ALSO Having issues with Data Roaming in New York City

[Chris0907]

Hi there,

I am currently on a US trip to New York, and have issues very similar to those described by @Dee25 in this thread: https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Tech-Support/Data-Roaming-in-New-York-US/m-p/1570495#M24371

I am using a Google Pixel 3 with Android.

This is the behaviour I am encountering:

• I turn on the phone (or restart it, I've been restarting my phone several times every few hours)
• It briefly (for 5-60 seconds) connects to 4G or 4G+ on T-Mobile
• It disconnects and goes either to EDGE or EDGE connectivity with a little "!" to indicate there's no connection

After spending about half an hour yesterday with the Customer Support at O2, I have:

•  Reset my internet and connectivity settings (losing all my WiFi passwords and Bluetooth connections in the process) - Had 4G internet for about 4 hours until it went back to the above behaviour
• Tried turning off and on Airplane mode - no results
• Tried turning off and on Roaming, as well as data connectivity - no results
• Tried manually using the Verizon or AT&T networks - the connections get denied

I have specifically moved to O2 to get Roaming in the US and so far this is severely disappointing, it's useless to pay a lot of money monthly for something you can't use. 

In the thread above, MI5 mentions that US Roaming is limited to 500kbps. While I have seen that to be true while the 4G is active and working, this is not my issue. My issue is that the connection is stuck on EDGE with no connectivity. No data is coming through - emails, messaging, maps all indicate there's no connection. I WISH it would be stuck at 500kbps instead of 0. 

I have also found another very useful thread describing this EXACT issue for PlusNet users, only in Europe. They seem to have solved it SOMEHOW although no details are given, after 20 pages of talking to support. 

https://community.plus.net/t5/Mobile/Unable-to-access-4G-services-whilst-roaming/td-p/1860515

Please help. 

[Bambino]

@Chris0907 I don't agree with the policy, but O2 have not broken any promises regarding roaming in the US. It's in the Terms& Conditions you agreed to: O2 | Mobile Terms and Conditions - O2 Travel Terms and Condition

O2 Travel is available to Consumer Pay Monthly customers and can be obtained as:

1. a. a paid subscription, with unlimited minutes and texts and data (with capped data speeds of 500 kbps) in all our O2 Travel destinations (“O2 Travel Subscription”); and / or
2. a free service in selected destinations only, as an offer on eligible tariffs (“O2 Travel Inclusive Zone”) There’s no fixed data allowance with O2 Travel, so to manage traffic (including audio and video streaming) we limit the service to 500kbps. 

Long term they will do nothing.

[Wicko172]

To follow up my previous message I have just received this from an O2 chat that appears to confirm they have a know issue in the USA and are working to correct it.  Shame no one told me this before I changed my SIM or mentioned it when I was in New York!!!

“ I understand your concern. Even we have highlighted this issue that the services in USA are very slow. Please be assured we are working on it and soon the issue will be resolved at the earliest. I'm sure this is what you were looking for and your concerns were addressed and put to rest. “

[MI5]

😂 

[jonsie]

This has been an issue for years and you will find dozens of threads about this

As said, O2 make specific mention of the data cap in their terms and conditions and so O2 chat are talking absolute cr4p

Why would they want to change this 'known issue' allured to by a very minor staff member on chat? Do you think O2 will be swayed by chat staff 'highlighting' the problem? Who do they highlight it to?

O2 are charged by the US networks for all data used by O2 customers so it makes perfect business sense to limit data use by customers who are paying a set fee for roaming in the States

It stinks but I can't see this changing without O2 increasing charges

[Bambino]

@Wicko172 I totally agree with @jonsie. Whoever in Live Chat told you that told you a bald-faced lie. They're not going to correct or change anything.

[Poptasticuk]

Just wanted to add to the thread that I'm experiencing the same issue in NY. I visit here regularly (including 3 times in the past year) and have not had this issue before. It's not about O2 throttling people for using too much data - we can't access data at all, or at the very best in spurts of a minute or so. Does anyone know why we would suddenly have this problem when previously (just a few months ago) we could get online here, even if it was slower than what we have at home?

Like the other posters I changed my tariff, paying extra to get the travel inclusive zone, so it's very frustrating that I'm now looking at having to buy a prepaid SIM to use over the next few weeks.

[Bambino]

@Poptasticuk As already said, read the Terms & Conditions you agreed to.

O2 | Mobile Terms and Conditions - O2 Travel Terms and Conditions

It has nothing to do with too much or too little data. The speeds are capped. As awful as that is, that's that.

[Poptasticuk]

That may be what it says in the t&cs but that doesn't align with the actual experience. When it's working (in short bursts of a minute or so) the speed is normal - not as fast as at home, but usable. Any other time the speed is zero because there's no internet access at all. What I'm confused by is why it was working fine when I was last in the US only 3 months ago but suddenly is unusable.

[brockhill]

As I mentioned in another thread, the easiest and cheapest solution is to get an e-sim from a third party provider. It will come out much cheaper than the $50 a month that Google Fi charges.  Of course, and assumes that your phone can handle an E-sim.