Data issues in Dubai

[Firsttimer2025]

Hi

just come home from Dubai where I was getting increasingly irritated with EE.  

EE have recently changed the roaming rules in Dubai / UAE and now if you pay a daily or weekly amount you can access your UK DATA, minutes and texts.   
I paid quite happily and found that for the first couple of days it all worked but then discovered that the data wasn’t working properly.   For example it would access FB fine but wouldn’t download the pictures same with Instagram .  If I was trying to google something I would be awarded with the circle going round and round and then it would say not connected  and so on.   I do not have a 5g account as it’s old and I’m out of contract . I do not have a data cap.  I continuously turned it on and off ..  to see if it worked! I  have an iPhone 16pro 
My husband who does have a 5g account with EE has no issues.   
Posting here to see if anyone has had similar issues before I complain !! 
In the end I got so frustrated I bought a 5g data esim and just used my EE number for calls and text message

thank you 

[Schockwave]

Hello @Firsttimer2025 ,

Welcome to the community,

Did you do a manual search for a network? This might have made a difference. Not sure what you expect EE to do, as that is another country and network, nothing to do with EE.

Sorry that you had this problem, but usually there is wifi you can use in buildings, so that you can download images etc, which means you do not have to pay for data, which is what I do when data is not included, to save money.

[ukms]

Other than a network issue which has been mentioned. Do you know how much data you had consumed? Even though you may not have a data cap in the UK there is a fair use policy when you roam. 

[bristolian]

Having a 5G-plan, which is presumably what you refer to as a "5G account", is of limited relevance abroad.

Manually swapping between local networks should always be one of the first things to try - it is an easy way to prove whether the issues are (more likely to be) local or EE-accounyt related.

[Firsttimer2025]

Hi . Thanks for your replies .   
1.  Yes did do a manual search for networks and it was only picking up the one .    Husband did the same just to see and he was only picking up the one as well.   
2, Couldn’t use the WiFi as at some times I was working and we’re not allowed to use unsecured networks… I only used social media and Google as examples .   
3.  On the T & C for the roaming pass there is no mention of fair use just that you can use all your data allowance until it expires or runs out .   I had around 20gb left at the start of the holiday and used around 8gb by the time I got to my billing date which was around halfway through and on checking my usage today I’ve used another 5gb since then.   So I don’t think there is a fair usage issue.    My husband who has the 5g plan was streaming regularly and used a lot more than me .   We have a family plan so I can check both.   
4.   I was going to moan at EE because as far as I was concerned we both paid individually for the roaming plans .    We’d sit side by side he’d be streaming on a full signal on the same network but even though mine was showing as full signal I couldn’t download anything ! Only diff was he was on 5g and I was on 4g.  Our settings were exactly the same as we had also checked as I started thinking I’d done something wrong . !! As normal we had switched off automatic mobile data on anything we weren’t using to ensure we wouldn’t go over our allowances. 

[ukms]

It doesn’t sound as though the fair use policy applied to you but for future reference there is one, it’s contained within  here. https://ee.co.uk/content/dam/ee-help/Help-PDFs/EE-pay-monthly-plans-TCs-from-18-April-2023.pdf

It’s unusual in Dubai to pick up only 1 network as the 2 networks both have blanket coverage unless you were very remote somewhere. Out of interest which network did you use ? 

It’s certainly worth escalating to EE as there maybe something on the back end. That said I wouldn’t hold my breath 😃… 

As a side issue you mention about your work only allowing secure networks…. I wouldn’t ever assume the mobile networks are secure ! 

[Schockwave]

@Firsttimer2025 , you could always hotspot with your husband, if you are having problems getting the network to work, if all else fails, just a suggestion.