Poor signal since 3g switch off

[JAMESORCHARD]

Any one else got poor service/signal since 3g switch off? Think vodafone 3g switch off is a step backwards. My s22 ultra is always warm from always searching for signal since 3g switch off! Before I could get a steady 8mbps now I'm either getting nothing or  rarely 150mbps when 5g appears I've got to put my phone on silent at night to stop all the no service notifications 😑 poor show vodafone I'd rather have a reliable signal than this occasionally 1bar 4g or 1bar 5g

[efelmer]

Oh well, solved my issue with Voda data coverage by leaving them for EE! I got a 1 month EE SIM to test, and their 4G coverage in my locality is 70% better. I now have 4G data everywhere when I walk the dog, in my village centre, and when travelling between villages. Shame on you Voda...

[Racal-Yodafone]

Where I live, when 3G was switched off, the situation remained good because prior to switch-off, my handset was normally connected to 4G anyway and the 4G signal was good. It was away from home that I noticed the lack of a data connection or, laughably, 2.75G "Edge" which was like being in a time warp back to 20 years ago! BUT... since July, I have been plagued, both at home and when working away from home, with just one or two bars of 4G reception where, previously, I had three or four bars, e.g. full signal. This not a fault with my handset as I have two, both from different manufacturers, and both, since July, have only one or two bars of reception on 4G for most of the time and in most locations. So what's going on? All I can think of is that some of the 4G antennas are being used for 5G NSA, thus reducing the capacity for those with either 4G handsets or those who opt to only use their 5G capable handsets with 4G. I have concerns about: 1) Greater battery drain and 2) Bleeding edge security risk with 5G and so both my 5G handsets are manually restricted to 4G. I have zero need for 5G data speeds but I have great need, when out doing my job, working alone in safety critical areas and with high risk data, for a battery that lasts all day. I think all the networks, in their race to please the perceived demand, don't realise that 4G is enough for a large percentage of people. 3G was probably enough for a large percentage of people! Hope this info is useful, inasmuch as the 3G switch-off didn't affect me at the time but, since July 2024, 4G has dwindled to one or two bars almost all the time and almost everywhere. Use of more 4G antennas for 5G NSA, or something similar or akin to that, is all I can think of, unless Vodafone has turned the power down but I'm sure that's impractical and unlikely. Meanwhile my third handset, for my other job, which is on O2, has a great 3G and 4G signal almost all the time.

[japitts]

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@Racal-Yodafone wrote:

Use of more 4G antennas for 5G NSA, or something similar or akin to that, is all I can think of

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There may be some frequency reallocation to 5G, but the issues you're seeing are significantly caused by 3G switchoff.

Quite simply, there are numerous locations where the only serving site was either carrying 3G-frequencies solus, or 4G only on high-bands with 3G on low-bands thus having a greater footprint. The resolution is either to add 4G to those sites, or at the vert least add low-band 4G to match the low-band 3G footprint.

You mention O2 having a great 3G signal, this is nothing to be proud of in the industry but hopefully with them being the last network to switch 3G off, and having a broadly similar network design to VF, they will take some learnings into their sunset programme.

[Racal-Yodafone]

Thank you, sir! I appreciate your reply and the detailed information. I agree, let's hope O2 learn from Vodafone's handling of the 3G switch-off before their own switch-off, scheduled for next year, 2025, I have subsequently found out.

[Racal-Yodafone]

A small update. I'm working for a company at the moment who issued me with an iPhone with an EE SIM card. The company has a bespoke mobile app for tracking jobs in progress, hence I had to accept the loan of the iPhone. But it gave me the opportunity to study EE's 4G signal as the SIMs installed are restricted to 4G. 

EE have no 3G network anymore, just like Vodafone. I've previously commented on the drop in 4G reception strength I've personally experienced since July this year. I get around 2 bars out of 4 in almost every place I am, all the time. So I've managed to check the EE 4G reception in places I would expect that any mobile network operator would provide a strong, 3 or 4 out of 4 bars signal strength. No, that's not what I've found at all. What I've experienced so far is that EE's 4G signal strength is at about 2 bars out of 4, just like I'm experiencing on my own Vodafone devices. I don't understand what this means, what's causing it and is it an intentional action by the networks and is it connected to the expansion and enhancement of the 5G network?

[jack5253]

I don't think so. In contrast to 3G's 12-mile line of sight, real 5G has a directional range of approximately 500 meters. I reside in Devon, and as of right now, I am unable to hold a call at home (4 bars 3G to 1 bar 4G) or on the M5 from Exeter to Tiverton. This has not been entirely successful.

[Racal-Yodafone]

A bit like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSUsh6f1HMo

[japitts]

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@jack5253 wrote:

I don't think so. In contrast to 3G's 12-mile line of sight, real 5G has a directional range of approximately 500 meters.

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I don't think so indeed! It's not the radio technology that dictates how far a signal travels, but the frequency it uses (alongside the TX antenna height and power-levels). I'm also not sure what you mean by "real" 5G - what, by extension, is not real? Perhaps you mean 5G-SA & NSA?

A high-band 3G signal will not propagate as far as a low-band 5G one (all else being equal), to use your example.

[Cynric]

Quote:

Lower frequencies can travel farther and penetrate through obstacles but offer relatively low speeds, while higher frequencies are much faster but have a limited range and struggle to pass through objects.

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/wired-guide-5g/

[Racal-Yodafone]

Thanks, @Cynric 🙂  I guess it's about finding a balance. It's the same conundrum as back in 1980. Our school trip was heading south, out of the city and its suburbs. The VHF (FM) radio stations slowly disappeared, their higher quality, stereo, sound losing the battle and being replaced with static as the coach driver tried to keep the music playing. Eventually, way out in the country, he changed to an MW (AM) station. The quality wasn't very good and it was mono but it was still there. I think what the MNOs perhaps don't realise is that the speeds Ofcom and the government demand of them are slowly getting way ahead of what most customers ask of them. The biggest demand I've ever made of the cellular network was when I had just moved house and didn't yet have a landline connection for broadband. For a week or two, we were using a smallish television which was connected to our 4G Mi-Fi device. It managed, just, even with a connection that was barely hanging on to 4G. When there's a full 5G SA network up and running, I'm sure it will be of benefit to someone but not the majority. Ordinary people only need a fast enough connection for phone calls and smooth operation of Facebook and Instagram, from those I've asked.