[BenDover]

Hi there,

I am a Rogers customer who currently upgraded from a Nokia 5800XM to a Nokia X7, and ever since I've started using the new phone, I am no longer able to use the WAP browsing feature.  Why would one ever want to use the WAP browser you ask?  Purpose & Economy.  First, all I really want to do is check email, weather, scores, news, traffic and maybe use an instant messaging App - i can do all this just fine with my unlimited WAP browsing plan with Rogers (check: i used to be able to do this).  Secondly, Rogers charges an arm-and-a-leg for a Data plan subscription.  Currently, i'm a voice-plan subscriber, paying $35/mo. for each phone (we have two)... with a Data plan, my monthly rate doubles!! (and that's for a very basic/limited Data plan, with discounts)... NO THANKS!  If I were downloading large files, streaming video, etc. I'd be more inclined to buy a Data plan (but even then it would be a tough decision).  Anyway, not to get too off-track, but I think you get the point.   

Now, I've been back and forth with Rogers for the past 2 weeks and still they haven't really provided me with an explanation as to why my X7 WAP browser will not connect.  When I rejected the few guesses they made, they basically told me to contact Nokia to find the answer, so i figured i'd start here.  Here's what Rogers tech support told me:

1. You need to buy a Data Plan (WRONG!... I was able to browse using WAP services on my old phone)

2. Your phone does not have the s/w (WRONG!... the X7 supports WAP 2.0 browsing, same as the 5800XM... I even used both the native Nokia Symbian browser and OperaMobile on the 5800XM, but neither works on the X7)

3. Your new phone is "like a computer" and needs to use HTML (WRONG!... but funny/sad answer)

4. Your phone has a different version browser (Ok, the native browser on the X7 is v7.3 whereas on the 5800 it is v7.2 - could it really make that big a difference?... not likely)

5. Because you have a "smartphone" you need a Data plan (WRONG! doesn't sound very "smart" if it can't run a WAP browser)

So could anyone give me the real answer why WAP browsing no longer works?  Oh, and i swapped my SIM card back in my old phone, and WAP browsing works, so it doesn't seem that Rogers has inadvertently disabled something on my account.  Is it possible that WAP browsing is disabled on my Rogers-branded X7, despite that fact that I seem to be able to change the newtork settings in the phone settings and the browser settings to select WAP browsing?

One theory I had read (though Rogers denies it) is that they look at your IMEI when you attach to the network, which triggers an HLR database read, which tells the network to block WAP Browsing requests and redirect to a webpage which prompts you to buy a data plan (and the redirect is exactly what happens, every time).  My browser redirects to this Rogers webpage, and i also get a Text message stating, "Before using the mobile Internet, you must have a valid data add-on".  On the redirect, I get a hyperlink to view more details and when I select it, I navigate to URL "rogers.mobi:8080/primary/daypass_page?atype=PSPD&brand=Rogers&dtype=BB&itype=i". (which i'm guessing is not just some locally-store webpage, so I must be connecting to the Rogers network).

Anyway, Rogers prefers to pass the buck to the vendor, so here I am.  Could you please explain to me why WAP browsing will not work using the X7 on the Rogers 2G or 3G network?  Providing further phone specifics for background:

Model; Nokia X7-00.1

RM-659

OS: Symbian^3 "Anna", v.022.008 (dated 2011-05-26) - seems outdated, given latest is v.025.007

OS Customization: v.022.008.241.02 (dated 2011-06-28)

Product Code: 059J7V2

Nokia Browser: v7.3.1.31

Opera Mobile Browser: v11.50.1949

[petrib]

I should think that the phone's default browser does still support WAP 2.* (XHTML-MP over HTTP, TCP) as long as you have configured a WAP APN and are using it for browsing.

It doesn't support WAP 1.* (WML, WSP), though, but if things worked with the 5800, it should work the same way with the X7.

If the operator blocks access per device model/type, then it is not the phone's problem, but the operator's decision that you need to challenge.

[BenDover]

Tks Sensei.  I don't think the 5800 used WAP v1.0 either, the specs says v2.0 (same as X7), so yes I agree, you'd think it would work.  

But Rogers remains adamant that they don't block WAP access based on device model/type (not sure i believe them... not that they'd blatantly lie, but sometimes these "tech" people couldn't solve a puzzle my 3-yr old has mastered).  Rogers says it's a problem with the X7's "software"... 

If so, maybe it's the "customization s/w", which is what Rogers asks for (so, if true, it's really not a Nokia problem), but why don't they just tell you that they've blocked access somehow in the OS customization of the device.  But if this were the case, i would expect that I would not see WAP anywhere on the phone... the fact that I can choose WAP in my Network Connectivity tells me that the s/w is, in fact, there, and it's a "network block".

Believe me, I've challenged them, but sometimes we just end up agreeing to disagree and I hang, try again, maybe i get someone who knows what they're talking about... it's a crapshoot.  The last tech support guy I spoke with said the phone *should* support WAP browsing and he checked network fitlers, his database and other setting and said there was no technical reason why I could not use WAP browsing.  So he concluded it was an account-level problem and passed me to customer service... they just told me, "sorry, you have a smartphone, it doesn't have the s/w to support WAP browsing, you need to talk to Nokia... or, purchase a Data plan"... and i'm back to square one.  

[I have little faith in what they know and what they tell me... is this the same with all North American SP's? where they prefer to keep their customers in the dark and continue milking the cow... maybe i need to move to Europe... or perhaps i'll just switch to Wind Mobile where I can get a full unlimited Voice/Data plan for $29/mo... then i don't have to worry about WAP browsing ever again  Unfortunately, i'm locked in to Rogers for another 2 years... sometimes, you don't get what you pay for ]

[BenDover]

Anyone from Nokia listening?  It's a basic question: does the X7 support WAP browsing?  (rephrase: all Service Provider Customized versions of.the X7?)  I would open a support ticket, but i think if i ask in this forum, then other users get the benefit of the answer too (it's a win-win).

[BenDover · Accepted solution]

Ok, so I emailed Nokia Technical Support to get their input and sharing it here...

Thank you for emailing Nokia Careline.

In response to your concern about your Nokia X7-00, we would like to inform you that this particular device supports WAP browsing. If your phone is incapable of using WAP browsing, it is possible that your phone has been configured by Rogers and disabled this feature. Please be advised that your phone is locked to a service provider and they may have been configured your device to work only with their own services and software.

For more information about technical specifications of the Nokia X7-00, please visit the link that we have provided below.

http://www.nokia.ca/find-products/phones/nokia-x7/specifications

Thank you for your e-mail.


Kind regards,

Gertrude R.
Email Specialist
Nokia, Inc.

When I when I gave this response to Rogers, this was their reply...

We understand your concerns, and would be happy to assist you. I am 
sorry to hear about the problem you are having with your phone. I 
understand that your previous phone did not require a data plan but with
the X7, it needs a smartphone data plan for the WAP browser to work. We 
do apologize for any inconvenience caused as a result of this work and 
thank you for your patience and understanding. 

Regards, 

Rogers Wireless
Electronic Support Group

So, with a straight answer from Nokia (which supports all my research) and no straight answer from Rogers, I have to apply deductive reasoning at the point and say it's definitely my Service Provider who has blocked me from using WAP Browsing.  My guess is either:

a. Rogers is putting a n/w block on my phone (looking at IMEI, which reveals phone type)

OR

b. Rogers is placing a lock on the X7 preventing users from using WAP browsing (despite that fact that you change the settings on the phone to WAP - if it's truly been disabled this should be removed, as it causes obvious confusion).

"a" or "b", it doesn't really matter, the point here is that my Service Provider, not Nokia, has intentionally disabled features on my phone.  Such is life as a customer with a North American Wireless SP.