EE network issues

[bonaome]

I've just moved to EE for 4g. Service keeps dropping to 'no service' all around ED. Is it a service issue or just me?

[Bea8]

I'm with EE and don't have any issues so perhaps call them to check. Hope you get it sorted!

[Michael Palaeologus]

I am EE too and no problems to be reported.

[DulwichFox]

I'm with EE. Currently displaying 2 bars so weak signal.

Don't make many calls so unaware of any probs.

[siousxiesue]

I'm with EE and lose signal constantly, also calls go through to voicemail without even ringing! Drives me nuts

[kford]

EE is hit and miss. In some parts of town it drops out completely, yet out in the middle of nowhere, 4 bars.

[RosieF]

I'm with EE and have no problems at all. Call the customer service, they will be able to help you

[JohnL]

EE speed is hit and miss - in the Great Exhibition I got 150Mbps whilst in the EDT it's about 20

But doesn't drop out completely.

[Penguin68]

It should be remembered that mobile microwave towers operate significantly line-of-sight. That means that users in ED - which is full of annoying hills, frequently are in microwave shadow. This will lose or attenuate signals. [signals will go through most buildings OK, but have a problem going through the ground, which hills are]. Additionally towers are limited in the number of simultaneous transmissions they can handle, giving priority to ongoing transmissions. So if you are in a location served by a tower with a lot of existing traffic being handled you will have a problem obtaining signal, even if otherwise you are in a good position to do so. If you are near busy roads (ie the EDT) you will find people passing (walking by and in cars) who are already interacting with the towers, so you will be competing more for signal. You may also find (for data) that you have grabbed WiFi access in some places (depending on your supplier and what deals they have done) and not others. By the way, the numbers of 'bars' shown is very unhelpful in judging signal strength - other than a 'no bars' condition.

For ED different service levels frequently reside in which network you are using and where their towers are. So if you are, at home, well situated for one service you will find that 'better' and be surprised that others (served by different towers) don't agree with you.

I live just under the brow of a hill and visitors on some networks can have problems getting service downstairs, but no problems on upper floors. Annoying, but physics.

[Bic Basher]

4G on EE has been nothing short of solid across the majority of ED. In fact, I don't get dropouts like I did on 3G.

[James Barber]

Their are a lot more mobile cell sites than people realise - https://www.mastdata.com/37/37_map_mobile_mast.aspx?Table=15&AdTyID=43&ROName=SE22&Z=14

T-Mobile = EE.

I happen to know the cell site for EE on top of the Coop is being significantly upgraded.

Most operators have two frequencies 900Mhz and 1800Mhz. They started 4G rollout with one frequency and are now adding the other which has much better building penetration. So all operators are improving their networks but it does take time.

[ruffers]

Melford Road is in a bit of a shadow for instance - I have a home boost box to cover it.

[bonaome]

Thanks all. I reset the network settings on my phone and that seems to have solved the issue.

[DulwichLondoner]

EE sent me a small femtocell for free because they recognise that the signal is poor in the East Dulwich area. This was about a year ago.

A femtocell (signal box) is a small box you connect to your router with a LAN cable so that it sends a 3G wireless signal. Vodafone used to charge for this (no idea what they do now). EE doesn't charge if they recognise the signal is poor. This thingy has improved the signal, but it's still not perfect, i.e. sometime I still get issues even when calling landlines.

[Bic Basher]

ruffers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Melford Road is in a bit of a shadow for instance

> - I have a home boost box to cover it.

On 4G? 3G/HSPA cuts out in a triangle from Belvoir Road to Melford Road with EE I've found where the signal from the cell site on the corner of Dulwich Common/LL (the big black pole that looks like a street light) doesn't reach.

[dimples]

We are having problems too with Ee and we are Belvoir road !

[beansprout]

I am with EE and am having problems. Just spoken to them again re drop out and was told they have 11 frequency settings they can try. Never get a straight answer from the different operators but have insisted that it is all detailed on computer so I don't have to go through the whole thing again. Yesterday operator said was to do with BT line that they share...!! Thanks for mention of femtocell might ask for one of those next call or maybe even a booster. Not sure if I left them, the service would be any better so will continue for a bit.

[James Barber]

If you are having problems with any mobile operator after repeated attempts at contacting them then email the Chief Executive:

EE - marc.allera@ee.co.uk

O2 - mark.evans@telefonica.com

Three - david.dyson@three.co.uk

Vodafone - nick.jeffery@vodafone.com

None of them want unhappy customers. They will all have teams for complaints they receive.

[DulwichLondoner]

You could also look into wifi calling. It means that the phone gets the signal from a wifi conenction; it's all seamless, you don't need to do anything other than enabling it once.

It typically works with most phones supplied by the network operator directly, and with some phones bought unlocked elsewhere. The EE and Vodafone websites have all the details. I have both the femtocell and wifi calling on EE; they're OK, but they're not perfect, and call quality can be a bit hit or miss at times.

[JohnL]

EE gave me ?130 credit because I complained about their slow delivery. So always worth a punt with them - like ringing Sky it seems the luck of who you get to speak to.

[Penguin68]

If you are having problems with any mobile operator after repeated attempts at contacting them then email the Chief Executive

James, and others. Many people take service not directly from the carriers but from Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) such as Virgin, or TalkTalk etc, who lease capacity on a wholesale basis, from the network carriers you have listed. As such their contractual relationships are with their Operator and not the underlying carrier. It is their operator who has the relationship with the carrier. This makes determining who is 'at fault' more problematical, and CEO's may be less stimulated to meet the needs of someone who is not, directly, their customer.

On the other hand, complaints from an MVNO, who will have a significant financial relationship with the network carrier, may carry more weight. Ideally get your MVNO batting on your behalf with the underlying carrier. Which may mean writing to your MVNO CEO!

[DulwichLondoner]

Have you tried other combinations of phones/sims, maybe borrowing those of friends and relatives, or swapping sims across phones (if unlocked)?

[James Barber]

Hi P68,

Yes, but I couldn't list all the MVNO's. Between the main 4 operators they have over 85% of mobile customers.

But easy to Google for the CEO email address of any other operator.

For most problems just a mater of an operator adding a frequency better at penetrating building. They pretty much all have plans for this or adding transmission capacity. I happen to know for example that the EE site on top of the Coop on Lordship Lane recently took delivery of a new 1GigE pipe to replace 100Mbps pipe.