Why it takes SO slow to connect to a mobile network?

[whatever61]

This is more of a general question, not about a specific mobile phone or mobile network.. Just every time you need to switch to another mobile network, it takes SO long.

Common example is when moving from one country to another, so you are searching for the networks in that local country. It takes minutes. Registering to the network itself also takes minutes. Also, when coming back to my local country and connecting back to my own network it takes very long.

Is there a way to speed up this process or that's the way it is? If so, then why it takes SO slow to connect to a mobile network?

Thanks

 

[mikedt]

If you haven't travelled internationally, and had the phone off or in flight mode, it should connect quite quickly, that's what I've found. Think it takes a few minutes, because if it's been on an international flight, the network it was connected to is no longer available, and it then has to search all the cellular bands and modes looking for other networks it can connect to and roam on. A smart-phone is effectively dumb, it doesn't know it's been travelling and is now in a different country, it has to find out for itself.

Just an inconvenience really, while you're waiting for it to connect when your international flight has landed. Same thing if you change the SIM to another carrier, again it's got to search all the cellular bands and modes looking for the corresponding network.

Back in the day it was much simpler, there was only 900 and 1800 GSM for most of the world, and 1900 GSM for the Americas. And if you had CDMA, you just didn't roam. Now we got 2G, 3G and 4G LTE with various modes and bands.

 

[whatever61]

Ok, I see. So there's no way to increase the speed of it I suppose.