Continual signal/data drops

[bwatkins]

Scroll down for my answers to the questions on the template but I don't think it will be a lot of help.

I'm experiencing a couple of issues with signal/data dropouts:

1. Full signal but every 30-60 seconds the signal drops out completely. Calls cut off, data offline. See: https://youtu.be/gp-9KqLr750 I was standing stationary in the middle of Bristol City Centre where I know there to be a 5G signal capable of 200mbps+.

2. Full 4G or 5G signal but connection randomly drops down to 3G and although calls are okay data drops out or is pitifully slow (<1mbps). Then jumps back up to 4G/5G and speed is fine again. Manually selecting 3G in the phone settings stabilises it but speeds are obviously constrained.

This has been happening for so long I don't remember when it started. Both of the above scenarios have happened in several locations but it doesn't happen all the time, everywhere.

I was blaming my phone but I've tried my SIM in four different phones now (Samsung A51, Motorola Razr, Google Pixel 2 and 5) and they all do it.

Any advice appreciated. I'm at my wits end and seriously considering buying out of the contract.

1) Does the issue happen in just one location? If so, how far do you have to travel to regain service? No. It happens in many locations but not everywhere.

2) What is the full postcode (e.g. ST1 1AA) of where the issue occurs? If you don't want this showing on the Community, add it to your profile here. BS1 6EH

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

4) What errors are seen or heard when the issue occurs? Signal drops completely or data is unusably slow

5) Does this happen on 2G, 3G, 4G or all? All, but my perception is it's worse on 4G & 5G

6) When did you first notice this issue? Several months ago. Can't say exactly when. So long I can't remember it working properly.

7) Is the issue permanent or intermittent? If intermittent, are there certain times of the day when it occurs? Intermittent. No pattern I have noticed but I think it may be location specific. 

[bwatkins]

I'm still struggling with this. I'm currently in Brighton city centre getting 0.5Mbps (I'm using a Three mobile SIM to write this because the Voda SIM won't even load the Voda website). Full signal. Its bouncing back and forth between 4G and 3G (H!).

Last night I was in a hotel at Gatwick airport same thing. I got 1.5Mbps for about 10 minutes then dropped to 0.5Mbps.

Yesterday I went to a village bonfire in Sussex. Couple of hundred people. Full signal no data at all. People on other networks had no problem.

Thursday I was back in Bristol in a location where I know there is 5G. No data until I turned airplane mode on and off. Then got 5G 40Mbps for a while before signal cuts out completely and reconnects 3G or worse (randomly either H or E on the signal meter) and no data.

Conversely, I live in the middle of nowhere on Exmoor and have never seen less than 60Mbps from the nearby 4G mast.

Clearly the problem is busy locations. All networks slow down but Voda grinds to a complete halt. I also have a Three and O2 SIM and they are both better than Voda everywhere I go.

Is there any likelihood this could be a technical problem or do I just have to accept that Voda doesn't have the capacity to serve all the customers it sold contracts to and move on to a better provider?

[indieben]

Hi bwatkins, 

Many of us are struggling with these issues and many of us have ruled out SIM/handset issues across the UK. I travel a fair bit and I've found Vodafone signal to be poor most of the time.

If Vodafone cannot deliver what they have promised, you are within your rights to leave freely and without paying off the minimum term of your contract. You will need to contact Vodafone to agree this. Failing that, you can call CAB Consumer Advice helpline for free and who will provide consumer rights advice for free. 

There have been a few other posts about poor signal, exclusively on Vodafone, in Gatwick too in this section of the forum. 

Kind Regards, 

Beanie. 

[ryancfc8]

This Happens In Canterbury And Thanet And Even More Bizarrely The Tiny Rural Villages In-between, You Go From Full Bars on 4G To Suddenly 1 Bar Of 2G Then Back To Full Bars Of 4G, 5G Is Non Existent 

[Gemma]

Hi @ryancfc8 - I've replied to your other post. 

[bwatkins]

Sorry to revive this but nearly a year on and I'm still struggling, still regretting the day I signed a 24 month contract.

I thought you might be interested to see this. As side-by-side comparison based on speed tests I have done over the past week. VF told me categorically that their network is not congested and it has to be my phone or a dodgy mast. I've tried three different devices and get the same result on all three so that rules out the phone. Therefore there must a be a lot of dodgy masts!

[Horizon_IT_23]

OMG, I'm sat 20m away from a vf 5g mast and I have ZERO data, it will not even connect for a speed test.

I'm running my second sim on EE.

5g on vf is an absolute cluster F***.

They need to sort it out, actually worse than 3g.

[CallumR]

Hey @Horizon_IT_23 Thanks for reaching out to us. Have you taken a look at our Network Checker here? You'll be able to see if there's any ongoing issues with the network. 

If you've done this already, and need further help. Please reach out to our Social Media team on Facebook or X.