Poor signal coverage in Ferrybridge

KFC2023 · ‎25-10-2023

I would like to express my dissatisfaction about the poor signal coverage in my area. I checked the EE coverage map at https://coverage.ee.co.uk/coverage/ee before switching to EE and it showed 5 bars for 4G and 3 bars for 5G in my postcode WF11 8JY. However, after I swapped to EE, I only got 1-2 bars for 4G and no 5G signal at all, whether I was indoors or outdoors. I also restarted my phone several times but it did not help. It's so hard for me to make any calls and the internet was extremely slow. I had no such problems when I was using Vodafone. I tried to report this problem through the ‘report a problem’ feature on the website, but the customer service replied that everything was fine, which is clearly not true. I am very frustrated and disappointed with this level of service.

Leanne_T · ‎25-10-2023

Hi @KFC2023

Thanks for coming here.

I am very sorry to hear you are having signal problems.

Does this happen in another area?

Do you know anyone else on EE with the same problem?

Leanne 🙂

bristolian · ‎25-10-2023

The onscreen bars are only a rough guide, as is the online coverage map. Different phones can also give different indicated bars for the exact same coverage, so that alone should not be any cause for concern. Also the indicated bars can sometimes vary depending which 4G band you are connected to - something the online coverage prediction may well generalise.

Are you having any difficulties using your phone for calls, texts or mobile data? Can you be more specific about what "hard to make any calls" means? Does your phone display the VoLTE/4G-call indicators?

KFC2023 · ‎27-10-2023

Hi Leanne,

Thanks for your reply. I am fine in another area, so it seems that the problem is only in Ferrybridge so far. I don’t know anyone else on EE, so I can’t compare with anyone.

KFC2023 · ‎27-10-2023

Thank you for your reply. I understand that the onscreen bars are only a rough guide, but I feel that there is a big discrepancy between the guide and the real life experience. For example, I have never experienced 5G signal in my area, even though the online coverage map shows that it is available.

I am using Samsung S22 ultra, which is a very advanced phone, and I did not have such problems when I was using Vodafone. My friend who has a Samsung phone has no issue at all with Giffgaff network, so I wonder why there is such a difference.

The poor signal affects my phone usage a lot. My phone displays VoLTE/4G-call indicator, but my friends and relatives can hardly hear me when I make or receive calls. It also takes a very long time to load any web page or use any online service. This is very frustrating and inconvenient for me.

Leanne_T · ‎27-10-2023

Hi @KFC2023

Have you selected 'check status' on the coverage checker to see if we have any problems reported for the area?

Leanne.

bristolian · ‎27-10-2023

@KFC2023 wrote:

I am using Samsung S22 ultra, which is a very advanced phone, and I did not have such problems when I was using Vodafone. My friend who has a Samsung phone has no issue at all with Giffgaff network, so I wonder why there is such a difference.

Vodafone & O2 (who Giffgaff piggyback from) are different networks to EE. Every network places sites in different locations, and even when they're on the same structure, the antennas may be at different heights and/or at different bearings. All of which contributes to why different networks have varying levels of coverage both nationally and in specific areas.

@KFC2023 wrote:

The poor signal affects my phone usage a lot. My phone displays VoLTE/4G-call indicator, but my friends and relatives can hardly hear me when I make or receive calls

This should be reported as a fault, which can be done initially via the "report a problem" section of the status checker, and failing that via CS on 150.