topic Re: EE Roaming in USA in Mobile Services

EE Roaming in USA

kneeoerica — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:13:06 GMT

i am in USA and set up roaming for US plus confirmed by texting roaming to 150.

arrive here and calls and texts are not working but data services are.

tried resetting iPhone 14 Pro Max, turned off WiFi calling and manually selecting network. No bars showing on signal but data pages load quickly.

cannot speak to anyone

been to look at parental controls in account and all seems set up.

any clues or suggestions?

richard

Re: EE Roaming in USA

bristolian — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:16:20 GMT

If mobile data is working, that suggests roaming is setup. Although if "no bars are showing on signal", are you sure you have a local network connection and are not inadvertently using a WiFi-router?

Did you receive a welcome text message on first arrival? That's another good test of roaming being active, thus enabling connections to foreign networks.

Re: EE Roaming in USA

kneeoerica — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:19:29 GMT

Switched WiFi off.

no did not get a text on arrival here, but did get text in Dublin when I stopped over for a connecting flight.

thx for replying

Re: EE Roaming in USA

kneeoerica — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:20:41 GMT

Also stood next to someone using EE and they had 5G and 3 bars on same network

Re: EE Roaming in USA

bristolian — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:27:01 GMT

If you don't have a network connection, then what do you mean by "same network" - same network as what?

Sounds to me like your roaming is active (evidenced by use of Irish networks), but you're either not connected to US networks or there's an issue with VoLTE.

Does your friend have VoLTE displayed on their screen? The 5G/4G choice is immaterial. What happens when you try making a call?

I would suggest two courses of action.. 1: Check for the presence of a spend-cap to rule out an issue with charges being incurred - https://ee.co.uk/help/help-new/billing-usage-and-top-up/track-and-manage-your-usage/how-do-i-set-up-and-manage-spend-cap

2: Try a manual network search and connect to each available in turn. That should eliminate an issue with the specific network you're connected to.

Re: EE Roaming in USA

kneeoerica — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:35:41 GMT

Okay let me go through this and reply to your question.

my friend and I are using the same US network which I can see in settings.

despite that, I have no bars showing and no network name on the Home Screen.

I have been through all the available networks in turn. I can use data but not make or , receive calls and texts. When I try to send a text it doesn’t send. When I make a call there is nothing until call failed.

so I am not saying roaming is not on, I am saying it is not working correctly.

my spend cap is high and I have not used it up or in fact at all.

no they do not have VoLTE showing.

Re: EE Roaming in USA

bristolian — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:38:43 GMT

If you have no bars showing and no network name, that suggests you are not connected to a local network.

The results of a 2way SIM-swap between the working phone and the non-working phone would be interesting - see if the issue remains consistent to the phone.

Re: EE Roaming in USA

kneeoerica — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:50:03 GMT

Great idea

Re: EE Roaming in USA

XRaySpeX — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 20:15:00 GMT

@bristolian wrote:

Sounds to me like your roaming is active (evidenced by use of Irish networks)

Could have ROAM EU only.

Re: EE Roaming in USA

bristolian — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 23:21:52 GMT

EU-only roaming would explain these symptoms very well, to be fair. I keep forgetting there's two levels of roaming!

The 2-way SIM swap will prove this issue to the SIM, if this holds true.

Re: EE Roaming in USA

Julieanneshe — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 01:22:45 GMT

What is a two way SIM swap please? My son is in America and having issues with his phone despite buying roaming boarding pass and having everything set up on his phone, nothing is working

Re: EE Roaming in USA

XRaySpeX — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 04:19:10 GMT

@Julieanneshe :

Put Phone A's SIM in Phone B.
Put Phone B's SIM in Phone A.
Are both working or neither or only 1? Which?

Re: EE Roaming in USA

kneeoerica — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 08:40:30 GMT

So I have a solution.

not hardware issue but a conflict between EU roam pass and roaming pass.

used Skype to phone free phone number - 10 years since I last used that - and 20 minutes later all sorted. EU roam removed and texts started flowing!

something for EE to fix in a more robust way

Re: EE Roaming in USA

Leanne_T — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 08:47:57 GMT

Thanks for coming back and letting us know @kneeoerica

Hope you have a lovely time 🙂

Leanne.

Re: EE Roaming in USA

bristolian — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 09:21:40 GMT

Sounds like you had EU-only roaming.

Billing add-ons don't have anything to do with roaming permissions - that's the cause of a majority of roaming queries to this forum.

Re: EE Roaming in USA

kneeoerica — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 09:42:22 GMT

That is not correct in this case. I had set it up correctly from my end.

both passes were active. I could use data but not calls in USA. Deactivating the EU roam pass sorted the issue.

the roaming pass had been set up and activated before I travelled but we have EU roam ready to go on the account. It was the same problem with my son in Australia who is on the same account.

if I had only EU roaming active I would not have been able to use data services without charges. Moreover, when the account was sorted I received the text fr EE telling me I was okay to use my mobile in USA from my allowance.

Re: EE Roaming in USA

bristolian — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 10:17:15 GMT

@kneeoerica wrote:

both passes were active. I could use data but not calls in USA. Deactivating the EU roam pass sorted the issue.

the roaming pass had been set up and activated before I travelled but we have EU roam ready to go on the account. It was the same problem with my son in Australia who is on the same account.

Which specific EU roaming pass did you have? Must've been a very old one to not be the "Roam Abroad" or "Roam Further" pass that EE have sold for many years now.

Hardly a day goes by on this forum that someone doesn't enable roaming but purchases a billing add-on and then wonders why they don't get coverage abroad. Billing add-ons do not, of themselves, enable roaming - and without this, you won't connect to foreign networks. That causes lack of coverage with the resultant consequences.

Having yours resolved is the main thing.

Re: EE Roaming in USA

Julieanneshe — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 10:46:45 GMT

He only has one phone with him. I don't understand your comment.

Re: EE Roaming in USA

Leanne_T — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 10:59:50 GMT

Hi @Julieanneshe

If your son has no access to any other phone to see if the SIM is working in a different device, could he try going into settings and manually searching for another network to see if he can connect?

Leanne 🙂

Re: EE Roaming in USA

XRaySpeX — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 14:15:54 GMT

EU roaming is not a pass for billing but a permission to allow you to use your device abroad.