[Miguel Arcilla]

I recently bought a Bold 9900 from a friend to try out the platform and run as my communications device. I need it for calls, SMS, and WhatsApp. I'm from the Philippines and am subscribed to Globe, one of the two major telcos in the country (Smart is the other). As a phone on Wi-Fi and with a lucky connection, it's great, giving me very stable calls, SMS, and WhatsApp. However, I am running into some connectivity issues that I would like to get tips on:

1. Often times, depending on where I am when I power on the device, it will connect to the incorrect network, showing a SIM Card error and stubbornly sticking with Smart, refusing to connect to Globe even with manual selection of the network. Is this an issue with my network having poor connectivity (even though the same SIM connects to Globe on my Q10), or is it a device-specific issue?
2. I configured WhatsApp to work on my data plan (no BIS) by setting my TCP/IP config to my carrier's APN setting. It works occasionally, but after roughly half an hour, will stop sending messages properly until I connect to Wi-Fi again. I can always access my browser, but WhatsApp stops working. How can I ensure that my WhatsApp connection remains consistent?

I do not plan to get BIS, as I have a Q10 already. I really just want to give this phone a run. I really want to like it, but these problems make it too difficult to use. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!