No service abroad

[hindsite13]

I am currently abroad and have not received the welcome text and have no service.
What can I do to enable me to use my mobile for data and calls?

[bristolian · Accepted solution]

Post moved to a new thread

Regardless of any billing add-on, your ability to get coverage abroad (which calls, texts & mobile data rely on) is dependent on roaming being activated - which allows your phone to connect to foreign networks.

Have you used your phone abroad previously, did you receive a welcome text message on first arrival abroad? These are good evidence of roaming being enabled if so. In these cases, manually cycling through all available local networks often resolves issues - toggling flight mode can have the same effect.

If not...On PAYG, roaming is auto-enabled once your phone is used in the UK first. On pay-monthly, this needs to be enabled manually - usually by texting ROAMING to 150 before leaving the UK. Did you do this?

If you are on pay-monthly and now find yourself abroad without having enabled roaming, your only recourse will be to contact CS to request it activated. You can either contact +44 7953 966150 from another working phone, or +44 800 9566000 using a web-calling app such as Skype over WiFi.

[hindsite13]

Thanks.  I didn't receive the usual welcome text when I arrived, so was a bit stuck.  I tried cycling through the available networks, but it didn't connect, roaming was set to on (as far as I recall).
What has worked is sending a text to 150 with the word ROAMING, even though I didn't appear to have connectivity and I'm on a pay monthly contract.
Thanks for the assist, I seem to have got there.....

[bristolian]

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@hindsite13 wrote:

What has worked is sending a text to 150 with the word ROAMING

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The roaming facility is what enables access to foreign networks - to avoid others thinking this is a fix, lack of roaming causes no coverage abroad. No coverage causes inability to send or receive text messages.

The catch-22 is exactly why roaming can either be enabled via SMS before leaving the UK, or by contacting CS if you're already abroad.

[hindsite13]

Now in the US I'm back to No service -EE as the message on the network.  

The text won't work.  Switching off and on multiple times doesn't work nor does toggling flight mode.  It was working when I left Grand Cayman yesterday.  No welcome to the US text.  The EE customer line says I'm set up for use abroad and I'm in a 20 queue on Skype.

Any hints on what I might be able to do are appreciated.  I've never had this problem using this phone abroad before.

[Rach_H]

Hi @hindsite13 

Welcome to the Community!

We don't want you to have any issues using your phone while you're abroad, so I'm sorry to hear this has happened. It sounds like there might be a problem with the network your phone is connecting to, so you can try and switch this manually. If you let me know what kind of phone you're using, I can advise you how to do this.

Rach