Very Poor Coverage

[Anonymous]

I know this is an old thread, but having googled for the same reason, wanted to comment that it is still the same now, in August 2016. Last year it wasn't so bad, I could slowly connect to 3g. This year, a week in July and a few days in August and I went to buy an EE data sim so I could put it in my phone and tether my tablet. I switched from EE 3 years back as signal was poor at home and on holiday, and O2 upgraded to 4g in my small town that time normally forgets. According to the converage checker Skegness is brilliant for 2g, 3g and 4g. It certainly was no good stood outdoors in the middle of town. In fact I had such a brilliant reception on EE...5 bars outside, 4 bars in a caravan, that if it were not for the fact that giffgaffs prices are a lot cheaper, I would move back. But as it is, I know what to do now when I go away. 

[Cleoriff]

Hi @Anonymous It's always important to compare network coverage with some free payg sims. Looking at the price of a phone or contract is no good if you can't get a decent signal. Anyway, as you say you know what to do next time you go away....

[Anonymous]

---

@Cleoriff wrote:

Hi @Anonymous It's always important to compare network coverage with some free payg sims. Looking at the price of a phone or contract is no good if you can't get a decent signal. Anyway, as you say you know what to do next time you go away....

---

That's a good idea I did move onto the o2 network though as they had improved. I just cannot understand why there it supposedly has a good signal, but it isn't. 

[jonsie]

Having a dual sim phone I always found EE to be far better, 4G coverage in areas where O2 just about manage 2G and far better in my home and my normal areas of travel. When EE can give 4G speeds in a village like Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire and I struggled to get any signal at all on O2, then it's a sad outlook for anyone tied into a two year contract with O2. Always go for the network that gives you the coverage you need whatever the difference in price. EE have some good tariffs without a doubt, both P&G and contract. O2 need to up their game and compete with the other networks. At the moment they are lagging behind.

[Toby]

Hi @Anonymous,

Welcome to the community! We'll feed this back to the rest of the team and thanks for raising it here. I have created a new thread for your post. I know it was linked to an older topic, but this way will be easier to understand and easier for others to reply to you

Has it gotten worse in Skegness since last year? How much so would you say?

[gmarkj]

I haven't been for a few months, but I thought that the coverage last time was quite good - both in the town and a little further afield (Ingoldmells).
Not sure when I'll be back but I'll make sure I do some speed tests.

[Anonymous]

Yes I would say its got worse in Skegness since last year. We had two short breaks this year, and the first I managed to get 2 bars and could remain tethered on my tablet, the second time we were two rows closer to the town centre and I couldn't get beyond a bar. And if I tethered, it lost 3g. I didn't get 4g at all. I ended up sometimes being able to keep it in the doorway of the caravan and just about stayed connected as long as I didn't want to do anything other than connect. 

Even in town it wasn't any better and the wifi in places didn't work very well either which was why I bought an EE sim.

I know I changed phone since last year, I have an iphone SE, but my daughter who has a Samsung, my son who has my old iphone5c and my hubby who has a basic smartphone that usually has no problem anywhere couldn't get a signal as they were complaining of the same thing. Yet my daughters bf, who was on EE was laughing as his signal was brilliant.

I moved to EE from o2 as the signal was better about 4 years ago , but went back last year when they did major 4g upgrades including where I lived, and was happy to find Skegness was better. Especially as my son was already on it and said he had no issues there. Until this year. O2 said nothing was wrong, but they have said that before where I live when the mast was down lol.

And my friend who lives in the area said her signal wasn't so good at the moment. 

[gmarkj]

It does seem strange that the signal has gotten worse not better.
If I had to guess I would say that there is a mast out somewhere, but without being there to check it is difficult to say.
Just looked at the status page (http://status.o2.co.uk/) and it says that a service is due on a mast tomorrow (17/08/16) so perhaps there could be an issue that they are aware of...