Cingular in Raleigh NC area oversubscribed?

for the last couple of weeks I've been getting "all circuits are busy"
about 30-50% of the time when I call my wife's Cingular phone. Usually
if I keep trying I can get through.

Anyone else in the RDU area noticing this?

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› See More: Cingular in Raleigh NC area oversubscribed?

I'm not in RDC but when I call a friend that has Cingular and lives there I
get the same thing.
Sometimes it takes an hour before I can get through.

"xyzzy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> for the last couple of weeks I've been getting "all circuits are busy"
> about 30-50% of the time when I call my wife's Cingular phone. Usually
> if I keep trying I can get through.
>
> Anyone else in the RDU area noticing this?
>

The message you are referring to is likely related to landlines, not
cellphones. Happens around here all the time when call into the western
suburbs of Chicago from what were once rural areas but have grown radically
in the past couple of years.

Mark

"xyzzy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> for the last couple of weeks I've been getting "all circuits are busy"
> about 30-50% of the time when I call my wife's Cingular phone. Usually
> if I keep trying I can get through.
>
> Anyone else in the RDU area noticing this?
>


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I get it a lot. I find that it helps to dial the 919 area code even if
you're local; for some reason the calls go through more often that way.


In article <[email protected]>,
"BrianT" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I'm not in RDC but when I call a friend that has Cingular and lives there I
> get the same thing.
> Sometimes it takes an hour before I can get through.
>
> "xyzzy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > for the last couple of weeks I've been getting "all circuits are busy"
> > about 30-50% of the time when I call my wife's Cingular phone. Usually
> > if I keep trying I can get through.
> >
> > Anyone else in the RDU area noticing this?
> >
>
>

I was just in RDU airport tonight and had the same problem. This is one of
the reasons I left AT&T

"xyzzy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> for the last couple of weeks I've been getting "all circuits are busy"
> about 30-50% of the time when I call my wife's Cingular phone. Usually
> if I keep trying I can get through.
>
> Anyone else in the RDU area noticing this?
>
>

On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 03:46:43 GMT, Lisa Drake <[email protected]> wrote:

>I get it a lot. I find that it helps to dial the 919 area code even if
>you're local; for some reason the calls go through more often that way.
>

That's because we're in an 10 digit dialing area, top poster. It has
nothing at all to do with the number (or in this case, lack of,
circuits)


>In article <[email protected]>,
> "BrianT" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I'm not in RDC but when I call a friend that has Cingular and lives there I
>> get the same thing.
>> Sometimes it takes an hour before I can get through.
>>
>> "xyzzy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> > for the last couple of weeks I've been getting "all circuits are busy"
>> > about 30-50% of the time when I call my wife's Cingular phone. Usually
>> > if I keep trying I can get through.
>> >
>> > Anyone else in the RDU area noticing this?

If you want better coverage, you'll need to switch to Verizon. They've
got more towers than anyone else.
--
gburnore at DataBasix dot Com
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This has nothing to do with landline circuits. This is indicative of
having too many customers for the amount of frequency spectrum.


"widdlewunn" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I was just in RDU airport tonight and had the same problem. This is one of
> the reasons I left AT&T
>
> "xyzzy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > for the last couple of weeks I've been getting "all circuits are busy"
> > about 30-50% of the time when I call my wife's Cingular phone. Usually
> > if I keep trying I can get through.
> >
> > Anyone else in the RDU area noticing this?
> >
> >

Did I say it did? No, I did not. I just said it helped. Oh, and
calling me a top-poster doesn't make me feel bad or insulted, so I hope
it did something for you. I could not care less if it bothers you
anal-retentive bottom-posters who think they invented usenet.


In article <[email protected]>,
Gary L. Burnore <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 03:46:43 GMT, Lisa Drake <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >I get it a lot. I find that it helps to dial the 919 area code even if
> >you're local; for some reason the calls go through more often that way.
> >
>
> That's because we're in an 10 digit dialing area, top poster. It has
> nothing at all to do with the number (or in this case, lack of,
> circuits)
>
>
> >In article <[email protected]>,
> > "BrianT" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> I'm not in RDC but when I call a friend that has Cingular and lives there I
> >> get the same thing.
> >> Sometimes it takes an hour before I can get through.
> >>
> >> "xyzzy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >> news:[email protected]...
> >> > for the last couple of weeks I've been getting "all circuits are busy"
> >> > about 30-50% of the time when I call my wife's Cingular phone. Usually
> >> > if I keep trying I can get through.
> >> >
> >> > Anyone else in the RDU area noticing this?
>
> If you want better coverage, you'll need to switch to Verizon. They've
> got more towers than anyone else.

[email protected] (TriModeMan) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> This has nothing to do with landline circuits. This is indicative of
> having too many customers for the amount of frequency spectrum.
>
>
Think about this. If you have enough spectrum to receive a call from a
handset then respond with a message, why wouldn't you have enough
spectrum to allow the customer to talk with someone. It's kinda like
calling the television station which is off the air, and asking them
to put up a slide informing viewers that they are off the air.

Tom wrote:

> [email protected] (TriModeMan) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>
>>This has nothing to do with landline circuits. This is indicative of
>>having too many customers for the amount of frequency spectrum.
>>
>>
>
> Think about this. If you have enough spectrum to receive a call from a
> handset then respond with a message, why wouldn't you have enough
> spectrum to allow the customer to talk with someone. It's kinda like
> calling the television station which is off the air, and asking them
> to put up a slide informing viewers that they are off the air.

The "All circuits are busy message" is not generated by Cingular, it's
generated by the network that is trying to call into Cingular's
oversubscribed network. I've noticed this because I get different
messages depending on where I'm calling from.

If I call my wife's Cingular phone from a Sprint PCS phone, I get "we
are unable to complete your call at this time." cursing Sprint I
immediately pick up a landline and try the same call and get "All
circuits are busy." Then I have to take back my curse at Sprint--
sprint's being pretty generous using a message that does not put the
blame squarely where it belongs, which is on the Cingular network.

The fact is that Cingular is oversubscribed in this area (RDU, NC), as
evidenced by plenty of other respondees on this thread seeing the same
thing, and that's why I can only reach my wife's cingular phone about
half of the times that I try, even when she is in a good coverage area.
Buyer beware.

All circuits are busy is indicative of not enough trunk circuits from the
MTSO ( Mobile telephone Switching Office ) to the local phone company or
from the local telephone company to the long distance switch.
Could also be a backhaul issue with the Cell Sites if a backhaul line or
lines go down from the Cell Site(s) to the MTSO.

"Fast Busy" is a separate issue and is indicative of 'blocking', which is
not enough available channels in that areas Cell Tower/Site.

Scotty


"xyzzy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> for the last couple of weeks I've been getting "all circuits are busy"
> about 30-50% of the time when I call my wife's Cingular phone. Usually
> if I keep trying I can get through.
>
> Anyone else in the RDU area noticing this?
>

Scott Nelson wrote:

> All circuits are busy is indicative of not enough trunk circuits from the
> MTSO ( Mobile telephone Switching Office ) to the local phone company or
> from the local telephone company to the long distance switch.
> Could also be a backhaul issue with the Cell Sites if a backhaul line or
> lines go down from the Cell Site(s) to the MTSO.
>
> "Fast Busy" is a separate issue and is indicative of 'blocking', which is
> not enough available channels in that areas Cell Tower/Site.
>
> Scotty


Cell providers don't use a 'fast busy' to indicate no voice channels
available between their switch and a cell site.

A 'fast busy' IS used to indicate no trunks available on the *land line*
side of their switch.

--
jer email reply - I am not a 'ten' ICQ = 35253273
"All that we do is touched with ocean, yet we remain on the shore of
what we know." -- Richard Wilbur

Not in the market I used to work in. ( Los Angeles and now Wash DC ). When I
went through my Mobile Telephone Access Engineer training at Motorola, they
way their system worked.
Though, they can use whatever they want really. MTSO's and most regular
Class 5 switches have voice recordings but the cell sites do not have the
capability, so they just give a "general error" of voice call not completed.
The fast busy for cell phones are actually generated in the cell phone
itself when there are no more free channels available.

I suppose in landline markets where older switches are might not have any
voicerecording feature so the fast busy might also signal
this as well.

So, there are many cases where a fast busy condition could occur but you can
usually tell if it is a local ( on your cell phone ) fastbusy and remote
fast busy as the fast busy will sound like a cell call for the trunk side
( which is rare nowadays as they will have recordings like "all circuits
busy" )
and the local one will be clear as it will be generated on your phone itself
when the cell site send you a "send fastbusy" via signal/sat channel.on call
setup.

Scotty


"Jer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Scott Nelson wrote:
>
> > All circuits are busy is indicative of not enough trunk circuits from
the
> > MTSO ( Mobile telephone Switching Office ) to the local phone company or
> > from the local telephone company to the long distance switch.
> > Could also be a backhaul issue with the Cell Sites if a backhaul line or
> > lines go down from the Cell Site(s) to the MTSO.
> >
> > "Fast Busy" is a separate issue and is indicative of 'blocking', which
is
> > not enough available channels in that areas Cell Tower/Site.
> >
> > Scotty
>
>
> Cell providers don't use a 'fast busy' to indicate no voice channels
> available between their switch and a cell site.
>
> A 'fast busy' IS used to indicate no trunks available on the *land line*
> side of their switch.
>
> --
> jer email reply - I am not a 'ten' ICQ = 35253273
> "All that we do is touched with ocean, yet we remain on the shore of
> what we know." -- Richard Wilbur
>

xyzzy wrote:
>
> Tom wrote:
>
> > [email protected] (TriModeMan) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> >
> >>This has nothing to do with landline circuits. This is indicative of
> >>having too many customers for the amount of frequency spectrum.
> >>
> >>
> >
> > Think about this. If you have enough spectrum to receive a call from a
> > handset then respond with a message, why wouldn't you have enough
> > spectrum to allow the customer to talk with someone. It's kinda like
> > calling the television station which is off the air, and asking them
> > to put up a slide informing viewers that they are off the air.
>
> The "All circuits are busy message" is not generated by Cingular, it's
> generated by the network that is trying to call into Cingular's
> oversubscribed network. I've noticed this because I get different
> messages depending on where I'm calling from.
>
> If I call my wife's Cingular phone from a Sprint PCS phone, I get "we
> are unable to complete your call at this time." cursing Sprint I
> immediately pick up a landline and try the same call and get "All
> circuits are busy." Then I have to take back my curse at Sprint--
> sprint's being pretty generous using a message that does not put the
> blame squarely where it belongs, which is on the Cingular network.
>
> The fact is that Cingular is oversubscribed in this area (RDU, NC), as
> evidenced by plenty of other respondees on this thread seeing the same
> thing, and that's why I can only reach my wife's cingular phone about
> half of the times that I try, even when she is in a good coverage area.
> Buyer beware.


We are experiencing the same issue with our several Cingular phones. If
we did not have grandfathered free unlmited incoming calls, I'd dump
them in a minute. If you complain, they deny the problem. I heard on the
radio recently that Cingular has the lowest customer service ratings in
the industry.

xyzzy wrote:

> Going today to get a new Verizon phone. If the 2-week trial shows it to
> be as good as its reputation, it'll be worth it to buy out the Cingular
> contract for $180 to get a service that works. It's kind of sad, I
> signed up the first day they were available in our area, back in 1998
> when it was BellSouth Mobility DCS and until recently it's always been
> good and I recommended it to many people and went through many phone
> upgrades. It's only tanked in the last 2-3 months, of course Murphy's
> Law kicked in and it happened a few months after I signed a 2-year
> contract to get a new phone cheap. I know, the contract was dumb, but
> the service had been good for 5 years so figured I would not switch and
> was fine with a contract. Who knew it would crap out right then.

I've been with Cingular the same as you, since 1998, but I don't have the
problems you're describing. Maybe I just don't use my phone enough, but
I've never had a time where I didn't get a connection when making a call.

--
Darryl L. Pierce <[email protected]>
Visit the Infobahn Offramp - <http://mypage.org/mcpierce>
"What do you care what other people think, Mr. Feynman?"