iD mobile and 3 network - a word of warning

Bob_Bridges

Sim only with iD mobile - all OK until 2 days ago. Now no calls in or out. After an hour on 'Live Chat' they tell me my new 5G phone wont work on their network. ( I've got a new Fairphone 4 running Andriod 13).

They claim it's to do with switching off the 3G masts.

So, I'm off elsewhere. Shocking service and shocking lack of customer service !

d123

Bob_Bridges said:

Sim only with iD mobile - all OK until 2 days ago. Now no calls in or out. After an hour on 'Live Chat' they tell me my new 5G phone wont work on their network. ( I've got a new Fairphone 4 running Andriod 13).

They claim it's to do with switching off the 3G masts.

So, I'm off elsewhere. Shocking service and shocking lack of customer service !

It’s a pretty good chance that your phone isn’t volte compatible (being a niche phone it’s unlikely the network supports it) and so without their 3G network you won’t be able to make/receive calls.

If you want to use a phone that is so niche it’s probably worth doing a lot of research before choosing a network, you might have the same issues with EE and Vodafone as they are also switching 3G off and may have the problem with o2 next year when they also do.

Peter999_2

Hi Bob_Bridges.    It's confusing but unless your phone supports VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling it won't work on IDMobile when 3g has been switched off.    Strangely, it is fine with Three mobile directly but not with IDMobile or Smarty.

However, your phone definitely supports both Wi-Fi calling and VoLTE so it should still work but both options need to be switched on on your phone.

Do you know if you do have them switched on?    If you're not sure, there is a web page from Fairphone which details how to do it.

Set up 4G and Wi-Fi Calling – Support (fairphone.com)

I've had calls from a few friends and managed to make it work (they too had spent hours on the phone with Smarty.  One of them went back and forth over a few days.  When they phoned me within minutes I'd found Smarty's own website that detailed that his phone was no longer supported - so they totally wasted both their time and his).

I'm afraid this is going to be the next "big" thing and expect it to make it to the front page of newspapers and consumer TV programmes.   Unfortunately most journalists make the confusion even worse and don't usually help very much.

PHK

Just to add there is a well known issue with the Fairphone 4 being unable to make or receive calls. The solution is to reinstall the OS. There is a guide on the Fairphone website. 

flaneurs_lobster

PHK said:

Just to add there is a well known issue with the Fairphone 4 being unable to make or receive calls. The solution is to reinstall the OS. There is a guide on the Fairphone website. 

That's a pretty fundamental flaw with a phone. You'd think that they might want to fix that particular problem.

PHK

flaneurs_lobster said:

PHK said:

Just to add there is a well known issue with the Fairphone 4 being unable to make or receive calls. The solution is to reinstall the OS. There is a guide on the Fairphone website. 

That's a pretty fundamental flaw with a phone. You'd think that they might want to fix that particular problem.

I agree, unfortunately, Fairphone support is not all it could be.