Several months ago, my new mobile Service Provider, Smarty (who I’d signed up with a couple of months previous), emailed me to let me know that my mobile would likely not work after the 3G switch off as it does not correctly support their hardware’s configuration for VoLTE, and that I should consider switching to a new Service Provider, or purchase a new phone.

In anticipation of this, I scouted around for a new comparable deal, and came across iD Mobile. I could see that they ran on the Three network, so to be sure, I spoke to an agent and asked.

For posterity, below is an extract of the conversation I had with the iD Mobile agent.
 

You: I have a Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro and I am currently with Smarty. I've been advised that 3G will be switched off in less than two weeks and when it does, my phone will not be supported, because even though it supports VoLTE, and configuration issue on Smarty's side means my phone is not supported. I also read that ID mobile is likely to have a similar configuration problem, and I'd like to confirm that it will work with my phone before I activate my SIM and port my number over.

Lwazi: Welcome to ID Mobile Daz, you are through to Lwazi, I’m just going to have a quick read through your chat history. Kindly just bear with me for a moment.

Lwazi: Thank you so much for allowing me to read through your chat history. However Three is iD Mobile’s network partner, will phase out its 3G network by the end of 2024. At the same time, they’ll continue to invest in rolling out 4G and 5G, meaning more people in more places will be able to take advantage of being on the UK’s Fastest 5G Network, as awarded by Ookla.

This investment promises lightning-fast speeds and excellent reliability for streaming, gaming, browsing, or video calling, delivering the best mobile experience possible.

You: But is my phone supported?

Lwazi: Yes it is supported to use 4G and 5G. The Redmi Note 8 Pro offers a variety of network connectivity options to keep you connected. It has dual SIM card slots, supporting 4G connectivity on both.

Lwazi: * it does support

You: I'm just concerned that I might port my number over and then my phone will stop working after 3G gets switched off. Will I be entitled to a refund if this is the case?

Lwazi: Please note that your device will note stop working unless you do not switch to 4G

“Great!”, I thought. I signed up and started getting my number ported over. This was about a month ago now. Now, I am finding that my mobile phone works when I’m at home or in the area, but not when I am in other areas (which sort of defeats the purpose of my having a mobile phone in the first place). I can neither make or receive calls whilst away from home, but I can text and use mobile data.

I went out of my way to find an appropriate provider to switch to to avoid this problem, and now I having to deal with it anyway, apparently because, not only did the agent not know the answer, but they made out that they did.

So thanks for nothing, iD Mobile. I paid you a month’s fee for you to provide me with the exact inconvenience that I was trying to avoid in the first place. Now I need to find a new service provider and deal with having no calls whilst I am out and about in the meantime.

If this post helps even one other person avoid the problem themselves, then it was worth it. Has anyone else had similar issues?