Terrible coverage in most places in the UK

[Anonymous]

For some reason I find that Vodafone has awful coverage almost everywhere in the UK. With the rare exception, almost everytime I look at my phone I see 0 to 2 bars of 4G, or 3G signal.

Let's take an example, the post code WA12 9SF shows on the Vodafone Coverage Checker as excellent 2G, 3G, and 4G. In reality there is zero service at all in this area. Now I know the coverage checker is only just a guide, and it's probably not very accurate at all, but there is a different between "slightly out" and "wildly wrong".

Of course this is just one of dozens of examples I have visited and collected over the last few weeks. A few more example are:  WA9 3AL, M1 5QA, WA3 6RW, WA12 9SF. All of which are Excellent according to the coverage checker, but provide no outdoor service. Many other areas of Manchester and Liverpool have zero coverage. Infact a large chunk of the train line between Liverpool and Manchester has no coverage.

I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which supports all Vodafone's UK bands, across 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G.

Is this just a Vodafone thing, or is something else going on here?

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

Dozens of areas right across the UK .

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

Multiple example listed above.

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

Yes, still on-going testing.

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

No errors, just poor signal.

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

All bands.

6) When did you first notice this issue?

Months ago.

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

Permanen.

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @Anonymous 

I once owned the Samsung Note 20 Ultra 5G which was the Exynos soc and purchased from Samsung UK.

I had network connection problems with this phone and so ended up sending the phone back to Samsung UK for a refund. I then ended up importing the same phone from Hong Kong which was the SnapDragon version, and that one was much better all round.

Obviously I'm not suggesting you should go down the same route.

Your phone should connect as it was designed to do.

Maybe let a Samsung Experience Store  / Samsung Service Centre have a look at it.

Trying your sim card in another phone is definitely a good generic troubleshooting option.

Also consider that this might be the fault of your sim card as the chip can develop glitches.

A sim card can be sim swapped at any Vodafone Highstreet Store as they move your number and tariff onto a blank sim card and takes minutes to perform.

Or you can ask customer service to send you a blank sim card and then perform a sim swap at home using the Vodafone Sim Swap Tool. 

Yes the Vodafone Network Checker is a guide and not a guarantee of service and data speeds , but this tool can also highlight mast issues.

The Vodafone Social Media Teams here will catch up with your thread and take a look at your template answers and pass thus information onto their networking teams.

It does seem like an extensive part of the UK that your experiencing issues with.

Perhaps ask neighbours , family or friends also on Vodafone experience these same issues.

I wish you all the best with this situation. 

[dhinxman]

I have been having this problem in the DA7 area.   I have been told there is nothing wrong but a mast a good mile from my address that I have never connected to is where I normally connect.  This is incorrect as my ususal mast is at the bottom of my road  about 600 metres away.    My partner has an S10 so does  a friend we all have the same bad signal in my house, but the Checker shows max bars good in and out.