Vodafone Coverage Useless?

[Mypethorse]

Never had any issues when using my Virgin service through EE. Then, because I had a 5G handset I was switched to Vodafone/Virgin over a year ago.

Signal is atrocious in my area, where there is signal there's no data. Whilst visiting Edinburgh the 5G speeds were worse than 4G and probably 3G.

Coverage checker shows O2 network not Vodafone.

Can I request a move onto the O2 service or just have to tolerate this mediocrity until I close my Virgin account and port to a new network?

[cje85]

All Virgin customers are being moved to O2 by the end of the year. Most are already on it now.

Do a manual network scan and see which network is missing. If O2 is missing, you're on that network. If Vodafone is missing you're still on that network.

Vodafone and O2 generally share masts and the coverage is very similar (although data speeds can vary massively).

[Paulina_Z]

Hi @Mypethorse,

Welcome to our Community Forums! Thank you for your post and I'm sorry to hear that you're having some issues with your coverage recently! 

Have you been able to check our Mobile Issues page to see if this can help with your coverage issue? What handset are you using? 

We have been in the process of migrating all of our customers over to the O2 network recently, so you may already be on the O2 network. Have you taken a look at the O2 Coverage Checker to see what the service in your local area is like? 

Please take a look and let us know if this has helped.

Thank you.

[Mypethorse]

I stand corrected.

I haven't used the manual operator selection for a while and it would appear I have migrated to O2 sometime in the past 3-4 weeks. It would seem O2 is equally as poor as Vodafone virtual network.

Coverage checker says "good outdoors" for 3G and 4G in the areas I frequent but this is not my experience where generally "G" shows by the one bar of signal.

Device is Galaxy S22 Plus replacing a 2 year old S21 Plus, in May this year, which had the same poor network connection since Virgins move away from EE

Images show coverage standing in my garden.

 

 

[japitts]

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@cje85 wrote:
Vodafone and O2 generally share masts and the coverage is very similar (although data speeds can vary massively).

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Indeed so - the technicalities of the 2 main network shares are complicated, but in VF/O2's case there is also an east/west split with performance.

[cje85]

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@Mypethorse wrote:

I stand corrected.

I haven't used the manual operator selection for a while and it would appear I have migrated to O2 sometime in the past 3-4 weeks. It would seem O2 is equally as poor as Vodafone virtual network.

Coverage checker says "good outdoors" for 3G and 4G in the areas I frequent but this is not my experience where generally "G" shows by the one bar of signal.

Device is Galaxy S22 Plus replacing a 2 year old S21 Plus, in May this year, which had the same poor network connection since Virgins move away from EE

Images show coverage standing in my garden.

 

 

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Using the roads shown on that map to workout the general location, your nearest O2 and Vodafone mast is along the unnamed track road at the side of Dounemount Care Home. It is a single band mast, meaning speeds will be limited even if coverage was good. 

EE also use this mast but have another nearby behind Firth Drive. It looks to be a bigger, taller mast and offers multiple bands so speed and coverage will be better.

[Mypethorse]

So, essentially what we're saying is continue to pay the same for a now considerably inferior service?

The O2/Vodafone mast is in line of site and marginally higher elevation from my house. I would expect more than one bar of service and speed isn't an issue so much, the inability to open the Google home page on a GPRS connection is.

[Paul_DN]

Hi Mypethorse,

Thank you for reaching back out, were you able to check our our Mobile Issues page did this help your coverage issue? You didn't advise what handset you are using? 

As advised  have been in the process of migrating all of our customers over to the O2 network recently, so you may already be on the O2 network. Have you taken a look at the O2 Coverage Checker to see what the service in your local area is like, were there any known issues showing?

Regards

Paul.

[Mypethorse]

Hi Paul,

You need to go back and re read the whole thread. I have discovered I am now on O2 and have seen no improvement over the initial Vodafone service since dropping EE. I also stated the device. Nothing on the mobile issues page.

[Carley_S]

My apologies this is still ongoing for you @Mypethorse

We can take a closer look at our side to see if we have investigate further. Please join me on private message so I can locate your account and pass account security. You can see your private messages at the top of the page, in the envelope icon.