 7 times and then automatically hang up. After several calls and searching the internet for days, I have found out this is to do with the network and not the phone app.

I have been told that the network default is 7 rings because answering services pick up before 7 rings. Unfortunately, several places I call do not have answering services/machines and don't pick up in 7 rings. My 92 year old grandmother is one who takes a little longer to get to the phone.

I'm prepaid with Telus. For my first smart phone, I am really happy with all the things I can do with it and don't want to have to go back to a basic cell phone.

Is there anyway to change this default?

Thanks

Jackorama

I have a Ruby Pro running 4.1.2 on AT&T's UMTS network and a test call to my POTS line stopped ringing when I finally ended the call after 30 rings. There are no options on my phone that cover outbound ring count. I have elderly parents and plenty of elderly clients who often take many rings to answer and I've never been cut off due to extending outbound ringing. IMHO, I'd call Telus and ask them if there are some settings on their end. Some carriers may limit ringing time but seven rings is a bit short for many of us old timers.

Did call Telus and got a lot of run-a-round as they tried to say the person I was calling was doing it, then they said it was the default for UMTS.

It's probably the destination provider killing the call, or redirecting it to voicemail but since there is not voicemail for that account its terminated.

Called Samsung and they say it's the phone and that it is set that way because of answering machine/services pick up before the 7th ring. Had some people test with their phones (not the same as mine) on a UMTS network using Telus and their phones rang past 7 rings until they decided to physically hang up.

I was going to look into the destination provider killing the call, but others were able to let it ring as long as they wanted it to. I don't think that's the problem. It seems to me to be the phone, but why would Samsung assume that everyone in the country has an answering machine/system. I know a lot of people have them, but I also know a lot who don't just because they don't want one. You can't make someone get something they don't want.

Anyways, the taxi company is not going to put in an answering system just because a few phones can't ring out past 7 rings. I don't like it, but I will just have to find a way to work around this issue.

Samsung should have at least made it 15 rings then hang up, I could easily live with that.

I'm still not convinced its the phone though. it just doesn't make sense. Who at Samsung did you talk to?, i'm assuming someone low level, who probably doesn't truly know and was just coming up with something to get you off the phone. (It happens a lot)

Between my wife and myself we have three Samsung phones spread across ATT and Verizon Wireless and all three will ring a line until it's answered or I give up. I tested all three and had no problem exceeding 50 rings. Samsung is blowing smoke. That's not to say there isn't a problem with your phone. Have you tired temporarily using your SIM in friend/family member's phone to rule out some odd provisioning quirk with your account?

Although I haven't any first-hand experience with them, I've heard some prepaid services charge airtime for unanswered calls once ringing time passes a predetermined threshold. The ring cadence is usually 2 seconds on and 4 seconds off so 7 ring cycles would be around 42 seconds. Add in a few seconds for call setup and you are close to a minute between you initiating the call and it terminating prematurely. Is it possible that Telus charges airtime for unanswered calls after a minute and they are terminating the call before airtime is accrued?

After getting the proverbial run-a-round, I emailed Ellen Roseman at the Toronto Star. The day she got the email I was contacted by a higher-up in Samsung and a couple of days later by a higher-up in Telus.

The guy from Samsung knew what my problem was right away. It was a Telus prepaid SIM card network. The Samsung guy talked with the Telus guy and Telus recreated the problem. Everyone with a Telus prepaid SIM card is effected and those who have a Telus prepaid phone (older phone) but no SIM card are not effected. Apparently, I am the first one to bring this problem to Telus's attention.

Telus says it could take from a couple of weeks to a couple of years to fix due to it involving other companies besides Telus. Today, when testing my phone, the outgoing rings increased to 10 rings. It's an improvement, but I should be able to have outgoing rings until I decide to hang-up. I hope they are still working on it.

I have been offered by Telus that if I want to change to another mobile service provider, that they will make that happen. I don't know if that means unlocking my phone or refunding what I have on the phone ($100 +, with a year expiry.) or not.

I went with Telus because it had the best prepaid plan for my budget. I didn't want to go with the small guys, as I was before and found out they were owned by the big guys. The last one I was with, Solo, was being phased out by one of the big 3 (cough, Bhell, cough). I have heard this is happening to others too.

Anyways, I just wanted to update in case others are having the same problem with their mobile providers. It's a network problem, not the phone.

Just another update: I am being charged 2 min air time after my phone rings 10 times. After 10 rings it stops ringing, but my phone timer starts counting and I hang up after a few seconds. Then I am charged for 2 min. The other thing is I'm still connected and if someone picks on the other end a while after the ringing stops we are connected. Got a credit for the 2 min. charges, now just have to wait for a call from the executive office about this new development with the problem.

They finally have it all fixed since May 27/14. No more problems with the 2 min. billing thing and I can let it ring out as long as I want until I hang up, that's if no one answers at the other end.

I'm a happy camper now.