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Problems with Lebara (Vodafone network)

raichea

Casual Member
According to the Vodafone coverage tool, I should have good 4g coverage indoors and outdoors at home but for the last few months my signal at home has been weak (1 or 2 bars) and call quality there has deteriorated significantly. Many (most?) calls either have garbled speech, one party not receiving or are simply disconnected at random intervals. My theory is that this started when Vodafone switched off their 3g service but I've not been able to verify that. I should add that in other locations everything works very well - I had crystal-clear calls to the UK when dialling from Norway a month ago. All this on a Pixel 7a and my wife is having similar issues on her Pixel 6a (also on Lebara).

I've had several exchanges with Lebara to try to resolve this but with nothing significant happening. A couple of times I've been told an update is coming that should help. The updates duly arrived but have made zero difference. Even when WiFi calling was made available, that didn't seem to help much.

To make matters worse, today I started getting 'Network not available' status in various locations where the signal is normally OK as well as at home. Switching airplane mode on then off, gets connectivity back for a short time but not for long, so far. No issues on the Vodafone service checker as far as I can see.

I've tried resetting network settings but I simply cannot add a new APN - the option simply isn't there in my settings. The current settings all appear to be correct but are greyed out so I cannot edit them at all. The only slightly odd thing I've noticed is that my Operator settings are dated March 2024 whereas the latest (as per my wife's phone) seem to be June 2024 but I've been unable to find a way to update them. Lebara's help simply sends a text describing how to change them manually but, as noted above, I can't edit the settings anyway.

Just looking for any thoughts as I've run out of ideas for now. (The Lebara chat line suggested trying the SIM in another device, which I will soon, but I'm not convinced that will help me).
 
If you haven't already, disable 2G.

You might not be using WiFi calling even if it's enabled. You can change the setting to only 3G so it would have no signal so you'll know that you are using WiFi calling.
 
Sounds like you need to change to another network.

Depending where you are, try Giffgaff (O2). Get a £1 sim from your local shop and set it up online, should activate near immediate.

Smarty may also be a good choice (Three).
 
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Since you're both using Google Pixel and Lebara, make sure you're running the latest software update. Pixels haven't played well with Lebara for a while, but a recent update may have introduced some some issues. See the replies on this thread: https://www.ispreview.co.uk/talk/threads/lebara-volte-vowifi-for-google-pixel.40153/page-7

WiFi calling bypasses the "network", so as long the WiFi is fast enough, it should work well... if not, then I'd say you're not using WiFi calling or the problem is not caused by the 3G shutdown. As Peter said, make sure you're using it. How to enable it: https://support.google.com/phoneapp/answer/2811843?hl=en

In any case, if Vodafone's service got worse, then either you have to wait until they improve it again (no one knows when) or follow Carl's suggestion and find a different provider on EE/Three/O2 (no idea what works best in your area).
 
Sounds like you need to change to another network.

Depending where you are, try Giffgaff (O2). Get a £1 sim from your local shop and set it up online, should activate near immediate.

Smarty may also be a good choice (Three).
In the last few weeks I've tried GiffGaff (O2), Spusa (EE) and iD Mobile (3).... all gave worse results than Vodafone at my home.
 
Since you're both using Google Pixel and Lebara, make sure you're running the latest software update. Pixels haven't played well with Lebara for a while, but a recent update may have introduced some some issues. See the replies on this thread: https://www.ispreview.co.uk/talk/threads/lebara-volte-vowifi-for-google-pixel.40153/page-7

WiFi calling bypasses the "network", so as long the WiFi is fast enough, it should work well... if not, then I'd say you're not using WiFi calling or the problem is not caused by the 3G shutdown. As Peter said, make sure you're using it. How to enable it: https://support.google.com/phoneapp/answer/2811843?hl=en

In any case, if Vodafone's service got worse, then either you have to wait until they improve it again (no one knows when) or follow Carl's suggestion and find a different provider on EE/Three/O2 (no idea what works best in your area).
I've been watching that thread since I first discovered that I couldn't enable WiFi calling. Since one of the recent updates, that is now available and it was then I found that didn't improve my call quality. This was a surprise, so maybe it wasn't being used for some reason, even though enabled. I pitched in on the thread when I saw a comment about 2g. I've tried switching it off and didn't notice a difference but have switched it off again today. I'll see if it makes any difference to my current problem.

You'll see my other response about trying other networks....

By the way, thanks to all for your responses.
 
I've been watching that thread since I first discovered that I couldn't enable WiFi calling. Since one of the recent updates, that is now available and it was then I found that didn't improve my call quality. This was a surprise, so maybe it wasn't being used for some reason, even though enabled. I pitched in on the thread when I saw a comment about 2g. I've tried switching it off and didn't notice a difference but have switched it off again today. I'll see if it makes any difference to my current problem.

You'll see my other response about trying other networks....

By the way, thanks to all for your responses.

If you enable airplane mode, then enable WiFi, wait 30 seconds, and call someone, does it work? Or can you text someone via SMS? That would tell you if WiFi calling is actually working (my phone also shows a WiFi icon on the call screen and another on the top right corner to indicate I'm using WiFi calling).

WiFi calling helps with being able to make/receive calls when signal isn't good/available, but it can't fix voice quality just by itself. That depends on both devices, both networks, the audio codec used, etc. Even if you have VoLTE and "HD Voice" (not sure what's called on Pixels), quality can be bad if the other end doesn't support it or if for some reason both networks don't use a high quality codec between them.

By the way, when using the network, what do you see on the network icon? Does it drop from 4G/LTE to 2G/EDGE/"H" when you make or receive a call?
 
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By the way, when using the network, what do you see on the network icon? Does it drop from 4G/LTE to 2G/EDGE/"H" when you make or receive a call?
I haven't noticed any dropping to lower speeds than 4g. Last night, however, I did switch the phone to 3g instead of 5g and, within a second or two, got the ! marker showing no network available. I then enabled WiFi calling and my lock screen shows that it is enabled (shows "Lebara WiFi calling" instead of just "Lebara"). I was able to place a call - so it seems that WiFi calling is definitely working.

I've not seen the "No network" since I turned off 2g - coincidence or not, who knows? I'll reenable 2g to see if I see the problem again.

Thanks again for the input.
 
I noticed recently that Vodafone actually switched off 5G near me and pulled it from their coverage map, I have no idea why but suspect it's got something to do with the standardised RAN and being forced to pull out Huawei kit from their core.

If it helps you could try the call over WiFi instead of over mobile in the preferred network connection option?
 
I noticed recently that Vodafone actually switched off 5G near me and pulled it from their coverage map, I have no idea why but suspect it's got something to do with the standardised RAN and being forced to pull out Huawei kit from their core.

If it helps you could try the call over WiFi instead of over mobile in the preferred network connection option?
I checked the Vodafone service status page and there was nothing listed, but who knows how up to date they keep it? The loss of service problem seems to have stopped now... I've had a solid (albeit relatively weak) connection yesterday and today (so far, at least). The 2g switch doesn't seem to have had an effect but I'll leave it off for now as my wife's phone hasn't suffered from poor quality since I switched it off on hers. I'll just have to see how things go, I guess.

There was an article I read recently that said complaints of poor connectivity and call quality were quite widespread in the UK. It suggested that at least one factor was the restriction on Huawei kit and another was general lack of investment by the carriers to keep up with demand for services.
 
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