Is it my phone? Is it the mast? Is it a bit of both?

Grant190492 · ‎06-06-2022

Hello to the wonderful users of the EE Community. I'm looking for some help with regards to an ongoing mobile data issue that seems to only be affecting one phone in one location...

I have a Google Pixel 6 Pro and regularly use the tethering functionality whilst I work away from home. I recently moved to a new location for a new project and have been having intermittent problems ever since. Whilst tethering or using the handset the phone will show a strong 4G signal but will be unable to load anything, typically cycling Aeroplane mode will see the 4G indicator return with the "!" Symbol indicating an issue.

Having previously worked for EE and understanding a little bit about the frequencies and network architecture I downloaded an app that identifies both the Cell ID and Frequency as with the issue being intermittent I was interested to see if the phone was switching between signals and would explain the intermittent nature. I also have another phone (work phone) that runs on the EE network as this device is not having issues.

What I uncovered was that my Pixel 6 Pro seems to favour the 1800MHz band whereas my Galaxy A32 seems to favour the 2600MHz. I must stress both phones are possibly no more than 2m apart at all times. I have been able to identify the Mast Number and Cell ID which is causing the issue and interesting my Galaxy A32 does not connect to the same Cell as the Pixel 6 Pro.

I would like to extend so questions out to the community if there is anything I can do to influence the choice of frequency band for the Pixel 6 Pro or is this an issue which needs to go straight to the operational teams on the ground to investigate further?

Christopher_G · ‎07-06-2022

Hi @Grant190492

Welcome to the community. 🙂

On some devices you're able to select whether the phone uses 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G, but I'm not aware of any way to set a preference on the frequency.

Restarting your phone may make it connect to a different mast/cell that provides a better connection.

Chris

bristolian · ‎07-06-2022

@Grant190492 wrote:

I have been able to identify the Mast Number and Cell ID which is causing the issue and interesting my Galaxy A32 does not connect to the same Cell as the Pixel 6 Pro.

I would like to extend so questions out to the community if there is anything I can do to influence the choice of frequency band for the Pixel 6 Pro or is this an issue which needs to go straight to the operational teams on the ground to investigate further?

There is no way of choosing the frequency bands your phone connects to, the whole selection criteria is set at network-level and intentionally is automatic.

While it's unusual that two phones side-by-side are selecting different serving cells, it's not impossible and I experience the same thing with 3 serving cells often competing for attention, each with multiple carriers. As long as it doesn't cause any service issues, this is perfectly normal - but it can make fault-finding tricky so well-done identifying the offending eNB!!

You will need to report this to EE for closer investigation. You can try using "check status" and then "report a problem" on the online coverage tool , but you will likely end up speaking to a a second-line support agent to make any headway here. They have a few more toolsets at their disposal.