5G and Signal Issues since switching to ESIM!

[Nh84]

I've just switched to a new ESIM and have dreadful 5G issues and signal. I had perfect usage on my physical sim so I know it's not the local coverage in my area. Data is so slow now and half the time I have no Internet at all. Calls also keep dropping in and out and cutting off due to loss of signal. Anyone else had this? How did you resolve it?

Thanks

[bristolian]

Is your phone totally losing all coverage when calls drop? Or is it dropping from 5G down to 4G?

Are these issues location-specific?

Out of interest, what was the reason for wanting an eSIM?

[Nh84]

It varies, sometimes it drops to 4 or 3g, other times completely lose all signal. Also have no bars on the phone signal icon either. 

Not location specific at all. At home, in the car, gym, work, holiday in a completely different location - all the same.

Switched to Esim after a text from EE saying I'd get even better 5G in more locations! Total rubbish.

[bristolian]

There's a few bits in there! EE haven't had a 3G network since late 2023 so if your phone is seeing 3G something's going wrong!

I suspect your text message was probably alluding to 5GSA which does open up support for VoNR. That means you've got  variables - the change of SIM and likely use of 5GSA compared with NSA previously. If your SIM was pre-2021, then a newer pSIM would also achieve the same ends.

Losing coverage completely probably explains the dropped calls - does the phone regain 4G/5G service of its own accord when this happens?

[Nh84]

Hi,

That sounds very technical! 

My psim was donkeys years old so I suspect that yes, a new psim would have done the same.

The signal does come back by itself after a few minutes, although depending where I am, the data doesn't come back. For example if I'm in the gym & the data has gone slow & nothing loads then it doesn't get better till I go outside. (I never had a problem at the gym until I switched to the esim).

[bristolian]

I'll try making some of this a little easier to digest. This post might be long, but hopefully is worth it.

2G, 4G & 5G are all radio access technologies, in other words, ways that your phone can access a radio network. Traditionally, neither 4G nor 5G support voice calls so various techs exist to make that work. At a basic level, CSFB (circuit-switched-fallback) allows for a 4G or 5G phone to fallback to 2G for calls - it's not ideal but is always available as a worst-case option.

VoLTE allows for voice-calls over 4G, VoNR allows voice calls over 5G. 5G comes in two variants - "Standalone" (SA) where your phone is connected to 5G-solo whenever it's available and is only using 4G when there's no 5G. "Non-Standalone" (NSA) means it's always connected to a 4G signal and just tacks on 5G when available.

I suspect your old SIM was only compatible with 5G-NSA and thus was falling back to 4G/VoLTE for calls. You have changed SIMs, and I suspect now using 5GSA/VoNR. Thus when your calls drop, part of troubleshooting is to ascertain why...

1: Is your phone is falling off 5G & reverting to 4G?

2: Is your phone is losing coverage entirely?

Data not working does suggest to me that your phone might be falling down to 2G, and it's restoring when 4G or 5G is reselected. I'd be tempted to suggest changing back to a physical SIM, which would be compatible with 5GSA/VoNR - and see whether the problems persist. But otherwise, keep a log and report it via the usual channels.

Edited to add that, I suspect, the problems are more radio-side than SIM-side, and that a SIM-change will just rule that out. It would also be interesting to know whether you're using iOS or Android - which has since been asked.

[Nh84]

Thank you so so much for the explanation and recommendation. I think I actually understand it more now.

I'll get on trying to switch back to physical SIM & fingers crossed it works.

Thanks again 🙂

[Chris_B]

@Nh84  On what device?