Attempting a voice call in NYC in 2020: a thread.

Attempt 1: T-Mobile to T-Mobile: He sounded good to me on the Galaxy Fold (unlocked), but I didn't come through well on his end. Told him I'd call him on the Verizon Razr.

VZ to T-Mobile WiFi Calling: he said I sounded great, and I love the Razr's rich sidetone as always ... but his voice sounded like he was talking through a helicopter. Eventually he started dropping words. We tried again.

Attempted a call over Telegram VoIP. Great sound quality at first, but too much latency/crosstalk. Eventually we both started dropping words. Abandoned attempt.

Finally, he went outside to a known good reception point for a final attempt. Back to T-Mo to T-Mo. Again, dropped words/drop-outs too severe to continue the conversation.

This seems like a complaint thread, but really it's just technical curiosity. In 2020, despite trying:

-2 phones
-2 carriers
-WiFi & cellular
-and a VoIP solution

I couldn't complete a phone call.

Anyone else have a similar experience? Wondering how often this happens.