Awful signal/network

Got the same issue - massive mistake moving to ID. Commented here & it took a while to get a structured response & ID are ‘investigating’. The ‘investigation’ seems very drawn out, and not very technical with a bizarre set of low level questions. Considering that at the end of the day, they will have access to all your data and movements, so can probably draw their own conclusions in a very short timeframe.

I agree though - the ID network is very poor. Especially in SE London.

So - If the network doesn’t improve (I’m guessing it won’t any time soon) then I’m looking to cancel my contract.

All I can say is I’m in the middle of a similar issue - so good luck.

Hey there ​@luand, we’re very sorry to hear that. What phone do you have, and what full postcode(s) are you having issues in please?

Does this affect calls, texts and data?

How long have you had these issues?

Thanks,

Tyler

Hi ​@Tyler,

To be honest, it’s a general bad signal in most places. Never see more than 3 bars ever.

Near my work office EC2M 5TQ - was no signal and then got 1 bar and 4g but nothing loaded.

At London Waterloo Station - 3 bars and 4g and nothing loads. Can’t even buy my train ticket?! Wait 1 minute on the train leaving and then get 2 bars and it works.

Just seems crazy that I have to live like this for 2 years! Never had these issues on pre paid with my previous provider. 
 

It’s a new iPhone 16 new which came from with my sim. Is there a setting or something that could be causing this?

My sister also got a new phone and sim with iD and is having the exact same issues. 
 

There doesn’t seem to be a reason other than bad network?

Thanks,

Luan

Hi ​@luand 

So sorry to hear this, it must be very frustrating!

Can you please try the steps on this post and let us know how you get on - I can't use my mobile data (4G/5G) on my SIM. What should I do? | iD Mobile Community

If this still doesn’t help, we will need to do some further investigation with you.

Thanks.

I’ve been with them since Sept 24 and they are truly awful.  Although I live in a very rural area, where no signal is great, they are the worst.  I was on Vodafone’s network through Lebara, which wasnt strong, but I could have a conversation when out and about.  Due to the terrible state of infrastructure in this country, when you live rurally, you get used to managing these things and wifi calling becomes the norm, but when I’m out and about, there is virtually no point in having a the ID sim in my phone.  

They try to suggest it might be the SIM or the phone or some other rubbish they throw up as a smoke screen, but I travel to Portugal frequently and am again in rural locations, I get strong signal everywhere, even getting 5G in the middle of a forest!  So it’s nothing to do with the other elements and everything to do with the poor quality of the network.  No wonder productivity is so low in this country, it’s like wading through treacle getting anything done, so nobody bothers.

As a follow on to my post above.

I have found that the 2nd hand value of the phone is enough to cover the cost of buying out the rest of the contract, so I’m selling my phone and buying a new one on a contract with a better network (probably Vodafone for me)

Hi ​@Simon D 

Thank you for getting in touch.

We are very sorry to hear of the issues you have been facing with the service. 

We appreciate this must be frustrating and would want to do all we can to help. 

Can you please provide the postcode for where the issues occur?

Thanks, 

Natalie 

I live in SN14 6NL where the signal is no existant outside the house, where i can make wifi calls,  but it would take too long to list all the postcodes where it doesn't work. I was at a wedding in a village called Hook at the weekend and couldn't make a call without wifi. Same in Bath, a city near where I live.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra so it's unlikely to be the phone. Especially as its only when I'm on your network. I've even used a Vodafone SIM in the 2nd SIM slot and that works better than yours. 

Natalie,

2nd time I’ve had to write this as I was waiting at my kids school in Bath when I replied 1st time, but because I lost signal I also lost the message I’d typed.  On my PC at home now.

I live at SN14 6NL, where I can only make calls indoors over wifi (internet and SMS also non existent outside), but it would take too long to list the codes that I get poor signal. I was at a wedding in a town called Hook, 75 miles from where I live and couldn't get any functional signal and as mentioned above I get bad signal in Bath a nearby CITY!

Please don’t send me a link to a pointless help chat or ask me to try the SIM on another phone.  My phone is set up correctly and it’s no better in other handsets.

I’ve even had a vodafone SIM in my phone at the same time as yours (dual sim) and it works much better (that is to say it works)

So what can you do to help? 

I've replied twice to Natalie but the moderator doesn't seem to like my reply so isn't publishing.

So much for doing everything they can to help.

Hey there ​@Simon D, we're working on fixing an issue in this area at the moment. We're sorry for any disruption this may be causing.

We hope to have things fixed as soon as possible and will add any updates here.

https://www.three.co.uk/support/network-and-coverage/coverage?location=dh44ar&tab=2#tabs-c2d0d12ce8-item-2988999184-tab

We hope it’s resolved ASAP.

Kind regards,

Tyler

Tyler

Unless this problem has been ongoing since September and follows me around the UK then your rather lazy response to my message doesnt address the issue as I described it.  You may be having a local issue currently, but resolving that will change the fact that your service is poor EVERYWHERE.

Again I ask, given your colleague’s platitude that ‘we... would want to do all we can to help’.  What can you do to help?

Hey there ​@Simon D, sorry you feel this way. I was simply stating why you would likely be receiving poor signal in your area as of right now, due to the on-going work. If you’re having issues everywhere you go, then this would point more towards a device or SIM issue opposed to a coverage issue, as we wouldn’t expect coverage to be poor everywhere you go.

How long have you had the device and where did you purchase it from please? Also what device is it?

Secondly, have you ever tried a free replacement SIM card with us as of yet?

Thanks,

Tyler

Tyler,

It is a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra that I’ve owned since September last year, bought on contract through you. I have not tried a replacement SIM, but when I go abroad to Portugal there is no problem with the connection ro signal. The problems only occur in the UK and I have had poor signal since day 1.

Hi ​@Simon D, sorry to hear this. In that case, we’d recommend trying a replacement SIM card to see if this helps at all. Please follow steps below on how to receive either a replacement physical SIM or an eSIM, and see if this helps at all. If not, please report back to us here so we can advise further:

• How do I get a replacement SIM or eSIM? F.A.Q.

Thanks,

Tyler

Tyler,

I have replaced my physical SIM with an eSIM and nothing has improved.  Unsurprisingly I still cannot make calls from the area I live in other than by wifi calling.  To be clear, sometime the call can get through, but the signal is not good enough to have a conversation.

The same was the case this morning when I travelled to the city of Bath and then to a the nearby large town of Corsham.  Every time I tried to make a call, either through the phone app or whatsapp, it was impossible to have a conversation as the person on the other end could not hear me and I could barely hear them.

I am willing to persist for a couple of day to see if anything improves, but once I have done this then there doesn’t seem to be anything else that you can attempt to blame for what is simply a poor network (short of suggesting that I get my hearing tested).

As your website falsely claims that I should get good signal both indoors and outdoors in my area, when clearly I don’t, if you cannot find a resolution to the issue then I expect you to cancel my contract and take the handset back so that I can move to another network.

Regards

Simon Duffy

Hi ​@Simon D 

We’ll shortly send you a Private Message to your Community account, so we can discuss your issue further. 

To access your messages, click your profile picture in the top right hand corner and then click ‘Private Messages’. 

Alternatively, if you are currently logged in, you can use the following link: https://community.idmobile.co.uk/inbox/overview  

We’ll see you there. 

Anika

Anika,

I have responded through the PM you sent.

I have also just discovered how to measure the signal I am getting and the indoor readings are around -125Db and outdoor around -112Db where I live.  As I move around I will screenshot the signal levels I am getting in different areas.

For those who don't know, the closer to zero the reading is, the better the signal and -85Db or lower is considered a ‘Good’ signal. Google it.

Another reason I would imagine is that 3 have the least amount of masts of any provider in the UK and around 16.5 thousand, compared to Vodafone & EE at nearly 21,000 and O2 at nearly 27,000.  I would bet that most of those are near populated areas, so if your outside main cities your chance of a decent signal is low.

Thank you ​@Simon D 

We will continue to support you via private message. 

Natalie 

I wish I had seen these comments before switching to id. My coverage in Yorkshire is never above 1 bar, and I keep missing calls as it drops out all together. Customer service non existent, and im stuck with them for nearly 2 years. 

I suggest you take it up with them and persist because the service is unacceptable.

Hey there ​@Ann Bentley, sorry to hear this. What’s the full postcode and what device do you have please?

Thanks,

Tyler

HD6 4EQ and Samsung Galaxy.

It works fine everywhere but at home, which is were its most important. Coverage checker says its good, but its not. Im lucky if I have 1 bar.

Sorry to hear this ​@Ann Bentley. Are you connected to 4G or 5G here?

Thanks,

Tyler

I have both available and neither work, O2 gets a perfect signal.