topic Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity in Mobile Network discussions

New mast has signal but no connectivity

4wd — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 17:51:06 GMT

We generally have no phone signal whatsoever but where there was a 'just usable' signal that has now been swamped by a new mast (finally!) turned on.
Only it seems to be putting out a carrier with no connectivity.
So we are worse off than before it started up.
Is this normal, I hope it will start working properly in hours not days or weeks.
Or maybe it's faulty - there is no way to ask simple questions like that apparently.
YO21 2DG

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

bristolian — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 08:33:16 GMT

Can you explain what you mean by "putting out a carrier with no connectivity"? Call, text & data testing are part of the new site commissioning process.

What carriers are you seeing from this new site?

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

4wd — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 13:35:39 GMT

Whereas before we had usable patchy but very weak signal there is now five bars but no connectivity at all.
The mast is 'on' but not connected and is making things worse as it's obliterating what little signal we had previously from a more distant mast.

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

bristolian — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 13:43:59 GMT

Let's try to establish what exactly you mean by "no connectivity", given that calls, texts & data testing are all part of a site being tested before brought live.

What happens if you try to make a call? What happens if you try sending a text message? What happens if you try to use mobile data? (I suspect it's mobile data you're referring to, but all the more reason to ask about calls & texts)

Your mention one site obliterating another, a phone is meant to attach to the sector with the best RX so it's doing as designed, in that respect. How long have these symptoms been evident?

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

4wd — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 14:18:03 GMT

You can't do anything with the 'strong' signal because the mast has no connectivity to the network, they are apparently delaying turning it on properly for unexplained reasons.
There is no 4G, no calls and no text.
It is five bars of nothingness 😖

The mast has been there for nearly two years while they invent excuses to not activate it.
I know the phones select the strongest signal.
Which is this one with no connectivity.
It started last Friday when they came out to 'turn it on' (finally) only all they have turned on is a signal with no connectivity.
Either this is fairly normal peculiar way to do it or its faulty and ought to be reported but I don't know how to report it.

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

bristolian — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 14:30:10 GMT

You mention the site has no 4G, but you have signal? Is the site providing 2G coverage?

2G only service would explain a lack of mobile data, but calls & texts should be fine. That's also unusual, the phone should normally prefer a week 4G signal over a strong 2G one.

Fault reporting is on "check status" of https://ee.co.uk/help/mobile-coverage-checker in the first instance.

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

4wd — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 16:09:10 GMT

The mobile checker is entirely useless it always says we have usable signal when we don't.
It isn't designed to show problem areas in real time.
No 2G service exists anymore surely, well I know they don't put 2G only on a new mast that would be silly.

The phone actually says connected to a 4G signal but with an explanation mark because it doesn't have any connectivity to the rest of the network - because the mast does not appear to be properly activated yet.
Then nothing whatsoever works because it's five bars of nothingness,
I don't know how many different ways there are to say the same thing.

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

Rach_H — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 18:06:56 GMT

Are you able to use the 'Report a problem' option on the Coverage Checker, so our team can take a look into what is happening @4wd?

Have you spoken with our Technical experts about the issues you've been having?

Rach

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

bristolian — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 18:19:49 GMT

I must be honest, I'm not clear on the symptoms here - but I strongly suspect terminology is the issue. I'm familiar with the new site install process, and some of the pitfalls that can happen. But this one's unusual, so I'm trying to understand.

You mention the coverage checker not being designed to show coverage in real-time, which sounds like you've used the "check coverage" option rather than the "check service status" option which does.

You repeatedly mention having five bars but no 4G. In technical terms this would indicate you're getting coverage from another "G", most likely 2G. What I suspect you're saying, but you've not yet confirmed despite a few attempts at prodding, is that you've got 4G coverage showing but no mobile data. Is that correct?

And if so - what happens when you try making a call or sending a text? I did ask earlier in the thread, but you've still not answered.

You mention having an exclamation mark on your phone-screen - can you post a screenshot of this?

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

4wd — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 18:42:20 GMT

I can't speak with anyone at EE or report anything at EE because my phone uses EE network but isn't on an EE contract.
We don't have a signal from any network to make it worthwhile.

There's a new mast which was switched on last Friday the antennas on it are putting out a strong signal as it is really close by but it has no connectivity. You can turn off wifi and it shows connected to 4G but nothing whatsoever is usable because the mast is not linked to the network.
To make matter worse where we did have weak usable signal that has now been lost under the useless signal from the new mast.

What it needs is someone to look at the mast in YO21 2DG and say Oooh that one isn't working properly or Oh dear that one still won't be turned on properly until 1st April because of our secret reasons.

I did kind of hope to get some useful suggestions or information ideally from someone at EE not have a string of posts suggesting I'm an idiot or what I describe is impossible.

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

bristolian — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 19:06:15 GMT

@4wd wrote:

I can't speak with anyone at EE or report anything at EE because my phone uses EE network but isn't on an EE contract.

Are you on EE PAYG? You can contact EE CS on 07953 966150 if so - you need not have to call from an EE phone, it can be any working phone.

Or are you with another MVNO piggyback provider? If the latter, you need to contact them - EE cannot assist as you are not their customer, and the status checker won't accept submissions from non-EE users.

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

4wd — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 19:20:47 GMT

"EE can't assist because I aren't their customer"
Except their mast is in my field and my phone uses EE.
This is typical of unhelpful patronising EE though.
I know that if I contact the company my phone is on they will get no sense from EE either.
It's nothing they are doing - it's EE need to sort things out or at least explain what on earth is going on.
Or they could just ignore reported problems until they go away same as usual.

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

bristolian — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 19:26:05 GMT

Who is your mobile provider? To whom do you pay your bills or top-up credit?

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

Matt_124 — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 19:26:15 GMT

The only way to officially report said-problem is to contact your provider for them to register the fault with EE. There is no mechanism for a non-EE customer to log a fault with EE.

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

4wd — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 19:28:26 GMT

Not relevant or needed information.
it's one of several that use EE and therefore I'm an EE customer and my phone uses EE.
Or it would if they ever get a phone service running.
- because apparently it's impossible -

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

4wd — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 19:29:59 GMT

I'm asking if its a fault or not unheard of as a way a new mast comes on.
i.e. engineer comes out and makes the antennas live then some hours or days later it goes active on the network.

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

bristolian — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 19:34:10 GMT

If you're not using EE PAYG, or EE pay-monthly contract, then you are not an EE customer.

You are a customer of whichever MVNO provider you're using, and it is they who are responsible for all CS issues - including fault reports.

As already mentioned, there is no mechanism for non-EE customers to report faults into EE-CS directly, and neither should there be. The MVNO provider is responsible for that.

The process for installing & commissioning new sites involves numerous steps from tower build, equipment install through to integration. Testing calls, texts & mobile data using EE SIMs is part of the final stage.

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

4wd — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 19:36:51 GMT

Great way to dodge any helpful answer by pretending no response can be given about a non-functioning mast because somebody else has to ask about it.
Well done mission accomplished it is plainly pointless posting anything further here.

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

bristolian — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 22:49:24 GMT

@4wd wrote:

Great way to dodge
Well done mission accomplished it is plainly pointless posting anything further here.

Despite numerous attempts to enquire about some of the specific symptoms, there's still several unknowns here - and the MVNO factor was only mentioned later in the thread. That introduces the potential for an account-level or config issue with the MVNO.

I'm intrigued by this case, but there's simply too many variables to advise further. EE users should be reassured that when a new site or technology (i.e. new 4G frequency/band, 5G addition), is brought live, there is full call testing onsite followed by a period of performance monitoring.

Re: New mast has signal but no connectivity

4wd — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 18:18:16 GMT

It's the new ESN network the trouble is so far as phones are concerned it is still EE so you can be in the ludicrous situation of having the EE (forbidden) network overpower a usable but weaker EE signal you could have used.
Since they switched a new ESN mast on here we no longer have any usable signal.
I can hardly believe they think this is a reasonable approach.
A sort of work around is disable automatic network selection and select the weaker EE option that isn't (forbidden).
In practice I find it keeps jumping back and also you can only use voice calls no 4G.
Here this is basically all we have so not much use well done EE.