Can't receive SMS from a Dutch mobile number

eamon1 · ‎02-01-2024

Been trying to get to the bottom of this for months.

I have an EE mobile number on a pretty basic plan (Essential SIM 2GB 12m). My son lives in the Netherlands and has two mobile numbers - his old UK number (on GiffGaff) and his new Dutch number (on Simyo)

Both of his numbers are set up on the same device (it's an iPhone). UK is a SIM card, and the NL number uses an eSIM.

If he sends me a text message using his UK number, I can receive it. I can also send messages to this number, and we can call each other.

If he sends me a text message using his NL number, it doesn't leave his phone. I can still send messages to the Dutch number, but he can't reply to them. We can phone each other on either number and it works fine. His mother is also on EE and they can text each other on either number without any problems!

He's been trying to get to the bottom of why this isn't working properly, and his Dutch phone company have told him that I need to speak to EE as they think it's a problem with my SIM card. (Because the text doesn't appear to have time to connect to any network before it fails, we don't believe this for a minute, but that's what they say!)

I've recently changed phones, so we've tried my SIM card in two devices, and the problem is exactly the same in both phones.

Is there any way that my EE contract could somehow be blocking me from receiving texts from the Netherlands, without me knowing it?

We're currently visiting him in NL for Christmas/New Year, and we won't be back for a couple of weeks so I don't really want to phone EE from here!

Any ideas what we could try would be very gratefully received!

bristolian · ‎02-01-2024

One point in your post could be crucial here..

@eamon1 wrote:

If he sends me a text message using his NL number, it doesn't leave his phone

What happens on your son's phone, to that text message? Does it say "message sent" or similar wording?

If the message is not being sent, then the issue is with the NL SIM and by extension, there is nothing for EE to pass onto your phone.

If the message shows as submitted but is not received, EE have the basis for an investigation if you can supply some example dates & times to CS.

eamon1 · ‎03-01-2024

@bristolian wrote:
One point in your post could be crucial here..
@eamon1 wrote:
If he sends me a text message using his NL number, it doesn't leave his phone
What happens on your son's phone, to that text message? Does it say "message sent" or similar wording?
If the message is not being sent, then the issue is with the NL SIM and by extension, there is nothing for EE to pass onto your phone.
If the message shows as submitted but is not received, EE have the basis for an investigation if you can supply some example dates & times to CS.

You're right, and this is exactly what we are thinking. When my son tries to send a text message, his phone immediately displays a "Not Delivered" alert with a red exclamation mark. We don't believe it has enough time to try to connect to the network before the message fails, but Simyo say they think it's something to do with my SIM or my network. At the moment, we're both in the same house while we test it, so I've seen it with my own eyes!

It also did exactly the same thing when I was at home in the UK.

As I'm not in the UK at the moment, I don't want to phone EE and risk a long time on an international call, so I thought I'd check on the forum to see if anyone had come across this problem before, and/or get some confirmation that it's not a problem with EE or my contract before we push the investigation back to Simyo.

bristolian · ‎03-01-2024

Sounds like your son is experiencing a typical tech support response where, perhaps, the scripted suggested fix isn't working and further checks will be required.

If the NL network is not accepting the message for sending, the source of the issue is self-evident. What may be causing their issue is for them to identify and either explain or rectify.

eamon1 · ‎04-01-2024

The Dutch phone company are sending a new SIM card (rather than the eSIM currently installed) so we can try using this in another phone and see if that works. I have heard of issues using iPhones and eSIMs, and although we've not been able to find anyone else in this exact situation, it's possible the eSIM is causing the problem.

Sounds like your son is experiencing a typical tech support response where, perhaps, the scripted suggested fix isn't working and further checks will be required.

^😉 I think this is exactly what's going on here!