What Causes Dropped Calls

There are over 4.66 billion smartphones in use today. That number is growing at 7% year on year. With billions of people relying on their smartphones to communicate, access email, message, for video chats, as well as online shopping, poor mobile signal connectivity that causes dropped calls is frustrating.

The complaints of dropped calls are among the biggest complaints among mobile phone users, in any country. Recently a study was conducted to find out the major causes of dropped calls. This study was to help the researchers understand the causes of dropped calls in different areas. According to this study, at least 72% of mobile phone users experience a dropped call situation at some point. 32% of mobile phone users reported that they experience a dropped call situation many times a week.

Now it is apparent that such situations can be really frustrating when have to make an urgent call. Or send an important email or shop online using your phone. Now it is important to understand why the dropped calls happen in the first place. And what is the solution to avoid such situations?

What are Dropped Calls?

This, however, doesn’t need an explanation but for the sake of the discussion, we are doing it briefly. A dropped call is a situation when you are making or receiving a call on your mobile phone and your call disconnects itself in between. This is because of poor cellular network connectivity.

Imagine how irritating it can be when you are making an important call and your call drops.

What are the Causes of Dropped Calls?

There are many different factors that can lead to dropped calls. Let’s see what are those factors that cause dropped call situations. Examining all these factors in-depth should help you understand this well.

Distance from the Cellular Signal Towers

To make a call through a mobile phone you need to be connected to a nearby cellular signal tower. Every cellular tower has a limited capacity. It can broadcast its signals to an area and handle the number of users at a time. The signals are stronger near the masts and weaker as far as you go from the mast. Another reason for no signal reception and dropped calls are dead zones.

Usually in the areas where the population density is low cellular providers install lesser cellular signal towers and mostly far from each other to cover larger areas. In such cases, the signal strength is weaker and the inhabitants in those areas have difficulty getting a strong signal. This problem is more frequent in remote and rural areas. However, the cities that are densely populated can have similar problems. This is because of too many users and not enough cellular masts to cater to their needs.

The problem of dead zones can also occur because of poorly aligned towers, obstructions between towers such as hills, large buildings, trees, and mountains. You are also more likely to find a dead zone underground parking, underpasses, tunnels, basements, train lines, and underground garages.

Major Factors Contributing to the Dropped Calls and Dead Zones

We have briefly touched upon the causes of dropped calls so far. Now let’s get them into detail so that you can understand what it is and why it happens. Also, we will be looking at the possible solutions to get rid of the mobile signal problems in these areas having poor cellular reception or even in the dead zones.

Construction Materials

Usually when the inhabitants in an area find it difficult to get cellular reception when they are inside the building then the construction material used in the building could be the reason to blame. However, some elements in the local environment can cause dead zones as well.

Sheet metal roofs, thick bricks, wire mesh, some types of insulation, and reinforced concrete are some of the most common construction material that causes signal degradation. These construction materials in the buildings cause a significant loss in data. Then when you make a call it can lead to dropped calls even when your phone shows several signal bars.

Cellular Tower Hand-Offs

As explained earlier, mobile phone carriers use cellular towers to transmit a signal to phones within their network range. Your phone connects to the nearest tower as you move around. When you are on a call and moving then you keep connecting to the nearest cell towers. You shouldn’t experience dropped calls for as long as the signal remains strong. Cellular tower hand-off happens automatically and within a split second, one of the reasons you can stay on call while driving or walking.

In most cases, the tower hand-offs happen with no problem. The tower hand-off problems mostly occur when there’s excess traffic from either of the cell towers you are switching to or forth. Sometimes, back-end software glitches, power outages, etc. can also give you trouble with dropped calls while towering handoffs. In such instances, you can try to make your call again in a few seconds when your phone is connected to a cellular tower nearby.

Damaged or Very Old Mobile Phone

A damaged or old phone can also cause the problems of dropped calls. For instance, if the internal antenna of your phone is damaged it wouldn’t be able to receive a proper signal. Similarly, the old or corrupt software on your phone can also lead to a dropped call situation at times.

Damaged equipment on your side can be a reason for dropped calls as well. If your phone battery is not optimally charged it may lead to poor reception and closing of some applications automatically including the voice calling applications that can cause dropped call situations.

So, keep your phone’s software updated and consider changing your old phone if your phone is older than three-four years.

Since we have discussed some of the major reasons for dropped calls and what are the solutions for handling such situations, we should now discuss the best solutions to permanently get rid of the dropped call problem. Most of the solutions discussed early are either not feasible or not a permanent solution.

For instance, if the problem is a long distance from the cellular tower, then you can’t bring it close to your home or office. Similarly, if the construction material used in the building is causing the signal weakening problem you can’t rip apart your walls or roof.

So, now we will be looking for some solutions that are inexpensive, reliable, and permanent.

Solutions for Signal Problems and Dropped Calls

If you are facing dropped calls issues in your office or house, but have a decent signal reception right outside the building, then chances are the building material is blocking out much of the signal.

In such an instance, a mobile phone signal booster can help fix the problem of dropped calls for good. The mobile phone signal booster works by replicating network signal outside bringing it inside, thus giving you a strong signal to make calls and use high-speed mobile internet data.

A mobile phone signal booster is a small electronic device that uses a receiver antenna to receive the signal outside, amplifies it, then re-transmits it to the areas with low signal coverage. In other words, this device helps increase reception in areas that initially had no reception at all. The only caveat with the mobile signal booster is that you need to install an antenna in an area preferably on the roof or high on the window with signal reception for it to work perfectly.

Don’t just take out your laptop yet to buy yourself a signal booster before considering some other important factors. Check the condition of your phone first to ensure it isn’t the problem. Check for any damages you can spot on your phone. If repairing your phone can fix the damage get it repaired.

You can also try to switch your network if other networks except you are using have good signal strength.

Try to swap your phone with a newer phone of your friend or family members and make sure that the signal is the same on both phones. If a newer phone fixes the problem consider buying yourself a new phone instead of investing in a mobile phone signal booster.

Conclusion

Dropped calls can be frustrating for everyone, it gets even worse when you are attempting to make an important call. Everyone wants to find a way to get around the weak signal and dropped calls. You should not wait for any further and buy yourself a mobile signal booster.

Buying a signal booster would be a good investment you make to get better signal strength and enjoy uninterrupted mobile communication and use high-speed mobile internet data.