Long Long time between sending a text message and it being received O2 network

[Seraphina]

My partner and I both have phones that are on the O2 pay monthly scheme. When out and about we like to use text messages to keep in touch and relay information e.g. where car is parked, change time / place to meet up etc. Recently we've had problems as messages are taking a couple of hours to travel. Yesterday I sent a message at 10:38 (and heard the whoosh sound that indicates sent) and my partner didn't receive it and so we caught up by phone call. Text was logged in his phone as being sent/received at 12:00. We were both in the same location (retail park) no more than a few hundred yards apart.

It surely should only take a matter of seconds / minutes for text to be relayed - what is going on? .

[MI5]

@Seraphina Static can build up on SIM cards so it’s always worthwhile removing and reinserting them occasionally. 

You can also suffer from network congestion in busy areas which will delay things. 

[Bambino · Accepted solution]

@Seraphina One, or both of you might also need new sim cards. You can go into an O2 store and they will swap your sims for free. The process is usually very quick. Just make sure you have identification with you when you go.

[pgn]

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@MI5 wrote:

You can also suffer from network congestion in busy areas which will delay things. 

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Is this something that would improve by flipping from 4G to 3G, similar to the advice on improving d'l or u'l speeds when 4G is over-utilised, but 3G is under-subscribed? Just wondering, have not been somewhere where I can test this out for SMS... 

[MI5]

SMS will happily send over 2g too.

[Seraphina]

Thank you. We're going to try replacing the sim in my partners phone as my sim is only a few months old (and lightly used) .

[Seraphina]

Thank you. We're going to try replacing sim in partner's phone as mine is only a few months old.

[EmilieT]

Hi @Seraphina, I was wondering if you got a chance to replace the SIM in the end, and if it helped at all?