Temporary signal cut outs

[Chaosky]

Hi there,

I have a rather peculiar issue with signal loss that has been happening for a couple of years now over multiple devices, so I'll explain as best as I can:

Multiple times throughout the day the internet data on my phone (currently s23 ultra) will simply stop working for 20 -30 seconds (sometimes longer) now my phone will say it still has signal, and the drop outs ALWAYS occur when my phone is telling me I have 2 bars of 4g signal. (Sometimes on 2 bars of 5g signal too) This happens anywhere I am, at home, out and about etc, anytime aswell. So in essence, the phone is basically lying.

Now this is where things get interesting. I had the exact same problem with my previous phone (galaxy s21) anytime, any place. I changed the SIM card several times, eventually using an esim, so that doesn't seem to be the problem. Issues immediately hopped from the s21 to my now s23 ultra

Not connected to any WiFi, no apps running in the background, virus free, and no strange/unusual apps installed etc. Restarting my phone does fix the issue, for about 30 mins to an hour then the issues return, so not a practical fix

I've made multiple 'problem reports' to EE about network issues, each one replying 'there seems to be no problems'  so I'm at a loss for what to do now

I do use the phone for online gaming, (tethered, not hotspotting) which you can imagine with the random signal losses it becomes frustrating as hell, even watching videos becomes a buffering fest.

Any help appreciated 

[Chaosky]

Just to add to my ever intriguing problem, switching airplane mode on then off gives me maximum 5g signal!... For about 10 minutes then straight back to 2 bars of 4g - cutting out etc. What the hell is going on?

[Leanne_T]

Hi @Chaosky 

Thanks for coming to the community. 

I am sorry to hear you experiencing this issue, I would suggest getting in touch with our tech gurus, they will be able to get this looked into for you in more detail and let you know next steps to get this sorted. 

You can find ways to contact us on our get in touch page here.

Thanks. 

Leanne.

[bristolian]

It would be interesting to see the output from a signalling app in your case, to see how the various carriers are being prioritised on your serving sites.

[Chaosky]

How many I go about doing that? (willing to entertain any idea/share any info at this point)

[bristolian]

My last post was perhaps a tad unfair - EE operate 4G across 4 different frequency bands (B1, B3, & & B20), with 5G-NR having a similar setup. With some understanding of the radio side, you can potentially identify which carriers your phone is using when these dropouts happen.

That could potentially be useful when you're reporting the issues to CS, which is what I would recommend your persisting with.