UK Roaming. Data only working on 3 UK, not VF/EE/02?

[ShaneM3512]

Hi folks

I'm regularly roaming across the ROI/NI border weekly.

I can't get data to work on most networks in the North.

Only network that works for internet is Three UK

Vodafone, O2, EE - All those networks are Voice and SMS only, no Data.

Unfortunately, i'm frequently in rural areas where only O2 and/or Vodafone have decent coverage. Three UK are good in the larger towns and cities.

it's getting frustrating having to manually browse available networks, hoping to get a connection to Three UK, then my phone going mad as it loses connection, dinging me constantly until to toggle the network selection from Manual to Automatic (moving me back to a Voice/SMS network only)

I've double, triple and quadruple checked the APN settings repeatedly, deleting and recreating according to the 48 Troubleshooting webpages and videos.

The problem has persisted across 3 phones, and 2 different 48.ie accounts

Can anyone else confirm or refute these symptoms - i.e. data only on Three UK network and none other.

Also - I have to go into the 48 SIM tool and manually toggle the roaming between Local and International manually every time I cross the border so i can get Voice/SMS - massively aggravating

[dalyer]

Is this of any relevance perhaps?

• https://confusedbird.com/thread-212.html

After a minute, it then roaming onto EE. It would not connect with any of the preconfigured Proximus APNs that appear when using the roaming profile. Once I selected the 48months APN, it then connected on 4G and there was no further issue with data for the 7 days I was there

[ShaneM3512 · Accepted solution]

Yes - it was very relevant and has mostly solved the problem. Thank you. 😍 I'll expand on the solution as the steps taken are important.

Summary:

When roaming in the UK Data works with 3 UK (parent company of 48?) but not with other phone providers.

Diagnosis:

When connected to O2 or Vodafone UK, the APN settings are present, but cannot be enabled (Android) by tapping the radio button in the APN to toggle it on.

Solution:

Whilst manually connected to O2, delete the existing APN, then create a new APN following the official instructions on the 48 support website. (It helps to have the instructions and settings open on another phone beside you for reference). Now you can successfully reconnect to data services.

Now manually connect to the next provider (Vodafone UK), delete the APN and recreate it again, following the same steps. Data now works for Vodafone UK. Likewise, automatically connecting to whichever of the big three (3 UK, O2, VF UK) now works for data. These changes persist - i've tried it over multiple days on several cross-border trips.

Exceptions:

Virgin (UK) Mobile refuses to allow voice or data connection of any sort. Not concerned as they've not much coverage in NI.

EE allows voice and SMS, but not data under any circumstances, despite repeatedly trying the above steps. Not concerned either as likewise low coverage in NI.

Problems still remaining:

I still have to go through the SIM Toolkit to manually switch between Local and International roaming settings. A separate unsolved issue that's annoying but not a dealbreaker.

So again - thanks for pointing out that solution - it was a long term issue for me and another colleague.

[dalyer]

Thanks for posting back with more info.

That could help others in a similar situation.

I don't know why there are still such issues when roaming on 48 and it doesn't "just work" like on other networks. 😕

[RhonaW3091]

Hi Guys, 

Same problem here except I cannot even access O2!  When I go onto Automatic Selection nothing is listed, when I go onto manual selection, all the providers are listed but all have (forbidden) beside them.  I have a roaming allowance, any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated as am in NI at the moment with no phone access.  Thank you

[dalyer]

Does your SIM predate January 2023?

If so then you might need a replacement.

• https://48.ie/help/sim-replacement

Maybe also check these threads in case they help:

• https://community.48.ie/t5/The-Knowledge-Base/The-Roaming-Troubleshooting-Guide/ta-p/52179
• https://community.48.ie/t5/Internet/How-to-fix-no-network-service-when-roaming/m-p/56352

If none of that helps then you'll probably need to contact 48 support for further assistance.

See the links in my signature below.

[ShaneM3512]

Firstly - try this - look for an icon on your phone that says 48 SIM Toolkit or SIM Toolkit.

Tap it, go to When Abroad -> Network Selection -> Manual

Then change it to International - Roaming Profile

Don't forget to change it when you come back to Ireland

The enxt part is ensuring that your APN is correct. My solution in my previous post is way too complicated - the fix is actually easier.

This is my explanation - the explanation may or may not be correct, but the fix works.

SIM cards store the settings (APN) in order to connect to a network and use DATA.

For some reason, the non-Irish settings default to a Belgian Proximus settings - which is incorrect for 48.ie  I'm guessing the SIM was incorrectly programmed during manufacture for a different phone provider in Belgium. Hence the suggestions to order a replacement SIM

Nevertheless - the fix is VERY easy - go to the APN settings on your phone.

Makes sure the APN says: 48Months.liffeytelecom.com

The rest you can leave as you find it.

What was causing me headaches was I was following the setup guide and putting in the full APN settings necessary for within Ireland

This included modifying the MCC to 272  (that's the code for ROI phones). When I did that, all my APN settings immediately disappeared as i was in the UK (North).

So changing just the APN line was a solution for me.

Now - on an OPPO phone running ColorOS (Android 11) this wouldn't work as there was no option to edit.

But within the APN settings there was an option to reset APN - that loaded the (incorrect) defaults from the SIM card - I could then successfully change the APN

Also  - on a Motorola running stock Android 12 - I had to manually save the APN settings after editing.

[jenemo]

You are a complete life saver, thanks so much for this!