Posted 2 days ago

Vodafone network coverage after 3g shutdown

Hi is anyone else's phone on Vodafone suffering from bad coverage afterAfter the 3g network shutdown ?
I have a Samsung a52s not had any issues until they shutdown the 3g now I'm constantly phone locked on to 2g every now and again , then having to put in airplane mode and back to gain 4g, currently my area is still waiting 3 months till we get 5g coverage but I'm considering switching due to this issue
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  1. KodaBear's avatar
    You’re not alone. Loads of people are having similar issues.

    The 3G switch off is highlighting a lot of blackspots that need to be filled and they’re now having to fix due to the lack of proper preparation.

    It sounds like you’ve got a mix of being in a particularly bad area and having a phone that likes to cling on to the strong 2G signal once it finds it. It’s not always this bad for everyone else.

    If you’re concerned about this happening again you probably need to be on O2 or a company that piggybacks on their signal. They are the only ones keeping 3G switched on for a bit longer yet… Since Three are starting to uncover similar issues on their network now too but worse they don’t have any 2G to fall back on at all. Hopefully by the time O2 switch off they’ll have learned from the others and planned ahead for this.
    caveman4562's avatar
    Author
    Yeah I have considered three but likely will have maybe worse issues, think I'll wait it out till it gets totally intolerable, cause I'm bit wary how good other networks are with WiFi calling, its essential for work purposes
  2. CatsWithThumbs's avatar
    Yes mine has been terrible lately too - I hadn't linked it to 3G switch off but yeah that makes sense. Irritating as used to have no trouble.
  3. Friday-Ubaydah's avatar
    You can force Android to use only 4G by dialling a special number known as a USSD code:

    *#*#4636#*#*

    A menu will be presented where one can force 4G network only.

    If the above doesn't work, download the app 'Force LTE Only (4G/5G)' from play.google.com/sto…lte (edited)
    caveman4562's avatar
    Author
    Sadly these methods don't work for Samsung phones latest ones anyway, they work mostly on pure android based phones, Samsung and some other brands have very heavy modified os hence why may not work on most phones.
  4. martynhardacre's avatar
    I've noticed a difference with the signal in my house since the 3g switch off. To be fair the signal where I am isn't great but this has made it worse still. I've been with O2 and 3 in the past and both supported my handset with WiFi calling which helped but for some reason Vodafone (I'm on Lebara) don't support my handset. I get one bar on 4g or if it switches to GSM (2g) I get a couple of bars but now most of the time if I take a call I have to go upstairs. Looking to switch to a network that runs on EE and supports my handset with WiFi calling
    KodaBear's avatar
    If you don’t have WiFi calling you probably don’t have VoLTE either (4G Calling) so you have to drop to 2G (or previously 3G) to make calls. That will be why you noticed such a difference.

    Vodafone probably do support your phone. It’s likely Lebara who don’t. Google Pixel phones in particular are a problem with them, but there’s a number of other brands and models that have similar issues. Sony Xperia is another such example off the top of my head.

    If you want support for EE you’re looking at 1P Mobile, CMLink or Popit. There’s a few others that are rolling out support now too like Spusu and the L network we can’t talk about here on HUKD but they have a set list of devices with support for WiFi calling and VoLTE - Basically if you’re not on iPhone or a recent Samsung Galaxy device it won’t work.
  5. ifitsfreeitsmine's avatar
    Took out a Vodafone contract in January,
    only took out the sim contract because they offered me a discount on my home WiFi if I did.
    home WiFi £24 - £3 (discount) £21 a month 24 month contract
    sim only £10 per month, 100Gb, unlimited calls and text (no roaming) 18 month contract. (Both will rise by 4% from April)
    I didn’t know about 3G switch off but my Vodafone service is near unusable, both calls and data. Really unreliable.
    I depend on my old sim which is EE backed, Really good everywhere.
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