Mast Fix Rural Scotland

[Jas771]

Our village is in a very rural area. 
We all have antennas to receive an EE signal from 14 miles away over the sea. It’s always been not too bad at 20 plus mb download (some got 80 occasionally). For at least 2 months the signal is now more or less unusable. I’ve complained to EE but all they say is that they are waiting to fix the mast as they can’t get access. 
Apart from Starlink, this is pretty much our only source of internet. Businesses have been unable to take card payments and many of our older residents can’t pay bills online or even access their bank and calls are pretty much a no go.

the executive office have been really nice and helpful but it doesn’t change the fact that we are pretty much cut off most of the time now.

Theres never any movement on the issue that’s taking weeks, or maybe months at this point.

The advice given is to use call over WiFi (pointless). I’ve been given a months credit on my bill but that doesn’t really make a difference. I’m waiting for the 8 weeks and asking for a deadlock letter and refer to the ombudsman. 
in the meantime has anyone else experienced something similar and do you have any advice?

thanks

[dannocks]

I’ll take back the harsher lazy comment as the installations are things of beauty (especially the 3 one) but there’s a few factors at play here which conflict and the customer loses. 

Previous posters mention the emergency coverage and for sure, a “minimum viable product” mast (b20/Ka) will save you if you break a leg in the forest or the local polis need to check your number plate but this is a distinctly different product to the cat6 plus one Kevin Bacon sells us from his blue screen park bench. 

I get a bunch of ofcom circulars for unrelated reasons but the targets for rural Scotland are not being met (three is way behind) and my objection is that coverage is being jacked up by stealth under the cloak of low QoS coverage which is also being subsidised by our tax pound. There is no distinction between the two products when it comes to how the networks report it to ofcom and if I’m a CTO with targets to meet I’ll use the fastest way to get there (no wayleave negotiations or digging and who cares about a diesel generator pumping fumes and noise 24/7). we know the landowners who would need to be spoken to for power and cabling and they haven’t even been approached. 

So my point is we all pay for Kevin Bacons view of the world but we aren’t all getting it and in some cases it’s being taken away as our phones are not smart enough to know the best signal is not always the most useful when one of these MVP masts pops up. The only happy people are the folks in high visibility vehicles and the board of directors as one of the previous posters pointed out they couldn't even accept a credit card. 

[bristolian]

Some amusing comments!! 3 was indeed very late meeting their SRN targets, O2 & VF only just ahead. EE were, indeed are, significantly ahead, helped by their additional obligations under ESN.

The motivation & approach to rural coverage also varies wildly between the 4.