cell signal is low

[offgridarizona]

I live in northern Arizona.  For over 10 months I have had a decent cell signal with my iPhone and my Elipsis Jetpack.  For about a week now the signal has dropped to very low speeds, download is about 5 Mbps and upload is zero.  I tried calling Verizon 611, waited for about an hour to get connected to technical service and finally gave up.  I can still text, and when I drive to town (20 miles to the west), I have a great Verizon signal.  There is a large mesa between home and town that blocks the signal I can get in town.  My signal (when it worked) comes from I-40, about 30 miles to the north. 

Any suggestions on how to get someone to respond?  If there is a problem with the cell tower, what kind of response/repair time is usual?  How can I suspend my account (for the Jetpack) so I am not paying for a service I cannot use?

Thanks.

[vzw_customer_support]

Offgridarizona, we are here for you to help in any way possible. Since this issue took place, have you been able to perform any troubleshooting? Are all services being affected? 

JoseL_VZW

[offgridarizona]

Troubleshooting?  My iPhone barely has one bar of signal.  I just did a Speed Test on my phone, the download speed is 1.2 Mbps and the upload speed is "Error".  The Jetpack speed test (done on a Macbook) shows 1.31 download, and 0.51 upload.  We have seen similar numbers consistently for the last couple of weeks, including using the speed test on the Verizon website.  The current signal is not enough to reliably make a call and internet usage is very limited.  This is the first time this has happened in the 10 months since we got the Jetpack.  At that time, we left a satellite internet provider because their speeds got worse and worse over time.  This decline in service has been a sudden change and it has not gotten better, at all, in the last week or two.  I believe our signal is now coming from the west, and before it was coming from the north (Interstate 40).  This is based on the "find signal" feature of the OpenSignal app on my phone. 

I tried to call the Verizon 611 line.  The guy that answered my call could barely hear me.  He tried to transfer me to Technical, but that never went through.  My husband and I are both over 65, we live about 20 miles from the closest town, and we can't rely on this service to make a call if there were an emergency. 

I don't want to keep paying for a service that I can't use and that has changed from what it was originally.  I'd love to hear your suggestions on how to either fix the problem or change my billing.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

[vzw_customer_support]

Have you tried doing a full factory reset on your Jetpack? Are all devices affected the same when connected to the Jetpack?

JavierD_VZW