Mobile Signal in the UK Where?

Nodzed

Nodzed

Zorg Expert (II)
Supporter
British Zeds
M Power
Joined
Feb 18, 2016
Points
246
Location
Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England
Model of Z
Z3M Imola and Z4 (e89)
Just a little rant
I was thinking of sending an Email to Vodafone this week (not that they would give a toss mind you) but I live in the Forest of Dean, which is obviously a wooded area and a little hilly, the reason say Vodafone that I cant get a mobile signal at home, in the office 4 miles from home or anywhere else in the area, now I'm not talking 3G or 4G here just a phone signal would be a start.

Thing is I've just been on the Euro trip, and then onto Austria, as as those who were there know it was pretty hilly :rolleyes: the Grossglockner alone is after all over 2500m. But with just a few exceptions I managed to get not only a phone signal but 3G even on the Grossglockner, Furka and driving through the Grand Ballon.

Now Vodafone have also told me my poor signal is partly to do with my area being quite high :wtf: Hmmm dont think 185m above sea level constitutes a high region when comparing with areas visited in Switzerland and Austria.

So why is it I wonder the rest of Europe can manage a reasonable (if not excellent) mobile phone/data service even in mountain areas but Vodafone (and they're not the only poor service provider) can't even provide a basic call service.

Do you think the UK mobile phone users are being taken for a ride?

BTW the attached picture taken by Lee is me a long way up a mountain on my mobile to my daughter back in he UK describing the view, I can't even phone her on my mobile at home and she lives 4 miles away:mad:

19225733_633761470151006_1383966195191519305_n.webp
 
The UK is backwards on infrastructure.
In Italy on the TGV through the tunnels even under the mountains you get 4g.

China has wifi throughout the tube network (mostly free too).

We get crap excuses.
 
I'm on vodaphone and live in a town. If I turn Wi-Fi off I get an "e" on mine which basically means no signal. They are naff for sure. Driving around the country as I do I am in and out of signal a lot. The worst area I know is the M1 corridor between Milton Keynes and Crick.
 
You will have got the stock response from Vodafone. I expect it's a combination of planning permission, cost v revenue and problematic terrain including forest. I used to work for the guy who is now CEO of Vodafone. Pm me postcode details and I'll see if I can get a more considered response.
Also the company I work for is trying to fill in the not-spots. I'll try and find out if there are any plans around there.
 
mwpe said:
Would you do better with one of the other networks?
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All about as bad as one another around here Mike, but my work mobile is Vodafone to and I have no control over than one
 
Nodzed said:
All about as bad as one another around here Mike, but my work mobile is Vodafone to and I have no control over than one
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Have you asked work if they would put one of the plug in home cell devices?
 
Redline said:
Have you asked work if they would put one of the plug in home cell devices?
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Got a sure signal in work but they don't work with Sky broadband (which is a Vodafone issue not a Sky one) so not much use at home, plus they are £100 don't see why customers should pay £100 for a device to enable them to get the service they are already paying Vodafone for on their contract, you'd think VF would give them free to customers who get a poor or non existing signal at home wouldn't you?
 
Does vodafone have an app like o2's Tu which picks up calls on wi-fi when connected. It is not a perfect solution but came in useful when we had problems recently.
 
ive managed to get full signal in:

The salt flats in Uyuni Bolivia
Macchu Picchu in Peru
Kalaw in the middle of Burma
and on a boat in the middle of the sea off of Phi Phi, Thailand

can i get 4G in Basingstoke, Hampshire .... can i b*******s
 
I quite often at home get a text to say I've missed a call. Sometimes it's up to an hour later. Got enough signal to send me a text, but not to make my sodding phone ring when it's on the desk next to with signal... Utterly ridiculous...
 
Dino D said:
That's all well and good but if you can't login to Zorg with its no good!
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Never log into Zorg with my phone and never have done.
There is always some hardware knocking about that I can use to do that.
 
Yup, we live about 150m from the phone mast and we're lucky to get one bar! 4g =)) we're lucky to get +H let alone any kind of "G" :mad:
 
Andy McDonnell said:
Yup, we live about 150m from the phone mast and we're lucky to get one bar! 4g =)) we're lucky to get +H let alone any kind of "G" :mad:
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That will be a different operator. Find out who it is and switch. If you're on an operator that runs 1800mHz band only you're going to struggle if your are a distance from the mast and especially indoors. 3 are cheap because of that. Even if you can get a signal when your out of town you may not get a massive data rate even if you have 4g signal. The links to the masts are daisy chained together picking up more traffic on the way and frequently they are or used to be only 2MBit/s too. Naff!
 
GazHyde said:
I quite often at home get a text to say I've missed a call. Sometimes it's up to an hour later. Got enough signal to send me a text, but not to make my sodding phone ring when it's on the desk next to with signal... Utterly ridiculous...
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If you don't get the text straight away it goes into a carousel- it might be several hours before you get it then. On the phone there's only 18 or so channels available. If they are all in use your phone is unlikely to ring.
All stuff they don't tell you.
 
Nodzed said:
Got a sure signal in work but they don't work with Sky broadband (which is a Vodafone issue not a Sky one) so not much use at home, plus they are £100 don't see why customers should pay £100 for a device to enable them to get the service they are already paying Vodafone for on their contract, you'd think VF would give them free to customers who get a poor or non existing signal at home wouldn't you?
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Afraid it's buyer beware. All the operators publish their coverage maps showing what you can expect in terms of coverage.
The number of buildings between you and the mast especially metal framed buildings will further degrade signal quality as will noisy devices around your home. Mobile phone signals are complex digital signals that suffer all kinds of problems when the signal is weak. Moving your phone just a couple of inches can dramatically affect the service as does knowing the location of the antenna in your phone. Just holding it slightly differently can improve your connection.
Why don't they install new masts? It's a very complex planning problem. Each cell works on a defined frequency. Making cells smaller to accommodate more cells means they need more frequencies. The problem is all the companies spent a fortune buying the spectrum from the government. They are sandbagging to buy 5G next. Things get even worse then because at higher frequencies they need yet smaller cells.
If you buy entirely on price or what freebies are bundled in you might just end up on a network you cannot use. Once they've got you you're tied in for the contract. If you don't live in town you have to be careful and check.
As far as work is concerned they will have leverage with Vodafone especially if they have lots of phones on contract. Am worried though if a business can afford to use a residential service for its broadband. Even so, they should be able to VPN through sky's network directly to Vodafone.
You can ask the network operator to do a signal strength check to see if it's as good as they claim especially if they say it's better than what your getting. But, as I said, it's always buyer beware. Not all networks are the same.
 
Really interesting thread, I live out in the sticks and am too on Vodafone, the only provider that has any signal at my location. Unfortunately writing a letter or sending an email will get you nowhere, it will just get lost in the "system". I am of the option that all the mobile providers are the same when it comes to customer services, they have most of us in a contract for set period of time and they just do not care.

The sure-signal that Vodafone has only really works with a 2mbps broadband connection or above, something I do not get!

The mobile providers (all) should be made to cover the country with a good phone service as well good data service to a minimum publicised standard, before being sold the rights to use the next band of frequencies.

I do not fully buy in to the planning/economic issues, if the providers want want to do it they can, when the Ryder Cup came to Gleneagles, all the surrounding areas were suddenly upgraded and 4G appeared everywhere at the drop of a hat, why after years of battling to get a decent service did this suddenly happen.....maybe, just maybe had something to do with our American cousins coming over and we did not want to be embarrassed.
 
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