topic Re: Minimal bandwidth during holiday season in Mobile Broadband

Minimal bandwidth during holiday season

Bosa — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 21:13:11 GMT

Hi all, I was wondering whether this is a general problem that needs addressing by ee.

We rely on a 4G connection for our home broadband in west Wales and normally get 30Mbps download speed. At this time of year with the influx of tourists we may get 2-5 Mbps which really impacts our ability to work or enjoy streamed products.

Do any of you also have this problem and do you think ee should anticipate the problem and increase bandwidth or prioritise residents?

Cheers

Re: Minimal bandwidth during holiday season

JimM11 — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 22:13:54 GMT

@Bosa How do you plan to increase bandwidth on a 4g Mobile connection, comms does not work that way, the more connections there are the slower it all get's, no magic pill to sort that one out.

Re: Minimal bandwidth during holiday season

Northerner — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 08:16:24 GMT

Hi @Bosa

It's not a tap.

More people on the network the more problematic it becomes. Can you receive 5G?

It could also be your home network receiver, which router do you have.

Thanks

Re: Minimal bandwidth during holiday season

bristolian — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 13:59:30 GMT

There is some use of technology called DSS, which allows spectrum to move between 4G & 5G depending on local demand.

However, the capacity installed on a particular site is fixed and not something that can be changed with a simple switch being flicked. Capacity management is a complex area, EE do offer "network priority" on some plans, and install additional capacity in known hotspots when & where possible - ultimately though, the spectrum available needs to be shared between everyone.

Re: Minimal bandwidth during holiday season

Bosa — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 14:23:01 GMT

I get that, but my question is about whether this is a common problem around other holiday destinations. If the problem is widespread then network operators should plan for additional bandwidth requirements for both residents and visitors who will increasingly want to stream video on mobile devices.

Re: Minimal bandwidth during holiday season

Bosa — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 14:27:17 GMT

Hi, I agree but see my other response about network planning and other holiday destinations.

We have fought hard for full fibre and this has arrived so had not upgraded to 5g router, but my 5g phone has the same problem so it affects both 4g and 5g. It is a local problem and depends on the mast servicing holiday parks.

Re: Minimal bandwidth during holiday season

Bosa — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 14:29:38 GMT

Thanks. I would hope that there are capacity management tools that network providers use to see where temporary high demand areas are and come up with a solution to avoid the cliff edge.