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teesrition
Independent United Kingdom network guidance
Guidance line020 3896 5248 This number is for guidance and information only. We sell nothing, arrange nothing and act for no network. Ring it if anything on these pages is unclear.
Guide

Faults

Six adjustments close most reported faults, why the 3G switch-off caused so many, and how a fortnight of written records wins the rest.

Written July 2026 · no prices published · nothing for sale

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What is usually wrongSix adjustments, in orderWhy the 3G switch-off caused so many faultsMaking a repeating fault count
Faults — at a glanceOur summary. Confirm current terms with the provider.
First adjustment
Turn on Wi-Fi Calling
Second
Turn on 4G Calling
Third
Ten seconds of airplane mode
Fourth
Install pending handset and carrier updates
Fifth
Move a metre, ideally toward a window
Sixth
Check the status page with your postcode
3G service
Switched off nationally — two networks in 2024, one in 2025
Credits agreed on
Dated written evidence, not frustration
Our position. teesrition is an independent information service for mobile customers in the United Kingdom. We are not a mobile network. We have no affiliation with, endorsement from, appointment by or connection to Three, EE, O2, Vodafone, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile or any other provider, and no commercial arrangement with any of them. We do not sell, supply, arrange or broker SIM cards, contracts, handsets or services of any kind, and we take no commission from anybody. Everything here is general information; a provider's own current terms always take precedence.
01

What is usually wrong

Causes
What you seeUsuallyWhat fixes it
An older handset dropping calls3G has been switched off nationallyTurn on 4G Calling; if the phone cannot, it is finished
One room always poorBuilding materials blocking radioTurn on Wi-Fi Calling
Full bars, nothing loadsToo many handsets on one mastNothing on the handset helps
A whole street out for hoursMast work or a local faultCheck the status page by postcode
Slow only at homeYour router or Wi-Fi rather than the networkTest with Wi-Fi switched off
Do this
  • Diagnose by symptom rather than by signal bars.
02

Six adjustments, in order

Sequence

Work through them before ringing anybody. Most people never get past step two.

Do this
  • Turn on Wi-Fi Calling.
  • Turn on 4G Calling.
  • Give it ten seconds of airplane mode.
  • Install any pending handset and carrier updates.
  • Move a metre, ideally toward a window.
  • Only then check the network's status page with your postcode.
03

Why the 3G switch-off caused so many faults

History

Third-generation service has now gone across the country — two networks during 2024, one during 2025. A handset that has suddenly started failing on calls is very often reaching for something that no longer exists.

Turning on 4G Calling is usually the entire cure. Where a handset cannot support it, that device has reached the end of its useful life on any UK network.

Do this
  • Check 4G Calling is enabled on every handset in the house.
  • Accept that an unsupported handset has reached its end.
04

Making a repeating fault count

Escalation

One bad day is bad luck. A pattern is evidence — but only if you write it down.

Do this
  • Log dates, times and exactly what failed for two weeks.
  • Complain in writing with the log attached.
  • Ask directly what goodwill applies to the recorded period.
  • If refused or ignored, escalate free at eight weeks.

Still unsure after reading this?

Ring us and we will go through it with you. Nothing is offered for sale at any point.

020 3896 5248This number is for guidance and information only. We sell nothing, arrange nothing and act for no network. Ring it if anything on these pages is unclear.
Our position. teesrition is an independent information service for mobile customers in the United Kingdom. We are not a mobile network. We have no affiliation with, endorsement from, appointment by or connection to Three, EE, O2, Vodafone, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile or any other provider, and no commercial arrangement with any of them. We do not sell, supply, arrange or broker SIM cards, contracts, handsets or services of any kind, and we take no commission from anybody. Everything here is general information; a provider's own current terms always take precedence.

Ring us if these pages do not cover it

We hold no arrangement with any network, take no commission and sell nothing at all. If your question is not answered here, telephone and ask.

020 3896 5248 Guidance and information only. We sell nothing, arrange nothing and act for no network.
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Our position. teesrition is an independent information service for mobile customers in the United Kingdom. We are not a mobile network. We have no affiliation with, endorsement from, appointment by or connection to Three, EE, O2, Vodafone, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile or any other provider, and no commercial arrangement with any of them. We do not sell, supply, arrange or broker SIM cards, contracts, handsets or services of any kind, and we take no commission from anybody. Everything here is general information; a provider's own current terms always take precedence.

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