Coverage in Wheatley

[Leanne_T]

Update: 18 March 2025

Over the past few days, our engineers have fitted the replacement part needed for the new mast and integrated the mast onto the network. The mast is now on-air restoring full coverage to Wheatley.

We will continue to monitor performance in the area.

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Update 28 February 2025

Over the past few weeks, our engineers have built the equipment needed for the new mast and accessed the area this week to complete the activation. We have found during the activation a piece of equipment was faulty, and a replacement part will be required to activate the mast onto the network. Once we have received the part needed, we can confirm an approximate on-air date for the new mast

We will keep you updated on this post.

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Update: 08 February 2025

Over the past month, our engineers have been working with the landowner to arrange a date to access the area and start building the equipment needed for the new mast. Barring any unforeseen delays, we expect to access the area and start building the equipment in the next few weeks and the mast to be on-air by the end of February.

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 Wheatley area. Our mast in the area had to be removed from the existing site during December 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.

Our engineers have completed surveys and designs at one location, and found the area will be suitable for the equipment. We are currently working with the landowner to access the area and start building the equipment needed for the new mast. Pending a positive outcome from the negations, we can start building the equipment 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 our Using WiFi Calling, Help page.

[Leanne_T]

Hi @Mel1286 

I am sorry you are experiencing signal issues in the area since the mast has been on-air.

You can report any service issues on our Service Status Checker, and the network team will get this looked into and keep you updated either by email or text.

If you would like to discuss the service further, please call us on 150 and our tech guides will help you further. 

[Wheatleyox2005]

Hi Leanne_T

Thank you for keeping us updated on this, but it seems the service with the new mast is significantly worse than what it used to be with the old one. Current indoor download speeds less than 1 mbs. Until November 2024 used to be more than 40 mbs. Nowadays only 1 bar reception and for some odd reason it shows 5G although it was confirmed by your colleagues over the phone there is no 5G in Wheatley. It’s very difficult for me to use EE in Wheatley currently. 

Unfortunately if not sorted prior to Easter next month may have to leave EE and I didn’t want to end this way.

Best wishes!

[Leanne_T]

Hi there @Wheatleyox2005 

Thanks for coming back to the community. 

You can report the service issues you're experiencing on our Service Status Checker, and the network team will get this looked into and keep you updated either by email or text.

Leanne.

[jack_c85]

Hey @Wheatleyox2005 

Not gloating or suggest you’re wrong in any way but just to report I have had the complete opposite and my signal is better than it’s ever been at home in Wheatley… 5G too! 

@Leanne_T am I right to assume that our differing experiences are as a result of the mast no longer being situated in the same location? Makes sense I guess!? 

One other thing I would like to report whilst I have the floor… I messaged in early January using the chat function in the EE app regarding this prolonged outage and was informed compensation would be available (wasn’t what I was asking about but was informed of this anyway). I was told it would be better to wait until the issue was resolved, which I did. When contacting for compensation following resolution of the outage I was informed they could only compensate for 1 month as that is policy and I should have contacted each month during the outage. I explained I had been advised the complete opposite and after some back and forth reluctantly agreed to 2 months as a “good will gesture”! As I mentioned, I wasn’t really interested in compensation as these things happen but as it was offered I thought I’d take it up as it has been pretty inconvenient. My main issue was with the way the mismatched communication was handled! The agent on the phone had no visibility of the chat and therefore was saying it was his word against mine. I offered to provide a transcript of the chat via email which he declined!

I’ve been with EE for years and felt the way I was treated was absolutely disgusting. If the person on the chat gave wrong information then that is something for EE to deal with internally and ultimately not my problem. Given I had the evidence that this communication had happened in my chat history in the EE app suggests it’s on a system somewhere in EE and with some effort could surely have been made available to the agent on the phone!? 

When issues arise, which we all know they do, it’s all about how loyal customers are treated which keep them loyal… this has certainly tarnished my view of EE and I was left thoroughly disappointed. 

[bristolian]

Replacement sites are very often in a different location to the original one, and the antennas will often be at a different height too - by nature of being unable to exactly replicate the original.

Thus the exact coverage pattern will have changed - better for some, potentially worse for others. EE are quite open about site-replacement scenarios compared with other networks. I've never known VF or O2 announce such things on their community forum, for starters.

[ljscwheatley]

Hi there @Wheatleyox2005  Thanks for coming back to the community. You can report the service issues you're experiencing on our Service Status Checker, and the network team will get this looked into and keep you updated either by email or text. Leanne. 

Is what you write.

BUT. Try the service status checker - go on I dare you - and this is what you get 

This service isn’t working right now

Please try again later or contact us for support.

And it has been like this for many many days.

Just another indicator of poor EE service. Chief one, of course, is that the new signal - whilst better then it was mid-Dec to early Mar (when it was simply non-existent!) - is  still pretty hopeless.  So hopeless it is a total waste of time having my EE Smart Hybrid in place 'cos it shows a a pretty unusuable one bar of "strength".

The good news for me is that this farago of signal nonsense has now gone on so long enough  I am now out of contract. Yippee! 

[Leanne_T]

Hi there @ljscwheatley 

Thanks for coming back to me. 

The service checker is working for me when logged into my EE account. 

If you're getting this error message, please give us a call and the team can get the service checked for you. 

Leanne. 

[Wheatleyox2005]

Hi everyone. 
please enter under “check ee coverage”  let say Wheatley post office postcode OX33 1XP.

Are you seeing the 4G coverage I am seeing? At present it shows central Wheatley  high street has no 4G coverage. 
I have been told by EE Wheatley has no 5G mast so if any 5G bars are showing not from Wheatley that’s why download speeds remain poor.
Although at particular areas/homes somehow the coverage may have improved, Wheatley coverage seems worse.

I think it’s easy for EE staff to check this as reported by EE map itself.

Thanks

[jack_c85]

 

 Hey @Wheatleyox2005 

You’ll see from the attached, my rough location and speed test both with a 5G signal in the top right corner of my screen. I’m not sure who you spoke to but rather than trusting their call centre and coverage map I would suggest a stroll through the village as my findings are very different to what you are experiencing. 

As I mentioned in a previous post… before the mast relocation I had one bar of 4G signal indoors as a maximum… I now have 3 bars of 5G. This only happened since the new mast went live. During the outage I had no signal at all. 

[jack_c85]

@Leanne_T is this the EE customer service way now… didn’t fancy replying to my message, no? Apply the “just ignore him, he’ll go away” protocol… poor form backing up my already poor experience.