No Service on holiday abroad

[PisaItaly]

I’m in Italy on holiday and cannot get any service. I can only use WhatsApp etc when I’m connected to the hotel WiFi. I can’t make any calls, when I try it just says ‘call failed’. I’ve done everything I can think of: Reset my phone, turned on roaming, turned the network selection to automatic, turned in wifi calling, toggled the airplane mode. I’m at a complete loss as to what to do and desperately need to make some calls home. I logged onto EE, but it just gives me phone numbers to call, which all fail. I can’t text or call any numbers. Can anyone help?

[Leanne_T]

Hi @PisaItaly 

Thanks for coming to the community. 

Are you with us on pay as you go or pay monthly? 

Leanne 🙂

[PisaItaly]

Thanks for taking the time Leanne. I’m Ona contract and pay monthly.

[Leanne_T]

Thanks @PisaItaly 

Did you text ROAMING to 150 before travelling? This would make sure your account is set up for roaming. 

Leanne.

[bristolian · Accepted solution]

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@PisaItaly wrote:

 turned on roaming

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How exactly did you do this? Using your phone abroad is called roaming, it's not a phone setting you can alter but a network-level permission - normally done by texting ROAMING to 150 before leaving the UK.

Without doing this, you cause a catch-22 situation of being abroad without a network connection - exactly the symptoms you describe.

If so, your only recourse now is to contact EE CS by another means, to request roaming is activated.

[PisaItaly]

I’m connected the the hotel WiFi to do this, but I can’t make calls. I used my friends phone to call EE on 150 and another number they gave me online, but after a long message in Italian a shorter message in English said that the number wasn’t in service. 
I think I’m going to have to give up! 

[Leanne_T]

Hi @PisaItaly 

Thanks for coming back to us. 

To activate roaming when abroad you would need to get in touch with our customer care team. Please see our Contact EE page for contact numbers you can call from any other phone. 

Leanne.