Help: Network Display Tag Questions

[RadioRaiders]

Hi All,
I have a few quick questions about the display tag showing the operator name on your phone:

1) How often does your operator change the display tag name? ie: has it always been exactly the same, or has it changed (ex: from “AT&T” to “AT&T Wireless”, and if so, was it part of a re-branding process or network acquisition? Or just for no apparent reason?

2) Is the display tag consistent throughout the network? Ex: in California does it show something like “AT&T West” and in New York “AT&T East”, or does it show the same tag like “AT&T” in all areas of the network?

3) Is the display tag the same as the long or short name (shown via AT commands)? (If you don’t know, just ignore this question)

I’m mainly interested in GSM/UMTS, and in any part of the world. But feedback from CDMA or WiMAX networks could be interesting too.

Thanks in advance!

[M in LA]

RR, the only time I've noticed a network display tag change came when Cingular was being rebranded AT&T. My phone went from saying Cingular one day to AT&T the next day. This was a phased-in change.

I believe it coincided with an MNC change (especially here in California).

With T-Mobile, I've never experienced any kind of NDT change in the near 5 years I had them.

Verizon has always been the same.

[Jay2TheRescue]

In my area the MNC did not change in the Cingular - AT&T changeover. There was an OTA update sent to the phones which updated the operator name. I have a few phones that still say Cingular because I had hacked them to not use the default name, but to use the network name from an operator list stored locally on the phone.

[Charlyee]

Hi All,
I have a few quick questions about the display tag showing the operator name on your phone:

1) How often does your operator change the display tag name? ie: has it always been exactly the same, or has it changed (ex: from “AT&T” to “AT&T Wireless”, and if so, was it part of a re-branding process or network acquisition? Or just for no apparent reason?

2) Is the display tag consistent throughout the network? Ex: in California does it show something like “AT&T West” and in New York “AT&T East”, or does it show the same tag like “AT&T” in all areas of the network?

3) Is the display tag the same as the long or short name (shown via AT commands)? (If you don’t know, just ignore this question)

I’m mainly interested in GSM/UMTS, and in any part of the world. But feedback from CDMA or WiMAX networks could be interesting too.

Thanks in advance!

Hello RR, here are my 2 cents.

1) Mine showed Cingular until the rebranding in 2007 and has been AT&T ever since.

2) The dispaly tag has been consistent everywhere in the US including Alaska.

In and around Calcutta, the dispaly tag changed with the locality, within 5 miles it would switch from Vodafone-Ballygunge to Vodafone-Golpark, to Vodafone - Hindustan Park etc. etc. I have not seen this in other parts of India like Delhi or Mumbai.

The alpha tag has also been consistant in Indonesia, Singapore, Portugal, Spain, and Egypt.

3) ignored.

[RadioRaiders]

Thanks for your 2-cents Mike, Jay and Charlyee (I have $0.06 now )

In and around Calcutta, the dispaly tag changed with the locality, within 5 miles it would switch from Vodafone-Ballygunge to Vodafone-Golpark, to Vodafone - Hindustan Park etc. etc. I have not seen this in other parts of India like Delhi or Mumbai.

Yea, I happened to be looking at India in particular. The MCC for India was always 404 but now they added a new one 405 (a huge country needs more than just one MCC Iguess). Some of the new 405 MCC MNC's are these various Vodafone ones you mentioned. Which is strange why they have different display tags, because Vodafone usually is consistant. Maybe these are all some small operators who operate independatly from each other, and want to make subscribers aware when they are roaming, but are still all Vodafone affiliates.

The ITU doc issued in 2008 listing MCC/MNC's is already way out of date, as new MCC's pop up and MNC's keep changing. It seems wikipedia is the most updated place, but really wikipedia can be edited by anyone and is not my first choice to look for reliable technical references. The ITU should be the main reference, but really need to update their docs more often.

[Telekom]

Hi All,
I have a few quick questions about the display tag showing the operator name on your phone:

1) How often does your operator change the display tag name? ie: has it always been exactly the same, or has it changed (ex: from “AT&T” to “AT&T Wireless”, and if so, was it part of a re-branding process or network acquisition? Or just for no apparent reason?

2) Is the display tag consistent throughout the network? Ex: in California does it show something like “AT&T West” and in New York “AT&T East”, or does it show the same tag like “AT&T” in all areas of the network?

3) Is the display tag the same as the long or short name (shown via AT commands)? (If you don’t know, just ignore this question)

I’m mainly interested in GSM/UMTS, and in any part of the world. But feedback from CDMA or WiMAX networks could be interesting too.

Thanks in advance!

First of all for GSM phones some carriers such as AT&T have SIMs that will only display that carrier's name regardless of the carrier.

The name of the carrier that's shown is often a combination of what the tower broadcasts and what the carrier name table within the phone shows. Usually for native non roamers it will show the name that the company has chosen. For now AT&T will show AT&T. When it was cingular it showed either Cingular or CINGULAR. For old phones if you're a roamer it may show an old name if the phone you are using has really old firmware. Old phones may show USA 38 or USA 41 or 310-380 and 310-410 in place of AT&T.

[RadioFoneGuy]

I had VoiceStream back in 2001 and the Alpha Tag in Seattle area was Voicestream but down by Chicago it said VSTREAM

[Telekom]

RR, the only time I've noticed a network display tag change came when Cingular was being rebranded AT&T. My phone went from saying Cingular one day to AT&T the next day. This was a phased-in change.

I believe it coincided with an MNC change (especially here in California).

With T-Mobile, I've never experienced any kind of NDT change in the near 5 years I had them.

Verizon has always been the same.

When the company was bought out and officially changed to T-Mobile it was either VStream or VoiceStream as the operator designation. Any T-Mobile customer will always see T-Mobile as the operator name even if they have really old firmware on their phone. A roamer however may see the older name such as VoiceStream. I have a Nokia 8390 and when I have my Fido/Rogers SIM in it the operator name says VoiceStream or shows USA-41 instead of AT&T (Rogers roams on both US networks.)