Manual Carrier Popups

[RobTuck]

I'm on the Three network in the UK, which does not provide 2G data, only 3G. Sometimes my phone will select a mast with a stronger signal that provides no 3G data, which means no data at all but I can still make/receive calls. This seems to be to do with their infrastructure sharing deal with Orange/T-Mobile.
To stop this happening, I have manually selected the Three (3G) carrier, but this means that if I lose signal, I get an annoying popup telling me I've lost the network and to select a different carrier. This happens a lot, but its necessary to ensure I can receive iMessages, notifications, etc. Otherwise the phone will happily sit there with no data for long periods.

Can someone tell me if this irritating popup no longer occurs with iOS6 when a manual carrier is selected but the signal is lost?

 

[apollo1444]

it must be a pain in the ass to deal with a carrier that does not offer 2G data

 

[RobTuck]

In fairness, their 3G data coverage is pretty good, and I travel a lot so decent coverage is important.

My iPad 3G is also on Three but doesn't suffer the same as being a data-only device it doesn't attempt to connect to the non-data mast.

 

[RobTuck]

Anyone able to help with my original question?