How does the network selection work?
Conditions:
- Automatic network selection mode is activated on the device
- No steering is configured on the SIM card
The device will randomly select a GSM network, chosen from a list of networks which have a field strength better than -85 dBm. If the field strength of all available PLMN (Public land mobile network) is less than -85 dBm, the network with the highest field strength will be selected.
Connection to last known network
Conditions:
- Automatic network selection mode is activated on the device
When the device is powered on, it will try to connect to the last used PLMN no matter which network is set as priority on the SIM card.
This is the reason why the first connection of a new SIM usually takes longer. Once the device already connected to a specific network, it will try to connect to the same PLMN when it boots up again.
When does my device select a new network?
When automatic network selection mode is activated, the GSM module determines when the connection to the network is lost. Once it is offline, it will follow a network selection procedure as explained above.
The selection procedure might also be triggered earlier by the device which forces the GSM module to switch network based on specific conditions such as radio level (RSSI).
In any case, the SIM card never forces a device to disconnect.
EMnify steering policy
SIM Steering
It is first important to know that in most countries, EMnify does not steer to specific networks, we usually let the devices select the network.
Network Steering
Steering can also be done from the network side:
• We don't have roaming agreements with all available providers available in the world. Providers we do not support are not available in our coverage list.
• Specific providers are more expensive than others. We divided our coverage in specific zones which customers can enable or disable depending on where they want to use their devices.
• Customers can also blacklist specific networks on the endpoint level.
When network steering applies, devices can still try to connect to blocked or unavailable networks but the connection will be denied by the EMnify mobile core. If a another network is available, the device will select it.
Comments
2 comments
Is Network Steering available for Greece? In a particular location I need to activate data sending through Cosmote which has great coverage, but my SIM card keeps trying to send via Wind or Vodafone, which do not perform well enough.
Hi Christos,
Thanks for your comment. No we do not have any network steering in place in Greece. I can see that Cosmote is not available on all IMSI configured on our SIM though. Depending on the SIM version, an IMSI switch might be needed to connect to Cosmote. I suggest to open a ticket and mention which ICCID you face the problem on so we can investigate.
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