4G Data Speeds Slowed

[Statsy]

Hi

sorry if I sound like a member of the tinfoil hat brigade, but I'm convinced that late last year EE started throttling back speeds on 4G broadband connections to start pushing people towards to 5G broadband.

my nearest mast had its software updated in November and since then our speeds have gone from 50-80mbps to 10-25mbps.

I've been with EE for years and have had various conversations with technical support.  Previously 50-80mbps was considered normal but now they state that 12mbps is considered the minimum.

Its deliberate policy & im not sure there's a lot to be done about it other than pay up.

[bristolian]

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@Statsy wrote:

my nearest mast had its software updated in November

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How did you establish this?

[Statsy]

Hi

When discussing the issue of slower speeds with EE tech support they told
me about updating my nearest mast. They mentioned it spontaneously, saying
it had been the solution to other problems & as an explanation for why that
mast had been off line for a couple of days. If they hadn't mentioned it I
would never have thought to ask.

Cheers

[bristolian]

As I suspected - code drops are a fairly routine activity on all networks, and can't be taken, of themselves, as a reason for speed issues.

[Statsy]

Hi

While I have no definitive proof, it's seems coincidental that the dramatic
speed drop occurred at the same time. In addition mast
updates/changes/repairs have been mentioned by others as contemporaneous
with other similar significant speed drops.

Now providers are pushing 5G and speed prioritised 5G services.

I don't object to the idea of providers charging more for faster speeds and
would be happy to pay but as I'm outside a 5G area I don't have that choice.

Sadly as far as I know there's no option to pay for a faster 4G service.

Thanks

Statsy

[bristolian]

Optimisation activity is often carried out contemporaneously with tech or carrier adds, and depending on the individual site config an addition can affect an existing service.

Those can be ground-level only or involve antenna changes at height. Are your speeds consistent 24/7, or is there any variation?

[Statsy]

Hi

"Optimisation" is a laughable term!

This "optimisation" caused speeds to reduce by a factor of 4!!

That doesn't sound terribly optimal to me.

Yes the speeds that were always 50-80mbps have reduced to 10-20mbps all the
time.

Thanks for your help.

Statsy

[kylie_kimm2345]

Hi everyone,

I have noticed that significant drop in my cell phones data speeds over the past week so i am here for get some advice or insight from the community; I am based in London and have been using EEs 4G service for the past two years without any major issues. My usual data speeds have always been quite good, consistently allowing for smooth streaming, quick download & responsive browsing.  last Monday I have observed a sharp decline in speed.

I have also looked into this since joining this forum https://community.ee.co.uk/t5/Mobile-Network-discussions/Re-4G-Data-Speeds-Slowed/msbi  but i was unable to find an answer for my query

Here is detail of device you can see

Device= Samsung Galaxy S21
Data Plan= Unlimited 4G
Location= Central London (near Oxford Street)
Speed Test Results= Previously around 50 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload. 
Network Status= Checked the EE coverage map and  no reported issues in my area.

Also I have tried this step.

Restarted my phone 
Removed the SIM card.
Ensured no apps are consuming excessive background data.
Checked for any software updates and installed the latest one.
Tried using my SIM in a different phone.
Reset network settings on my phone.

If there is anyone who has faced this problem and what steps they took to solve it. Anyone have suggestions for further troubleshooting steps I could take would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your help.🙏

Sincerely😊
kylie kimm

[bristolian]

Are you able to identify the EARFCN or LTE-bands in use before this issue, and after? That would enable pre & post-analysis which may identify a possible cause.

If not, the most you can do is to identify your current config and potentially add that to a "report a problem" submission from the webtool.