No data access in Italy

[Dan-in-stoke]

Just been to Italy for a week,Verona area and was unable to connect data roaming and mobile internet on any of the networks I could find TIM Iliad etc

I turned off my mobile, turned off and on mobile data but nothing.

The 4G signal appeared but no actual connection.

I was able to send basic txts but that was all.

I have previously been to Brussels and that flawlessly. 
I spent the whole week frustrated. Accessing the region Wi-Fi would have been great but you needed to activate via email…which I couldn’t get too !!

is this a common problem in Europe and EE ??

My friend who travelled with me uses Vodaphone and it worked flawlessly. 

[Christopher_G]

Hi @Dan-in-stoke 

Welcome to the community.

The fact you were able to use it in Belgium before means that the SIM is set up for roaming. Were you able to make calls and texts in Italy? Is it a pay as you go SIM or pay monthly contract?
Chris

[Dan-in-stoke]

It’s the same pay as you go sim I have had for years and used without issue in Belgium..the switch over to the Belgium network was automatic when I turned my phone on arrival.
Yes I was able to send txt messages. It said it was connected to the TIM network and I had a good 4G signal. I even used 150 to check my balance whilst there thinking that was the issue.

I topped up before I left. Checking my balance today, I still have most of my data allowance left (except for I bit I probably used in the Uk).

The moment I landed back in he UK it worked fine. It’s the same IPhone SE as before.

[Christopher_G]

Thanks for explaining some more, @Dan-in-stoke 

Did you have the 'roam like home' or 500MB data roaming add-on? This Pay As You Go charges for roaming in the EU help page explains the relatively new data roaming rules for pay as you go customers.

Chris

[Dan-in-stoke]

I have the £5 subscription pack which auto-renews every month.

I have £5.55 credit, 300min, 490 txt left, 461mb data.

From my account I can see 9 roaming txt messages, 4 uk txts, £5 pack purchase. Only 2 mentions of data usage, day of departure and day of return.

Didn’t get any txts from EE about Roam From Home or adding data when I arrived in Italy…

[Christopher_G]

So to use your subscription pack in the EU, you can choose to add 'roam like home' for £2.50 per day, @Dan-in-stoke. Or you can do what you seem to have done, and just pay for calls and texts whilst you're there. If you choose the second option, you won't get access to mobile data until you add the 500MB add-on for £3.

I know this doesn't help your situation for your recent Italy trip, but hopefully it'll help you for any future trips.

Chris

[Dan-in-stoke]

But I didn’t do that earlier in the year in Belgium, I just put £10 credit and added the £5 subscription.

I didn’t get the Txt about Roam From Home or any txt about adding 500mb data….why didn’t this happen ??

.before I left the UK I already had credit on my account, free minute, free texts and 400mb+ data on my account.

so are you  saying even though I had credit and data allowance already I HAVE to buy more to use abroad ??

has this changed since May ??

[Christopher_G]

The way that you use EE pay as you go plans abroad changed in June, @Dan-in-stoke.

I'm not sure why you didn't receive information about that. If you have a chat with our Mobile Care team, they'll be able to check your account.

Yes, even if you have credit, you need to pay for a roaming data add-on for your phone to connect to a mobile data network in the EU. The subscription pack is UK only, unless you pay the daily rate to use your allowances in the EU. If you pay that daily rate, you're able to use your UK data allowance too.

Pay As You Go charges for roaming in the EU | Help | EE

Chris

[Dan-in-stoke]

I rang 150 today and got a call back.
The representative checked my logs. Saw when I landed and switched over to the local network.
But couldn't see why I didn't get the Roam From Home or the 500mb add on txt.

He checked the txt logs and they were never sent.

He couldn't explain why as I should have received information on how to contact EE whilst abroad. Double checked my account settings and everything appeared normal and setup correctly.

His suggestion was to that I call EE before I go away again....doesn't fill me with much confidence.