Unwanted switching of carrier

[Nikolai Mikuszeit]

After installing OTA11, not 100% sure when it started, I have serious problems with my carrier. It is set manual. Checking the status somewhat later shows, however, the roaming icon and the carrier has changed, while coverage definitively exists. My provider is not even shown and only the automatically started search brings it up.
Changing forth and back seems to work but usually I do not get a Data connection. This requires a restart and one more manual change of carrier. I had it set to my provider, but "of course" it switches to another upon restart. Only then do I get a network. Right now I have to set the carrier 5 times a day plus at least three restart. Is there any relation to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-system-settings/+bug/1388044

Cheers

BQ E4.5
Ubuntu 15.04(OTA-11)

[Nikolai Mikuszeit (nikolai-mikuszeit)]

Small update:
It sort of changes from one manually set provider to another, even with almost full signal and while the telephone is stationary on a table; i.e. the provider stays marked, but the roaming triangle appears and data traffic is disconnected. Touching the provider rescans and the roaming disappears. Data traffic, however stays lost. Re-establishing it requires to manually switch off/on mobile data.

Seems that I am the only one with this issue...strange.

Cheers

[Nikolai Mikuszeit (nikolai-mikuszeit)]

OK, it seems that the data traffic problem is fixed with OTA12.
Not so sure about the carrier, yet.

[Nikolai Mikuszeit (nikolai-mikuszeit)]

Update:
The data traffic problem is really solved. The main part however remains. Having full coverage the icon remains on roaming. Going manually to carrier settings makes an automatic scan and eventually changes the tick from the wrong carrier to the correct one. Roaming, however, remains until I touch the correct carrier manually. A rescan takes place, roaming disappears, and the data connection is established.

[Jonas G. Drange (jonas-drange)]

Thanks, Nikolai. Could you update the description to reflect your recent comments? Also, could you follow the Reproduce/What happened/What should happen-pattern?

[Nikolai Mikuszeit (nikolai-mikuszeit)]

Hi Jonas,
let me try to answer your question as detailed as possible.

In System Settings->Mobile->Carrier->Carrier
I have due to my location (most of the time) three entries:
-Automatically
-Netz
-O2-de

My provider is Simyo using the E-plus network in Germany.
I am choosing "Netz" and a tick appears. Phone network quality/coverage (The triangle in the notification bar) is almost full and I get mobile data as shown by a black "H" in a white box.
I consider this as manual choice of carrier. As in my region it would not surprise me if coverage fails in some areas, I might loose the carrier going, e.g., by car from A to B.
So scenario one would be, truly loosing the carrier for some time. If returning to a place where I have coverage by my provider, I expect that the phone takes my manual setting and uses that carrier. I have, however, the black "R" on white triangle, which I guess stands for roaming.
Opening the carrier menu I witnessed two cases (I cannot tell which one happens when). Case 1 is the phone switched to "O2-de" and I have to tap "Netz" and get a rescan to return to my provider, or case 2, it shows the tick on "Netz" (I think I remember grey instead of black) but does require an additional tap on "Netz" + rescan do remove the "roaming triangle" and give me data connection (btw, browser, mail etc also claim that there is no data connection).
Scenario 2 is that the phone is with almost maximum signal and data connection and switches (while using, e.g., the browser) from "Netz" to "O2-de" therefore dropping the data connection.

I guess that the overall signal of "O2-de" is stronger. In any case, the unwanted switching takes place several times a day.

What happens (my guess): Phone switches to only or strongest carrier, while carrier is set manually. If provider carrier is present with strong signal, the phone does not switch back.

What should happen: If the carrier is set manually the phone should not switch to other providers or at least switch back to manually set carrier if present (although I would consider the latter behaviour more like automatic)

For future consideration, I see three options there: 1) always take strongest, 2) take strongest if home provider not present, 3) only take own provider and never take others (with risk of no connection at all)

I hope that was not too confusing.
Cheers

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for ubuntu-system-settings (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Nikolai Mikuszeit (nikolai-mikuszeit)]

Unfortunately, making the bug expire, does not render it void on my phone. I still have to switch this EVERY day several times by hand. Now that the latest update even removed the progress icon (the rotating circle), I am staring at a greyed out field only hoping that something is actually happening. Fortunately, it does, but why remove the "busy icon" in the first place? Anyway I hope this gets solved more generally such that I do not have to care about scanning at all.

Cheers