No longer getting LTE Data, only 3G

[Aquariatus]

As of a few days ago, I am no longer getting LTE data. I am only getting 3G on my (android) phone.  I have not changed my plan, and have not messed with any settings on my phone.  I do not know what is going on, as I have no notifications/emails explaining why this is, and cannot think of any reason why my data speed would just suddenly drop to a slower speed -- and I have noticed a significant difference. I have had the same plan for several years and this is the first time something like this has happened.

What should I do?

[Aquariatus · Accepted solution]

@Anonymous 

I did have full bars, yes.

I just did another reset of my phone and it seems to be resolved now?? Not sure why it took 10+ reboots over the course of a few days, but hey! If it works it works!

[Anonymous]

 @Aquariatus : Can you check under Mobile networks to see which kinds of networks your phone is set to. I know you said you haven't changed anything but things happen. Check for LTE or 4G showing first. It might be that the phone is set to UMTS or WCDMA or 3G first.

Other than that maybe indeed the tower you're connected to has lost 4G. But it should be faster on 3G. Do you have full bars or more than a couple?

[Aquariatus]

@Helpershelper I don't understand why or how this would change the speed my phone is receiving.  If something in the background was using it, the speed on my phone would still display LTE but would just be slower-- but this is not the case.  My phone no longer shows the little "LTE" next to my connection strength and only shows "3G".

Regardless, I used the app you linked with no luck. My phone is clean 😞

WARP did not improve things either.

[Helpershelper]

@Aquariatus 

Maybe something is using data in the background such as a virus. You could try scanning with an anti virus on your phone and see if you notice a difference.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bitdefender.antivirus

Cloudflare also has an app called WARP+ that can improve your connection a bit so also give it a try and see if you notice a difference.

https://warp.plus/qnE3Q

[NDesai]

@Aquariatus  wrote:

@NDesai Yes, my phone is only showing the 3G symbol.  I have not had issues with this previously at my house (where I am right now) until a few days ago, but I will be returning to school later next week and can check if it is the same case there.  I have rebooted my phone several times, no luck. 

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In that case, they might be doing some kind of maintenance at the nearest tower(s), but i cannot say for sure as we cannot verify this info. So if you can go to a different area and see if you are experiencing the same issue. Or you can ask a friend or family member nearby you and they are also on the Telus network. You can also try a different phone and see if that behaves the same. 

[AE_Collector]

I predicted serious slow downs on data networks leading up to and through Christmas with everyone using even more time on video calling. I’m not sure if it really happened or not but data could still have been much slower over all.

AE_Collector

[gpixel]

@NDesai I'm thinking they interpreted the OPs problem to be, their plan now showing as a 3g plan

@Aquariatus if your device is only showing HSPA/+ Telus may have updated their towers.

try the following:

on 4G LTE devices, the PRL(preferred roaming list) is updated with your SIM card. To ensure you have the latest PRL, you can power your phone off and remove/reinsert the SIM card once a month or so.

also make sure your "carrier services app" is updated to the latest version. you can find it on the play store under "carrier services" by google LLC

[Aquariatus]

@Jb456 Yes, I am on an old LTE plan. It is 12GB / 90 Days. I have only used ~500MB for this period

This has just started happening in the past few days.

I have rebooted my phone several times, no change, still only 3G.

I tried airplane mode, again, no luck.

I am returning to school next week and will see if I continue to have this issue there, but it happened out of the blue at home.  It was fine one day, and the next it was not.

[Aquariatus]

@NDesai Yes, my phone is only showing the 3G symbol.  I have not had issues with this previously at my house (where I am right now) until a few days ago, but I will be returning to school later next week and can check if it is the same case there.  I have rebooted my phone several times, no luck. 

I was not aware that 3G is better than LTE, as this certainly has not been my experience. I am noticing significantly slower page load times in my browser app (2-3 minutes) and the send-times for my Snapchats to my friends has increased by almost a minute -- this is what prompted me to further investigate as I regularly use both and really noticed the difference.

[NDesai]

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@JK8 wrote:

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@Aquariatus wrote:

As of a few days ago, I am no longer getting LTE data. I am only getting 3G on my (android) phone.  I have not changed my plan, and have not messed with any settings on my phone.  I do not know what is going on, as I have no notifications/emails explaining why this is, and cannot think of any reason why my data speed would just suddenly drop to a slower speed -- and I have noticed a significant difference. I have had the same plan for several years and this is the first time something like this has happened.

What should I do?

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Contact a moderator.

• Get help with your account the easy way by starting a conversation with our virtual assistant, SIMon. It’ll take you to relevant help articles, or if it’s something more urgent, it can help you submit a ticket to the Moderator Team. Click here to get started.
• Alternatively, you can send a private message to the Moderators by clicking here. You’ll need to be logged in to your Community account for the link to work.

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Why? Please explain a little how moderators will help with this issue and what info OP needs to provide?

[NDesai]

@Aquariatus Are you saying that your phone shows 3G on the Network symbol instead of LTE? If yes, is this the case in all areas? Have you tried rebooting your phone? In reality, 3G speed is usually better than the PM's throttled LTE (3mbps). But there are some advantages and disadvantages so LTE network is preferred. Let us know more details so we can try to help. 

[Jb456]

@Aquariatus  so if you have been on same plan for several years. I will assume you're on a 4g (LTE) plan?

Has this been happening for several days or just recently?

Have you tried rebooting your phone?

Putting on airplane mode for a few minutes?

Resetting the network settings? (Note a reset will cause you to loose all saved wifi passwords)

Maybe the location you live is having problems with the tower? 

Let us know!

[JK8]

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@Aquariatus wrote:

As of a few days ago, I am no longer getting LTE data. I am only getting 3G on my (android) phone.  I have not changed my plan, and have not messed with any settings on my phone.  I do not know what is going on, as I have no notifications/emails explaining why this is, and cannot think of any reason why my data speed would just suddenly drop to a slower speed -- and I have noticed a significant difference. I have had the same plan for several years and this is the first time something like this has happened.

What should I do?

---

Contact a moderator.

• Get help with your account the easy way by starting a conversation with our virtual assistant, SIMon. It’ll take you to relevant help articles, or if it’s something more urgent, it can help you submit a ticket to the Moderator Team. Click here to get started.
• Alternatively, you can send a private message to the Moderators by clicking here. You’ll need to be logged in to your Community account for the link to work.