Coverage in St Albans

[Leanne_T]

Update: 27 November 2024

Over the past week, our engineers have completed building the equipment needed for the new mast and the mast is now on-air. We have been monitoring performance in the area since the mast went on-air, and coverage has improved in St Albans.

To restore the same level of service in the area the previous mast provided, we are progressing with a second mast. Our engineers are working with the site provider to access the second location and complete surveys to make sure the area will be suitable for the equipment. Once the surveys have been completed, we will submit these for approval to the site provider. Pending a positive outcome from the surveys, we can start building the equipment needed and confirm an approximate on-air date for the second mast.

We will keep you updated on this post.

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Update: 07 November 2024

Over the past few months, at the first location, our engineers have started building the equipment needed for the new mast. Barring any unforeseen delays, we expect the build to be completed by the end of November and the mast to be on-air by the beginning of December.

For the second location, our engineers are working with the site provider to access the area and complete the surveys needed to make sure the area will be suitable for the equipment. Once the surveys have been completed, we will submit these for approval to the site provider. Pending a positive outcome from the surveys, we can start building the equipment needed and confirm an approximate on-air date for the second mast.

We will keep you updated on this post.

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We’re aware of a signal issue that is affecting some of our customers in St Albans.

Our mast in the area had to be removed from the existing site in September 2024, due to the area being redeveloped. As soon as we were made aware our equipment would need to be relocated, our engineers began looking for a new location for the mast. To restore the same level of service in the area the previous mast provided, we will require two new masts, and have found two potential areas for replacement masts to be installed.

Our engineers have completed surveys and designs for the first location and are working with the site provider to arrange a date to access the area and start building the equipment needed for the new mast. Once the build has been completed, we can confirm an approximate on-air date for the new mast.

For the second location, our engineers have started legal steps to legally acquire the land from the site provider. Pending a positive outcome from the legal steps, we can start building the equipment needed for the new mast and confirm an approximate on-air date 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 Using WiFi Calling.

[nujumo]

I'm sorry but I find this absolutely ridiculous! EE must have known that the previous mast was being decommissioned and should have had a backup in place before the decommissioning happened.

I've been a customer of EE since they launched and I can't believe that they have dropped the ball so badly on this one. 

Given that you knew the mast was going to be decommissioned it would have been nice to have been informed of the issue. 

I have been reporting issues for over 2 weeks now and I have received nemerous emails saying there is now issues in my area. The last one was received on Tuesday 24th September. Your coverage checker is still showing good to excellent coverage in my area. But how can that be if there is no masts! Clearly some joined up thinking is required here for your company commitments. 

Can you please let me know the exact date that the mast was decommissioned? 

[JVlok]

This is the worst service I’ve ever encountered. I expect compensation every month until this is rectified. I work in St Albans and spend majority of my time there each month so I am not expecting to pay my monthly subscription with EE if I’m not getting the service I’ve been promised.

I understand that you need to find new locations for these masts but you need to keep your customers updated on when this will happen? We’ve been left in the dark with this not knowing when the situation will be rectified and this could possibly go on for months.

Very close to changing providers due to this disruption.

[RoziMike]

I recently ported my number from a different provider to EE and there is absolutely no network coverage inside my apartment. What is the expected time of completion for this installation? 

[john1stephen]

It has been nearly a month since your original post. When are you going to provide an update ?

You should be able to give us an update on the first location at least with an estimate of when it should be completed 

[Hamishjeram]

Hi Leanne,

Thank you for the update regarding the signal issues affecting some customers in St Albans. While we appreciate the efforts being made to restore the service, could you kindly provide more specific expected completion dates for both the first and second masts, including any anticipated timelines for when service will return to normal levels?

Additionally, given that some of us will be paying for the highest level of phone service, we would like to understand the process for claiming compensation due to the current poor service quality. Could you please provide details on how we can pursue compensation for the inconvenience caused by the signal disruptions?

We look forward to your response and further updates.

[Leanne_T]

Hi @Hamishjeram 

Thanks for coming here. 

To discuss your options if you are affected by the mast being offline, please get in touch with our mobile guides who can help you further.

If you have WiFi available, 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.  

Leanne.

[nujumo]

Hi @Hamishjeram,

It may take @Leanne_T , some time to get back to you. So you will need to contact EE regarding your billing to claim the compensation.

I advise that you do this every month a few days before your bill is due to be generated, as EE apparently can't /won't set something up to automate this process

Be prepared for long waits in the queue (45 mins), and waiting for the technical person to get up to speed on the fact that we don't have a mast each time (normally takes me close to an hour regardless of when I call). They will then take a while to make the refund as this can only be done in £20 increments and their systems take AGES.

Not sure if it is just me, but it isn't possible for me to use the callback service, when on WiFi calling at home, as the calls don't come through and then about 20-25mins after the callback call, I get the text message about the voicemail they have left  - which is not helpful at all.

Good luck!

[russdunkin]

I have just called EE to report the network issues I’ve been experiencing in St Albans and was directed to this discussion for more information. During the call, the agent updated my network settings, which has given me a slight improvement—now I get 1-2 bars of 4G instead of barely any 5G. However, as I live right in the centre, I’m still facing significant problems with connectivity, particularly within the city centre shops, bars, and restaurants, where I often have no network at all.

Given that EE are taking legal steps to acquire land for a new site, it sounds like this may take months to resolve. Is there anything else that can be done in the meantime to improve coverage in the area?

Thanks in advance for any further advice.

[Sophie123_12]

I am having the same problem in St Albans I am missing calls from hospitals and my children's schools.

I have been a loyal customer for over 10years. 

I reported this to EE last week and been recieving reponse's back to my email but they are not being very accommodating to the problem that we are experiencing....even to the point they tried calling me, I didn't know they did until I saw an email.

When you do take a call, it then drops out and then I have to try and call that person back, if you are on a with held number you have no chance to speak with that person again.....so frustrating.

As we are now in a difficult position as we don't know when there will be a fix to the problem!