Tried all of that (with the exception of the SSID) and it still does the same. It is definitely something to do with multiplayer mode or at least when connected to the PSN. Turn off the connection while the first menu is waiting to be loaded and then menu appears. I can go into campaign and everything OK but multiplayer asks to sign in and the same symptoms as previously reported are seen.
It is really annoying...
I also updated the console so is running with the latest release. Is there anyway to re-apply the latest patch (perhaps it was corrupted in the install)?
I don't think there is a way to reinstall the patch. I have seen many many post from PS3 players reporting (Not complaining) that they are having similar or same issue as you stated.
Have you tried contacting the EA Help at http://help.ea.com/en/battlefield/battlefield-4/? They can chat with you live or can call you back.
This might be a new bug and I am not even sure if the DEVs know about this issue. There are many many posts in BattleLog forum as well about this.
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