Unable to access 4G services whilst roaming

[#1]

I agree, but my offer of help for the next four weeks while in France was rejected…

[#2]

Just back from Spain - 4G+ in all major towns with Smarty, glad I transferred away from Plusnet. Smarty works well, just a case of making sure that the APN settings are correct.

[#3]

Hi all, just to let you know we're still looking into this issue, having checked we don't have any further updates just yet but I'll keep checking and updating this thread with any developments. 

Really sorry for the hassle this must be causing in the meantime.

[#4]

Can you at least ask the team who are investigating this for an actual update? eg...

• Have they managed to rule any causes out?
• Is there any pattern to the accounts affected?
• What is their next thing to test?

I honestly don't believe this will be fixed. I think people need to vote with their feet.

But I very much hope I am wrong.

[#5]

Just to add I'm in a similar position, having recently returned from Germany my SIM would only register on the O2 2g network and refused to connect to anything else including O2 4g whilst over there. Also seemed to affect me in France, switching to orange 3g (which seemed utterly useless event for 3g). My wife's Plusnet SIM was perfect the entire trip and the problem followed the SIM between phones. Both our numbers were ported back to Plusnet a few months back, but neither of us had any problems when we were previously on plusnet a few years ago. I raised it with plusnet via twitter and they have acknowledged a problem in a number of European locations so hopefully this is actually being looked at.

[#6]

@Riant 

A warm welcome to the forums.  Your short post seems to contain a great deal of useful information which might add greatly to profiling the issue.  Can you confirm that my understanding as below is correct...

1. You and your wife each have a Plusnet SIM on the SAME product offering?
2. You could not access the 4G network in countries which no longer have a 3G network?
3. Your wife had no issues throughout your journey?
4. You swapped the SIMs between the two phones and the issue followed the SIM - that is this does not look like a handset issue (are the handsets the same?)
5. Both these numbers have previously been with Plusnet
6. Previously when with Plusnet there was no issue with roaming - however would you know if both SIMs roamed on 4G?

Q6 is particularly important as previously the SIMs might have roamed on 3G without issue, however as of recent times the 3G network has been decommissioned in some parts of the EU (so much for common standards!!??)

The only consideration which your post did not disclose is the original network owner of your phone numbers.

Where did your number come from?

It might help to profile this issue by knowing the original network owner for your phone number. You can find the range holder for your phone number here - UK Phone Number Range Holders

 You infer that you have been with other network providers since you were previously with Plusnet.  Can you advise who they were and confirm that 4G roaming was not an issue when with them?

Personally I suspect that this is a network access / service routing issue related to the mobile number range holder configuration in EE's network.  If your number belongs to a MNVO one question to be explored is has the MNVO changed its MNO since the time you were with Plusnet and all was fine and now?  For example, Virgin Media changed from the EE network to Vodaphone and then to O2's mobile networks.

[#7]

I have exactly the same issues. 3G is not sufficient. Been on the phone so many times, done everything they suggested but even swapped with friends sims, o2 ee and three. Ever sim works 4g in my iPhone 13 except plusnet. Can’t get out of the contract without a £78 charge but they are in breach of contract as the site specifically says 4g abroad. The terms of my contract were the terms advertised. It’s an issue with plusnet, not the phone, the settings, the masts in France, Belgium, Holland or Bulgaria, it’s not the fact plusnet are cheap so don’t get the same quality of service from orange f, sir, bouyges telecom, free mobile. It’s not the Dutch Vodafone, T-mobile or the Bulgarian Orange. It’s not the Belgian Orange. It’s Plusnet. I have heard some people still get 4g so it must be a simple fix, like a digital switch but no one seems able to get through to the tech guys to get them to look into the problem. They would rather spend hundreds of thousands on call centre staff and dishing out replacement SIM cards that won’t work until the tech guys fix their problem.

[#8]

@Frustrated4g 

A warm welcome to the forums.

To be precise, this is not a problem with Plusnet itself or within Plusnet's direct ability to fix.  Plusnet does not operate a mobile network, much in the same way that that they do not operate broadband or landline services.  They sell time / capacity on their infrastructure providers, in the case of mobile phone services - on EE's infrastructure.

This is an EE issue, whom we are given to understand are investigating the problem.  There has been a report from a current Plusnet user having a similar issue with their number when they were with Virgin Media when VM also used EE's network.

It is important to understand the difference between a MNO (EE) and a MNVO (Plusnet, Tesco, Virgin Media et al).  MNVO have very little control over the operation of the service.  Whilst such distinctions do not fix the issue, they might help inform (and thereby understand) that fixing this is outside of the direct control of Plusnet.

[#9]

Unfortunately that's no consolation to customers who aren't getting the service they are paying for.

I requested my PAC code today, let's see if another operator can offer a working roaming service.

[#10]

@hokers 

Look for an operator who is not using EE as the MNO.

[#11]

Whilst I fully understand the problem may lie with EE, we as customers have contracts with Plusnet not EE. If the advertised service is not possible, this is a breach of contract.

[#12]

Can someone from Plusnet please confirm this this does indeed constitute grounds for early contract termination?

[#13]

Hi and thanks for your response. My issue is that I was away with a group of friends and a whole day was spent in the barn, swapping sims. It didn’t matter whose phone I put my plusnet sim in it only worked on 3G. It didn’t matter whose sim I put in my iPhone, they all connected to 4g. I have an EE payg sim for emergencies, it worked on 4g. As did o2 and three. The issue is all roaming on plusnet is 3G, in all the countries I have visited since becoming a plusnet customer earlier this year. I’m not used to such slow internet and find it incredibly frustrating.

I need to either get 4g or be allowed out of my contract.

[#14]

Unlikely that they'd confirm that openly, I imagine if you press hard enough on the phone you'll get what you want.

[#15]

Superuser escalation

This topic has been escalated (again) by one of the Superusers.

Escalation does not imply progressing this matter will be given different priority, nor that a different outcome will result.

Reason for escalation:  Chase status