New mast has signal but no connectivity

[4wd]

We generally have no phone signal whatsoever but where there was a 'just usable' signal that has now been swamped by a new mast (finally!) turned on.
Only it seems to be putting out a carrier with no connectivity.
So we are worse off than before it started up.
Is this normal, I hope it will  start working properly in hours not days or weeks.
Or maybe it's faulty - there is no way to ask simple questions like that apparently.
YO21 2DG
 

[bristolian]

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@4wd wrote:

It's the new ESN network the trouble is so far as phones are concerned it is still EE so you can be in the ludicrous situation of having the EE (forbidden) network overpower a usable but weaker EE signal you could have used.

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There are not 2 separate signals though. It's the exact same radio network, just a different core network. There's no "overpowering" involved. Every single EE radio site has the exact same setup - including "the usable but weaker" signal that you refer to.

Edited to comment that I've moved your post from the thread you'd added to, discussing the double-entry for EE in a manual network search, back to your original thread. Previous posts in that thread explained how all EE's sites effectively connect to 2 core networks - the commercial one, and ESN. ESN devices connect to the exact same radio layers as you & I. As a result, you're misunderstanding to state that the forbidden MNC is overpowering the allowed one.

At the very least you could do very well by testing your site with an EE PAYG SIM. That will rule out an MVNO issue, and also give you an open door to report problems to EE, if they persist.

[4wd]

Other people visiting and live nearby have EE phones that no longer work at all too, this is clearly a serious problem if you are in a low signal area but they helpfully install an emergency services EE mast.
I have no idea why the preferred response is to suggest my google pixel phone must have something wrong with it and what I describe is clearly impossible.
It's the same patronising attitude I get from EE all the time where they think they can fob you off with half truths and misinformation.
If they'd explained what the new mast they installed here would do I would not have let them install it.

[4wd]

At this location the only nearby mast is ESN and since it was turned on the more distant public EE mast is overpowerd by the nearby one that only has EE (forbidden) ESN on it.
In some locations you can still do manual network scan and it shows the full power (forbidden) network and the weaker distant EE mast signal. You can select the distant mast and make a call but for some reason 4G no longer works.
Most places nearby all you see when scanning is EE(forbidden) it doesn't have public EE on it and probably won't for years yet but it is supposed to be an SRN mast.
They are just hopelessly slow at doing anything originally the Airwaves network it replaces was supposed to be turned off by 2017 and the ESN with 4G complete so they are about 9 years behind schedule despite cutting corners like leaving public EE of this one.

[bristolian]

No-one is suggesting your Pixel phone is the cause of the issue, nor have there been any untruths or misinformation in this thread thus far. The complication remains that you are not an EE customer and thus not in a position to report an issue. If other EE users have visited this location and have problems, clearly they are - and should do so. Have they?

There is some misunderstanding regarding ESN and how the "full power" site is swamping the "weaker distant" site - but this is only resolved by having a technical understanding of how MCC/MNC work operate on the radio interface. Commercial EE SIMs will only connect to radio carriers identifying as 234-30. Under MOCN you can also have radio modules broadcasting multiple MNC.

Depending which MVNO you're using, not all have access to the B20-800Mhz layer, it's quite possible that's partly at play here. The 800Mhz layer requires a VoLTE SIM & device combination, and there can be complications when one of those is not present.