New sim not detecting network

[Evergardening]

I've just got a new Android 10 Go phone and an EE sim but it's not detecting a network.

I live in a very remote area and the only available band is 4g-LTE, we can't even get plain old 4g and I know the single can be received at my location.

I've checked the settings, tried my sim in a phone that I know can receive the signal but it doesn't with my sim.

I've tried the sim, also EE, from that phone in my phone and it works, so I know it's not my phone at fault.

My phone is identifying the sim correctly, so I know it's been put in properly.

Any suggestions?

[Christopher_G]

Hi @Evergardening

Welcome to the community. We'll do our best to help.

Is it a pay monthly or pay as you go SIM? Did you get it as part of an upgrade to an existing number or is it a brand new SIM with a new number?

Chris

[Evergardening]

Thanks for the reply 🙂

It's a new pay monthly sim with a new number for a new phone.

[wardi]

Hi Evergardening.. How long have you had the phone and sim?  It can take up to 24 hours for the sim to activate from new.

[Christopher_G]

Thanks @Evergardening. 

Does the SIM work in a different phone? Where did you buy your new phone from? Did you buy the SIM separately?

Chris

[Evergardening]

The sim has been in (and briefly out of) the phone since Saturday and the phone has been on. It doesn't detect any signal at all.

[Evergardening]

No, sim doesn't work in a phone, that normally has an EE sim and can get a signal here. The EE sim from that phone works in mine, so I know the phone isn't the problem.

Both phones were bought through Amazon.

[Leanne_T]

Hi @Evergardening

Thanks for coming back to us.

I would suggest getting in touch with our Tech Gurus, they can check the SIM card is registered and if needed they can send you a replacement SIM card.

Let me know how you get on 🙂

Leanne.

[Evergardening · Accepted solution]

Hi again, I followed your advice and talked to tech person over chat and they referred the problem up. Unfortunately they were unable to contact me because they were only given the number of the sim that doesn't work and not the alternate number.

However today the problem has been resolved by simply crossing the mountain (that sounds really dramatic!) where I picked up another cell tower that has both 4g and 4g-lte and to my surprise the sim still worked when I got home.

Thanks for all the advice and I hope this helps should anyone else encounter the same weird problem.

[Evergardening]

A little background that be helpful to others in remote areas; we live on a remote loch which is surrounded by mountains and it's always been something of a mobile black spot but about five years BT erected a cell tower as part of the Emergency Services Network scheme. At first it was only available to them but following protests it was opened up to the public.

That's why it only uses the LTE-A 800mhz band and the only networks available are BT Mobile and EE. Also why you need a relatively modern phone to get a signal.

That doesn't explain why I couldn't activate the sim, nor why EE LTE data routers don't work round here but it might be useful to anyone else living in a very remote place with poor broadband, the chances are with over 500 of these ESN towers having gone up, an EE signal maybe available.