Unable to connect to mobile network

[Bfee1]

I am currently in British Columbia and have not been able to get a mobile service on my phone for the past several days. I paid for Roaming Abroad before leaving the UK. I have tried various combinations of recommended settings on my phone to resolve the problem without effect. The closest I have come to getting access to a network has been after rebooting my phone when I have seen the name of one or other of the local networks (BELL or ROGERS) appear briefly on the top left of my mobile screen, this does not last and I am left with no connection. 
I have been trying to get in touch with EE online but keep being told that messaging is currently unavailable - for several days now! 
Wifi is behaving perfectly and there appear to be no other problems with my phone.

My wife who is also an EE customer is having no problems with her phone and connects to either of the local networks automatically. I am puzzled and ever so slightly hacked off.

[bristolian · Accepted solution]

It sounds like you've added a billing add-on which reduces costs, but it's separate from enabling international roaming - which allows your phone to connect to foreign networks. This isn't a phone setting, but at account-level and without it, your phone won't get a local network connection - causing exactly the symptoms you describe.

Did you text ROAMING to 150 before leaving the UK? If not, the only way to enable roaming whilst abroad is to contact EE CS from another working phone or over a VoIP connection.

Either +44 7953 966250 from another working phone, or +44 800 0798586 over a VoIP app such as Skype