Originally Posted by heidtheba:
“Thanks folks.
Might be me being dense, but wouldn't 2g be a requirement for , say, 1800 4g , for voice fall back? Would be ludicrous to implement any other kind of 4g here.
(Despite 'location' I'm back on the mainland, but 'remote').”
Yes - but in EE's case that will be implemented on the EE network code (234-30) which isn't available for use by 3's roaming users.
3 will be using its own 3G network for the voice fall back (though they are pushing voice over LTE quite hard)
Originally Posted by heidtheba:
“Q is, if ee ramp my local mast to 4g (unlikely) , would it connect? Or would I need their firmware?”
I wouldn't say it's unlikely, EE have a contract for a new emergency services network which will necessitate a huge coverage expansion in underserved areas - so yours might get it. They switched on the Isles of Scilly and Orkney not that long ago.
They'll probably do 2G along with the 4G if they don't have that there already. If your phone supports LTE on the right bands you will at least get 4G data, whereas voice over LTE / 4G calling might need an EE customised firmware.
But all of this won't apply to you if you stay with 3. You'd need to move to EE (or one of their virtual networks, like Virgin or BT Mobile) to get access to their 2G and 4G networks.