Not Sure What I'm Doing Wrong

[Azura]

I'm very new to mobile phones (so please keep this in mind if giving me any advice - speak to me like I'm stupid) but thought I'd better get one as back up, for when landline is migrated to VOIP.

So I bought just a basic phone, (as only need to call and text) - Nokia 105 last week and bought a £20 subscription pack from EE. The bars which show reception are good and there are no problems with status - I checked. But it's a terrible line, keeps cutting out and I can only hear a few words out of every sentence, when I'm trying to talk to people. 

My daughter is with EE also and I tried her phone (also a basic one) and the line was clear - this was in the same place I'd been sitting, just 5 minutes after I had used mine, to the same person (on their landline). Went back to mine again (same place, same time, same person) - same terrible line. 

I thought Nokia phones were good, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. The bars which show signal are mostly full - so I don't think it's that. I have no idea. Not sure whether to buy a more expensive phone but, if I keep having the same problem - then it would be a waste of money, that I can't afford. But my daughter's phone is a cheap one (LG) and is working fine. 

Really grateful for any suggestions. 

[Christopher_G]

Hi @Azura 

Welcome to the community. We'll do our best to help. 🙂

Is it the 4G version of the Nokia 105 that you have? How is the coverage when you check your postcode on our coverage checker?

What kind of phone does your daughter use?

Chris

[bristolian]

Try swapping SIMs between your 2 phones, so your daughter's SIM in your phone, and your SIM in your daughter's phone - see if the issue follows the SIM or remains with the phone.

Does VoLTE/4G-calling display on either phone when during a call? Is there any indication of whether either phone is using 2G, 3G or 4G during a call?

The Nokia 105 supports VoLTE (4G-calling) and if this is being used, there should be minimal quality isues. Poor voice is potentially a symptom of the phone not using this, and falling back to 2G/3G instead.

Also when you say "keeps cutting out", do you mean the call drops? Or that the line remains open but incoming/outgoing audio temporarily silences?

[Azura]

Hi, thank you so much for your response. This is the phone I have - it says 4G in the description paragraph.

https://www.very.co.uk/nokia-105-2g-dual-simnbsp--charcoal/1600903184.prd?_requestid=930048&Ntt=noki...

I have checked coverage on the EE site and it says that I won't get 4G coverage with this phone, even though the phone info says I will.  It also says I won't get good 3G and not great 2G either. Even though the map shows good coverage of 4G where I live. 

My daughter's phone is also basic and LG  KU990. When I put that phone into the coverage map - it says she won't get 4G, 3G or 2G - and yet her line is clear. She's also with EE. 

I've also tried putting in the name of a more expensive smart phone I was considering - also a 4G and that says I won;t get 4G coverage with that either. 

If it wasn't for my daughter getting good service with EE, I would think that maybe it's just not good coverage in my area - but hers is fine. 

Thank you for any help.

[Azura]

Hi, thank you for your reply. 

Well, my daughter won't let me take her sim out, so can't check that. 

No, I can't see anywhere that it says 4G on any display on my phone - just the reception bars and EE. 

When I say keeps cutting out - I mean that the line stays open but the other person can barely hear me and I can only hear a few words out of every sentence, from them.  

Thank you so much for responding to me - I'm so not technically minded. 

[bristolian]

EE operate 4G across various frequency bands, some of which are reliant on 4G-calling (VoLTE) capability to work - from your description of not getting 2G or 3G in your location, I suspect you are in an area where this requirement will matter.

Key to resolving this query is not whether your phone supports 4G, but whether 4G-voice-calling (VoLTE) is enabled and working. A SIM-swap will greatly assist with this, from the sounds of it the phone's screen or menus are of limited help.

I strongly suspect the "simple" nature of your budget phone could make this problem tricky to resolve with any certainty.

[Azura]

Thank you so much for taking the time to help.

Having looked again, at the information about the phone, on the page from where I bought it - I think they have given the wrong info. I don't think it's 4G at all. But, I can't send it back now, so I'm stuck with a phone that doesn't really work. 

Really appreciate your reply.