Poor coverage in NI

[whiskerp]

Having recently been in Donegal where eir have wall-to-wall 4G plus widespread 5G (even in villages of 1000 people) and 70% population coverage nationally, coming back into Northern Ireland was quite a shock. Dreadful 4G and non-existent 5G except in Belfast (and only 50% claimed population coverage nationally). Now whilst I realise that EE is better than the other UK networks, even so UK mobile networks are awful in comparison to rural Ireland.

[Christopher_G]

Thanks for posting your experience, @whiskerp. Are you just visiting Northern Ireland or is that where you live?

Looking at the coverage map, most of the 5G is around the Belfast area and most villages and towns along the main roads are covered by indoor 4G coverage. You should be able to get outdoor 4G coverage in most of Northern Ireland.

Chris

[whiskerp]

I was visiting. But in places like Moira  coverage was hopeless. Worse than empty valleys and mountains in Donegal.

[bristolian]

Are you using a VoLTE-compatible device?

I'm not familiar with NI-specifically, but VoLTE enables access to the 4G800 "extended range" coverage layer which is often used in rural areas to improve fringe coverage.

Realistically 5G is still in comparatively early days.

[Magill]

I have to agree. The 4G service is mediocre at best. I have been with them 3 years and they are far from reliable.