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
| What you see | Usually | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| An older handset dropping calls | 3G has been switched off nationally | Turn on 4G Calling; if the phone cannot, it is finished |
| One room always poor | Building materials blocking radio | Turn on Wi-Fi Calling |
| Full bars, nothing loads | Too many handsets on one mast | Nothing on the handset helps |
| A whole street out for hours | Mast work or a local fault | Check the status page by postcode |
| Slow only at home | Your router or Wi-Fi rather than the network | Test with Wi-Fi switched off |
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 — no amount of complaining will bring 3G back.
One bad day is bad luck. A pattern is evidence — but only if you write it down.
Ring us and we will go through it with you. Nothing is offered for sale at any point.
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.
How we are placed. thurlowvance 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.
© thurlowvance. Network names belong to their owners and appear only to identify the services described.