CR4 - Mitcham - Very very poor signal

[Tommy-Ka]

Dear Vodafone Team,

There seems to be quite a large signal issue in Mitcham area (CR4). Tested on 4 phones, the 4G signal is so low that it makes each phone struggle, get hot and drain battery. Also the connection tends to swap to 3G.

The form:

1) Does the issue happen in just one location? If so, how far do you have to travel to regain service?

It happens in all of Mitcham (CR4), I need to reach another district to regain over 75% or full signal strength.

I don't have that issue in Tooting, Croydon, or Euston areas where I often go.

2) What is the full postcode (e.g. ST1 1AA) of where the issue occurs?

Like mentioned above, the issue is present in all of Mitcham. Please, take the full postcode from my profile.

3) Does the issue occur if you try your SIM card in a different phone?

Yes, on 4 phones in total:

Motorola Moto X Play

Motorola Moto G4

Motorola Moto G (1st Gen.)

Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD 

4) What errors are seen or heard when the issue occurs?

There is a noticeable battery drain and very high usage of cell radio (it struggles to maintain the low signal) .

5) Does this happen on 2G, 3G, 4G or all?

Poor signal is present on all, battery drain due to poor signal is present on 3G and 4G.

6) When did you first notice this issue?

A few weeks ago.

7) Is the issue permanent or intermittent? If intermittent, are there certain times of the day when it occurs?

The issue is permanent.

[Alex]

@Tommy-Ka I've had a look at your local serving sites and they're performing correctly. 

I can see that within your area there is a strong 2G/3G connection, however 4G is limited in some locations. This may be why you're experiencing issues gaining a 4G connection.

I'd advise to manually switch your devices down to 2G/3G when in the areas which your devices are struggling to connect to 4G. 

For any planned maintenance/updates, you can subscribe to our Network status checker.

[Tommy-Ka]

Hello again.

Thank you for checking it. The location we are talking about here is the whole of CR4.

When I moved to Mitcham in 2015 the 4G signal was strong at all times. It was also the time when you introduced 4G to PAYG tarifs. I switched from O2 thanks to that.

In 2016 the signal strength degraded but it was still "OK", at around 50%.

As soon as I came back to the UK from Christmas, my phone struggled to catch 4G signal and then all its issues started.

I bought your 4G tarif and then a 4G phone (Motorola Moto X Play) to use 4G.

Is switching back to 3G the ultimate solution for a subscriber (and most probably it's not only limited to me) who's been with Vodafone for over 2 years?

Thank you and have a good day.

[PedroC1999]

The London network upgrade programme is quite complex. Certainly, as the rollout continues to mature, your 4G coverage should improve.