Coverage in Oxford

[Leanne_T]

Update: 10 April 2025

For the first location, we are waiting for a decision from the council after submitting revised surveys and drawings. Pending a positive outcome from the revised surveys and drawings, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the council and start building the equipment needed for the new mast.

Our engineers are waiting for a decision from the site provider for the second location, following the appeal for planning permission. Pending a positive outcome from the appeal, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the site provider and start building the equipment needed for the new mast.

We will keep you updated on this post. 

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Update: 17 January 2025

Over the past few months, for the first location, our engineers have submitted surveys and drawings to the council. Pending a positive outcome from the revised surveys and drawings, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the council and start building the equipment needed for the new mast

For the second location, we have submitted the planning appeal and are waiting for a decision from the site provider. Pending a positive outcome from the appeal, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the site provider and start building the equipment needed for the new mast.

We will keep you updated on this post

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Update: 07 November 2024

Over the past few months, our engineers have completed the surveys at the first location and found an alternative power supply will be needed. Once a suitable power option has been found for the mast, our engineers will submit the power supply designs for approval. Pending a positive outcome from the revised designs, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the council and start building the equipment needed for the new mast. 

For the second location, our engineers have had planning permission denied and have submitted a planning appeal to the site provider. Pending a positive outcome from the appeal, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the site provider and start building the equipment needed for the new mast.

We will keep you updated on this post.

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Update: 27 August 2024

Our engineers have completed the additional upgrades to the existing masts in Oxford, and we would appreciate any feedback you have on the service since the upgrades were completed on the 25 August. The feedback will be used to show the level of coverage and capacity improvements provided from the upgrades.

Our engineers are continuing with surveys and designs at the two locations, for the permanent mast to be installed in the area.

We will keep you updated on this post.

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Update: 20 August 2024

Over the past few months, our engineers have been looking at options in the area to improve coverage as quickly as possible. We have conducted surveys on existing nearby masts and found the sites will be suitable to install upgrades.

We started the work to install the upgrades this week, and an interruption to service may be experienced until work is completed. Barring any unforeseen delays, we expect the upgrade work to be completed by the end of the week.

We will keep you updated on this post.

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Update: 24 May 2024

For the first location, our engineers are continuing negotiations with the council to complete designs for the site. Pending a positive outcome from the negotiations, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the council and start building the equipment needed for the new mast. 

For the second location, our engineers have been continuing with surveys and designs at the location to make sure the area will be suitable. Pending a positive outcome from the surveys, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the site provider and start building the equipment needed for the new mast.

Over the past few weeks, our engineers have been conducting surveys on the existing site for the upgrade work and have found the extensive work needed to complete the upgrades to the mast would not be health and safety compliant and will no longer be an option. Our engineers are looking at alternative options to improve coverage in the area as quickly as possible.

We will keep you updated on this post.

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Update: 03 May 2024

To provide the same level of coverage in the area as the previous mast, we will be progressing two permanent masts and our engineers have found two locations for new masts. Our engineers have visited multiple areas to conduct surveys and found the other areas would not be suitable for the equipment or would not be health and safety compliant.

For the first location, we are in negotiations with the council to agree the design for the site. Pending a positive outcome from the negotiations, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the council and start building the equipment needed for the new mast. 

For the second area, our engineers are completing surveys and designs at the location to make sure the area will be suitable. Pending a positive outcome from the surveys, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the site provider and start building the equipment needed for the new mast.

To improve coverage in the area as quickly as possible, our engineers will be completing upgrades on one of the existing masts in the area. The mast will need extensive work to complete the upgrades and our engineers are completing designs and surveys at the existing mast. Once the designs and surveys have been completed, we can confirm a date for the upgrades to be installed on the mast.

We will keep you updated on this post.

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Update: 19 March 2024

Over the past few months, our engineers have visited multiple locations to conduct surveys to make sure the locations will be suitable for the equipment needed for a new mast. Once the surveys have been completed and the location will be suitable, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land and start building the equipment needed for the new mast.

To improve coverage in the area as quickly as possible, our engineers will be completing upgrades on one of the existing masts in the area. These upgrades will increase coverage and capacity to Oxford.

We will keep you updated on this post.

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We are aware of a signal issue that is affecting some of our customers in the Oxford area. Our mast in the area had to be removed from the existing site at the end of January 2024, as this was requested by the landowner.

Our engineers began looking for a new location as soon as we were made aware our equipment had to be removed. We have located several areas for a new mast and are currently conducting surveys to make sure the locations will be suitable for the equipment. Pending a positive outcome and a new area that will be suitable, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the site provider and start building the equipment needed for the new mast.

We will keep you updated on this post.

We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused. In the meantime, you may be able to use WiFi Calling to make and receive calls and texts over a WiFi connection. 

For information on who can use WiFi Calling and how to set up this service, please see our Using WiFi Calling, Help page.

[871ums]

02 is number one on Oxford city centre these days, EE not really interested especially the store staff 

[BB127]

Terrible coverage in Central Oxford again in the last couple of weeks. I've had enough and will visit the EE shop in Westgate to see if I can get compensation. I basically can't use my phone! Not good. Why is it tak8ng so long? 

[ozmium]

Oxford city centre is still horrendous for coverage.  I was in the city today and my phone says I have 2 bars and 5G but I can’t make/receive calls, texts etc and use data until I leave the city centre which makes it increasingly hard to do anything especially track bus times etc.  Please fix this, I don’t want to keep paying for a phone contract I can barely use at times!

[DRIUSGRDNR]

Hi @Leanne_T ,

I can contrast the service provided in Oxford has NOT improved. It has been the same for many, many years. As you can see from the comments and replies to your posts, there has been no improvement. How do we take this issue further up the chain at EE? Or is this something I need to complain about directly with EE customer services?

It’s not fair that we’re having to pay for sub-standard service and coverage. The false advertisement on TV and on the EE coverage map has said for a long time there are no issues within OX4 and OX1. Particularly Cowley Road in Oxford there is an enormous dead spot where not even 3G or GPRS signal is available and this is a lively part of/ Oxford. 

It’s been years now and i appreciate many of this permissions issue is out of the immediate control of EE (apart from poor planning). But when, if ever are we going to see adequate EE signal in residential areas in Oxford? I had 1-2 Bars 4G signal at home and 1-2 bars 5G in the OX4 2 - - area. It’s barely enough to connect to a FaceTime call but this is. It without issues. 

I’m sorry but WiFi calling is not an adequate solution for the time that has and will elapse. I don’t pay my contract to use my WiFi. That’s what my WiFi provider contract is for. I would appreciate if you could relay here where further action can be taken on this issue. It’s in EEs best interest before people jump ship for the plan and simple fact that they can’t fully utilise the services they’re paying for in the place where they live and work. 

Thanks for keeping this post alive!

[scolasticus]

Completely agree with all the comments, also with @DRIUSGRDNR - however to add on that: The service has always been bad in Oxford, for example on Cowley Rd. However, after the mast got removed, it completely deteriorated in the city centre, and cannot be compared to the situation before. I cannot even receive/send whatsapp messages on High St anymore. It is an absolute unmitigated disaster and I honestly cannot believe how it can stay unfixed for such a long time. Please EE - do something about it! 

[freexe]

Was in Oxford this weekend (Sept '24) and the signal was horrendous still. It's completely unbelievable that there is still absolutely no reliable signal in Oxford city centre.

[EOF24]

The coverage in Oxford is still very bad. I have been with EE for more than 9 years now but considering changing provider as it is so very bad in central. Every place I go I must use their insecure WiFi network 1) Costa Queen st- before I can even access points to purchase n get rewards 2) McDonald’s Cornmarket = no signal at all so cannot use points. 3) Barclays Cornmarket- have to use their WiFi to search anything 4) Wendy’s- I must use their WIFI as well. Once upon a time I played Pokémon without limits but now that is over….. 😞

[Ldvxo]

It has now been 6 weeks since the last update and there is still zero improvement on the signal within Oxford.

The half mile between Folly Bridge and George Street is essentially one long deadspot, with maybe a 50-ft patch outside of Greggs that sometimes works (but not always).  Internal signal basically doesn't exist in the City Centre.

And I'm not just talking about 4G/5G - it's literally any and all mobile signal.

The issue has been happening since January and it's now 9 months later with seemingly zero resolution.  Surely some recompense is in the works for the unreasonable amount of time the service has been effectively unusable?

[aksooter]

Second this, there's been 0 improvements across the top of Cowley road too and just turns my phone into a brick for most of Oxford! 

EE - when are we getting an update on this?!

[dacarlo]

Has anyone else complained to Ofcom? If not I urge you to do so here https://www.ofcom.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

If there's enough weight to a complaint they'll investigate potentially. Other than moving to another provider that's pretty much all that's left for the consumers of EE service in Oxford city to do.

As can be seen here, the hollow words from EE having been ringing in our ears since the Clarendon mast was removed. https://oxfordclarion.uk/city-centre-mobile-reception-ee-says-a-fix-is-on-the-way/