topic Re: Strange roaming text in Mobile Network discussions

Strange roaming text

AdrianL13 — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 20:43:15 GMT

I received the following message today:

Hi from EE, Welcome to Jersey, you'll pay £2.29 per day to use your minutes, texts and data allowance.

Calls to countries outside the EU (not including the UK) are £1.86 per min and texts 76p each. Other charges are the same as when you're in the UK.

For the best network coverage your handset must automatically select a network. To do this, choose your phone from: http://ee.co.uk/help/phones-and-device next select 'Connectivity' then 'Selecting Network'.

Call +447953966250 for Customer Services & 112 in case of emergency. Have a good trip!

This was odd as I was in Wiltshire on the UK mainland. Did anyone else get this? I’m assuming it was a network error but would like confirmation this was the case.

Re: Strange roaming text

bristolian — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 21:06:10 GMT

That's the standard welcome text message you receive when you first connect to a foreign network, and it's not unusual to receive these in border locations where your home network doesn't provide coverage but a foreign network does. In these cases the text serves as a warning that you are roaming.

Picking up a Jersey network in Wiltshire is unusual though. Where in Wiltshire were you?

If your phone shows a connection to EE-UK, there is no cause for concern.

Re: Strange roaming text

AdrianL13 — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 08:23:25 GMT

Thanks for your reply.

I've had these messages when on the south coast (Dover, or Isle of Wight) but I was at Stourhead which is 130 miles from Jersey. If the local network was unreachable then I'd be very surprised if a connection could be made to Jersey.

I've got my spending cap set to £0 so no chance of any roaming charges thankfully.

Re: Strange roaming text

Chris_B — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 09:50:29 GMT

@AdrianL13 if a local network wasn’t reachable and you receive that message then yes you made a connection to that Jersey network.

Re: Strange roaming text

MaureenJ1 — Sun, 29 Oct 2023 21:54:34 GMT

Hi I had this very same message about charges while in Jersey but I was at Stourhead National Trust.

My husband is on another network & had a similar message about EU charging. It was very odd

Re: Strange roaming text

NJL88 — Sat, 25 Nov 2023 21:48:29 GMT

This has just happened to me -

Driving through the Stourhead estate where the normal phone signal is patchy to non existent. Got home to see the welcome to Jersey message that you had plus a simimultaneous one welcoming me home! What on earth is going on for a Jersey phone signal at Stourhead! Adrian - did you get charged or get any follow up from ee?

Re: Strange roaming text

AdrianL13 — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 10:39:02 GMT

It happened to me again in October, definitely something odd going on.

I didn't get charged but I've got my spending cap set to £0 so shouldn't get any roaming charges.

There's been no official follow-up from EE.

There was a planning consultation last year for a new mast at Stourhead but nothing has come of that as far as I can tell, if it happens then hopefully EE will use the mast and stop these Jersey roaming problems.

Re: Strange roaming text

bristolian — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 15:26:01 GMT

From a search of the (not very user-friendly as LPA's go) Wiltshire planning portal, I can't see any evidence of an application for new telecoms sites around Stourhead - as welcome as better coverage would be, I rather suspect this could be contentious locally.

It's certainly unusual for a Channel Islands network to be reaching that distance, but not impossible given the right conditions.

Re: Strange roaming text

AdrianL13 — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 16:15:50 GMT

There is a little info in the Stourton PC meeting minutes, it was a pre-application consultation for telephone mast at Bonham Farm Buildings, with reference CTIL_307072. I saw the documents (maps etc) on the PC noticeboard in Stourton. It seems that since the consultation the applicant (Clarke Telecom) has not responded to any requests for further information from the parish council, however the residents in the village do want better mobile coverage.

Re: Strange roaming text

AdrianL13 — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 16:34:33 GMT

For more information see https://stourton.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Planning-Agenda-31-October-2023.pdf . This includes maps, plans for the mast, etc.

Re: Strange roaming text

bristolian — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 17:03:53 GMT

That looks like a typical SRN design tower which is capable of supporting multiple operators, albeit this proposal was only for VF & O2 initially. My distant recollection is that EE's service was reasonable at the top-end of the village but became non-existent at lower-levels.

Pre-application consultations are quite common where a full-application is not certain to be approved so is consulted on prior to submission - assuming it reaches the formal application stage.

Re: Strange roaming text

NitrogenPurged — Sun, 14 Jan 2024 15:10:29 GMT

Hey mate.

I live West Wales mate. Just got the same message today. Very strange as I'm further out.

If anything I'd expect to pick up Irish service.

Re: Strange roaming text

TomRobz — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 09:39:05 GMT

My wife and I are both on EE and keep getting messages saying welcome to Jersey and we live on Anglesey! Anyone know how to get EE to correct this issue? Thanks

Re: Strange roaming text

MaureenJ1 — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 10:13:34 GMT

We had the same at National Trust Stourhead & looks like it happens a lot (by the comments on EE Community) so I messaged EE about it. They seem totally unaware of why this happens & to be honest they just advised there had been no additional charges on my account as obviously we were in the UK. My husband is with 3 & got the same message in Stourhead.
It’s all very odd

Re: Strange roaming text

bristolian — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 14:12:03 GMT

These are the standard welcome text messages you receive when you first connect to a foreign network, and it's not unusual to receive these in locations where your home network doesn't provide coverage but a foreign network does. In these cases the text serves as a warning that you are roaming.

CS may not be aware of the unique circumstances that can cause these messages.

Re: Strange roaming text

Nette11 — Sun, 07 Apr 2024 13:09:26 GMT

I just had exactly the same message but I'm in West Wales, where I live!

Re: Strange roaming text

LisaTC — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 17:02:34 GMT

My husband and I had the same today at St David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire

Re: Strange roaming text

joinsmartymobil — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 20:18:24 GMT

it is caused by sporiadic E, occasionally the atmosphere carries signals long distances

Re: Strange roaming text

Queenoftoast — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 00:21:42 GMT

I’m also in Pembrokeshire at the moment & had this today when in St David’s 🤷‍♀️

Re: Strange roaming text

Queenoftoast — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 00:23:51 GMT

I’m presently in Pembrokeshire & have just experienced the same 🤷‍♀️