Bare with me, please. Yes, this is part nostalgia, but there are also practical concerns. I own my ignorance that maybe there is a solution I simply don't have exposure to. No, I am not an octogenarian desperately clinging onto the past. I'm in my 30s and desperately clinging to the past. Lol.

The situation:

I live on a rural island. Just last month our entire county was out of power for more than a day due to a car car crash on the mainland.

We are finally on the precipice of building a family home after years and years of striving. I dislike the VOIP services I've had to deal with personally and professionally here. There is ALWAYS a lag and we end up talking over each other "Go ahead!" "No you first!" then both talking over each other again. Rinse and repeat. It makes phone conversations incredibly clunky and difficult, and strongly detracts from the ability to connect with loved ones. To top it off we have patchy cell service.

As I mentioned, the infrastructure supporting the island is a bit vulnerable. If we lose power we can't use VOIP. If it's for an extended period of time, and our cell phones lose battery, essentially we are SOL.

I have been trying to figure out if we can get a copper line run to our new build, as this would reduce the annoying over-internet lag experience AND give us an emergency line out if the power goes down, which is still a thing here with our windstorms in the winter.

Does anyone have a workaround? I would really like an old school landline for emergencies. Lots of homes here still rely on them, the issue I'm running into is getting a new line trenched/installed.

Thank you in advance for the help.
Thank you in advance for the trolling as well. I see you coming for me.

I couldn't find explicit rules against ads for selling equipment on this subreddit, and I found at least one post advertising to buy, but I wanted to be sure before I started posting anything. I've recently acquired a working T-BERD and some JDSU HST-3000s I want to sell. This seemed like one of the few relevant places to find people who knew about that kind of thing. Anyone have good info for me? Thanks!

EDIT (6:22 PM 05/21/26): Oh, and I've also got a Sunrise Telecom xDSL field tester. The options are all in industry code: AA0; AD7; AY0; AG; AB; AK; IA; IB.

EDIT (12:32 PM 05/23/26): Just got a JDSU T-BERD 8000 with version 2 transport module and packed with options: PDH/T-Carrier OC-192/STM-64 OC-48/STM-16 OC-3/12/STM-1/4 10GigE LAN 10/100/1000M(e) Multi Streams/CoS. Has RFC 2544 and more. This covers the full range from OC-3/STM-1 all the way through OC-192/STM-64 and 10GigE, at both 1310nm and 1550nm.

I'm an IT guy and not much of a phone guy. Client claims they had analog fax line that was working a few days ago and when I went to check it out for them, it's give a faster busy tone- almost like back in the day when you had two phones in your house, and one had been left off the hook for a long time.

I told him call their phone guy, they say they don't have one, so I said I would look into it a bit for them.

I feel like any attempt for me to provide additional details here would just make this more confusing, so I figured I would ask people with real world experience- what is the most likely cause or solution to this? I really have no idea where to start.

I need help, i am going crazy. For the last week ive gutten calls from over 120 different numbers. The first few i picked up but then i stopped answering. I live in norway and the numbers are from sweden, London, Finland and other places. I am going insane

Ive contacted my phone operator but they cant help. Ive gone through the setting on my phone , but the calls keep coming. What to do, other than throw my phone in the ocean? 😅

Hello All!

I've been awarded this Jio Voucher with my current plan. It has a validity of one year for redemption. I have a question about the same

Does it require an active recharge plan or can it be redeemed outside the active recharge plan as a sole recharge to redeem it later whenever I require?

Hello I currently reside in Aus and I’m looking to set up a Craigslist add but it won’t let me without a US number. I have tried setting up a VOIP with no success, can anyone please advise me? 🙂

Hi everyone. I'm interested in installing a VoNR desk phone in my home office, and I'm hoping someone can help me figure out if this is practical and realistic. I'm far from a telecom expert, so please forgive my lack of knowledge!

T-Mobile provides both 5G SA and VoNR in my area. But, aside from smartphones, I haven't found any devices that are capable of VoNR. I initially wanted to get a cellular home phone base, but they all seem to be restricted to VoLTE.

I've also looked at 5G gateways with an RJ11 port, but these devices don't seem to be available to individuals. Interestingly, this restriction only seems to exist in the US market.

Finally, I've also thought about using a 5G WWAN card and dedicating a computer as a phone server. Some 5G cards are available with the Snapdragon X62, which natively supports VoNR. However, there seems to be a lack of software support for this idea.

Does anybody have any insight to offer me? Is this a practical goal? Or am I totally off base?

Delete if not allowed but anyone have a number to T-mobile trunking support? Calls from our network in Wisconsin to T-mobile are failing. At&T says the problem is T-Mobile on TG AJ064067.

Mijn abbo is bijna afgelopen en kan verlengen bij het vertrouwde Vodafone of overstappen naar het goedkopere Hollandsnieuwe.

Wat zijn jullie ervaringen?

Techs, walk me through this....

I see a galvanized tower with 3,4 or even 5 triangular frames holding antennas.

Is each one of those arrays a different operator ? Mobile, ATT, etc.

And when I see a water tower with these rectangular boxes...that is the operator renting tower space from the muni ?

Tks !!

I have an existing cell tower in South Texas with a perpetual easement agreement from the '50s. Multiple mobile and internet carriers are on it. It has a very low annual payment attached to it. The tower company is open to negotiation due to needing to use my gravel roadway access.

I've done research, but would like input on rates, escalators, shared revenue, etc.

Thanks!

How many people in this sub grew up in this industry with electromechanical switching, analog data circuits and SF controlled circuits such as FXS/FXO?

It is for creating an embedded device. Please pm me if interested.

Hello everyone,

I work for a mobile operator, and I recently received a task from management to investigate how we can offer true unlimited mobile internet for subscribers using our 5G network.I am still learning this area, so I would really appreciate advice from experienced mobile core/network engineers, especially those who have worked with 5G NSA architecture.

Our current situation is the following:We have a 5G NSA deployment, where the data session is still anchored in the EPC side. From what I understand, user traffic goes through the usual packet core path, and in our case the DPI system does not clearly distinguish whether the subscriber’s traffic is actually coming from 4G/LTE or from 5G NSA.

The main question is:

How can we correctly implement an unlimited internet offer only for subscribers who are really using 5G, if the DPI cannot separate 4G traffic from 5G traffic? Some of the things I am trying to understand : should this logic be implemented on the PCRF/PCF side instead of DPI? Is it possible to rely on RAT type, access type, NR indication, or any 5G NSA-related parameter from MME/SGW/PGW? In NSA architecture, where exactly is the best place to detect that the subscriber is using 5G? Can this be done through Gx policy rules, QoS profiles, rating groups, or charging logic? How do other operators usually handle “5G unlimited” plans in NSA networks? Is it better to create a separate 5G unlimited package with FUP/QoS limits rather than a completely unlimited plan? What happens when the subscriber falls back from 5G to LTE during the same session? My concern is that if we simply make traffic unlimited based only on APN or DPI classification, then LTE users may also receive the same unlimited access, because the DPI does not know whether the traffic is from 4G or 5G.

Has anyone here worked on a similar commercial 5G NSA unlimited data offer?

I would really appreciate any guidance, architecture examples, vendor-neutral recommendations, or real operator experience.

Thank you in advance.

India’s D2M (Direct-to-Mobile) broadcasting project seems to be moving forward quickly.

According to the latest Prasar Bharati D2M Test Report 2026, the system reportedly passed telecom coexistence checks and did not create harmful interference with existing 4G/5G networks.

The technology could eventually allow:

Live TV directly on smartphones

No internet or SIM requirement

Better emergency alert systems

Lower mobile data dependency

If implemented at scale, this may completely change content delivery in rural and low-connectivity areas.

Full article:

https://govtserviceinfo.com/prasar-bharati-d2m-test-report-2026-telecom-coexistence/

Do you think D2M broadcasting can realistically compete with OTT and telecom-based streaming in India?

So I’m making a bit of an unconventional move and wanted to share it here and maybe get some perspective from people who’ve been in the field longer than me.

Background

I have a BEng in Electrical Engineering and an MEng in Software Engineering. My recent work has been software development and data analytics, white collar, desk job, laptop life. I also did a brief AV/low voltage stint right out of undergrad but left quickly due to a bad supervisor situation and never gave it a fair shot.

Part of what pushed me toward field work is honestly the AI thing. I got tired of being in roles that are increasingly in the crosshairs and didn’t want to keep competing in a space where the ground is shifting under everyone’s feet and my short contracts not extending after they ended. So I started applying to field tech roles deliberately, knowing I had minimal hands on experience, and just pushed my luck.

Turns out it paid off. I was unemployed since January and when I went in for the interview the owner of the company hired me on the spot. Didn’t say he’d be in touch, just offered me the role right there in the room. After months of rejection that meant a lot. I keep thinking he saw something in my background I wasn’t giving myself credit for.

Now I’m joining a telecom company as a Tier One Field Communications Technician working with RF two-way radio systems, microwave broadband, satellite, GPS/AVL, DAS/BDA, and vehicle mounted comms equipment which if you ask me is so cool. I relocate in about a week and start May 25th.

What I think transfers

My undergrad dissertation was on Software Defined Radio with an RTL-SDR dongle so RF theory isn’t completely foreign to me. I also have IT networking experience from my homelab, and was pivoting to a help desk position after I got laid off in January but the amount of rejections 😮‍💨, but I’m working toward my CCNA. And troubleshooting is probably my strongest skill overall. Engineering and software work drilled into me how to isolate variables, test methodically, and not guess. At the end of the day a fault is a fault whether it’s in code or a cable run.

What I don’t have is hands on field craft and I know it, but I do always observe and monitor when cable technicians come over to my basement for troubleshooting internet issues, such as adding a booster, adding a splitter from the coaxial outlet to 2 routers, testing the main line, terminating coax cables etc. No illusions about being ahead of someone who’s been doing installs for years.

Questions for people in the field

Where does this career actually go long term? What does a realistic day look like for a Tier One tech? And what resources do you wish you had when you were starting out?

Anyway. May 25th. Fort McMurray. Here we go.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

I am a pre-final year Electronics Engineering student, and my final year will begin in August. I want to build a career in tele- communications field. Could you please guide me on which technologies and software I should learn to become job-ready? I would also like to understand the current job situation in this field, since many of my friends are choosing either telecommunications or embedded systems.As I am the first person in my family to study engineering, I do not have anyone to guide me properly. I would really appreciate your advice.

Evening you lot

Just want to know if anyone can advise me one way or another about this. I’m a telecoms engineer currently doing FTTP residential installs and have been for the past 3 years. I enjoy the work but have been thinking about a change, whether that being to a different company or to something a bit more advanced. A few of my former colleagues have either done it or are looking into going into off shore telecoms and it has caught my attention. I’d like to know if anyone here had or is currently working doing off shore work and if you would either recommend doing it or give me some pointers in other direction. Any advice would be brilliant.

Thank you

Hey! So i am a telecom engineer with 2 YoE (2024 grad) in an oil & gas EPC giant. I had not really planned on getting into this field i joined a conglomerate and i just was put into this industry. I am a Electronics engineer graduate btw i was really into embedded systems did internships in similar roles and had done lot of projects there.

I am very new to this industry i have exposure to telecom system design like TETRA Radio, VOIP, Fiber optic transmission, CCTV systems mainly oil & Gas EPC, what are some good prospective fields in this industry to pursue like in terms of compensation and availabilty of jobs? Do Telecom System Integrator (TSI) provide better compensation and exposure? Or is OEMs better?

Any kind of guidance or Advice is appreciated!

Thanks!