Why is my cell tower signal strength so weak now?

[Naplescustomer]

Approximately 4 weeks ago the signal strength within my residence suddenly decreased to the point that calls frequently failed in mid conversation or never connected in the first place.  This was after over seven years of absolutely perfect service!  The problem is definitely not an issue with my specific phone since it affects my wife's phone, the phone of any Verizon customer who visits our house, and the phones of neighbors with Verizon service.  I can still use my phone reliably if I stand outside my house.  I've spent hours with Verizon personnel attempting to regain the service I'm still paying for.   After contacting several support personnel, I finally found one who was helpful enough to submit trouble ticket NRB00000978473.  A few days later, on April 24, I received a text message stating "Your reported service issue has been resolved.  Please retry your service".  I did, and absolutely nothing had changed.  The reported service issue was actually not resolved at all.  I responded to the text message (theoretically) letting Verizon know that the problem persisted, but never received any indication that a live person was on the receiving end of my  response.   My most recent phone conversation with Verizon support personnel (while standing outside my house) only resulted in being put on hold for a half hour.  The closest I've come for an explanation for the loss of tower signal came from an employee at the local Verizon store who suggested Verizon may be switching out their tower equipment to move toward 5G service.  I hope that this isn't the actual reason for the sudden drop in signal strength because it would mean that issue is not caused by equipment failure, but but rather a corporate decision.  In other words, not likely to be fixed any time soon.  

[vzw_customer_support]

PGMurry, I know how vital it is for you to have reliable service. Our goal is to provide you with optimal service at all times. We can certainly try some troubleshooting to resolve the issue. What exactly is happening with your service? Are you able to make and receive calls? Are you experiencing this issue at a particular location or everywhere you go? 

DiaS_VZW

[Jhochst]

The trouble shooting does not belong on the customer side it belongs on Verizon's side Verizon is the problem!

[vzw_customer_support]

Jhochst, ensuring your services are working as they should be is important to us. What exact problem are you experiencing? How long have you been experiencing the issue for? Are all other VZW customers in your area having the same issue(s)? What are the 2 nearest cross streets and zip code where the issue is being experienced? Troubleshooting actually belongs to both the customer and VZW. Some customers believe they're having an issue when there is none. They could simply be experiencing the services that are included in their plan. For example, all unlimited plans impose network management. For some customers, they will experience it throughout their entire billing cycle if that's the unlimited plan they chose and other will have to hit a specific LTE data limit before network management restrictions are imposed. 

Customers can also think something is wrong because they don't have full signal bars. There isn't a standard unit of measurement for the number of bars displayed on a consumer's phone. Since different device models have varying antennas and radios within them, each radio will be different. Accordingly, the bars is simply how the phone is able to report back to the base station. A person can have full bars but experience slow signal when a tower is congested or at capacity. Currently, I'm getting one bar of service even though we have repeaters installed on each floor and a cell site on the roof of our building and the corner of our parking lot. The service itself however is just fine and calls, texts and data (with over 70Kbps download and 30Kbps upload speeds) are working without issue.

There are also customers who believe, the 5G network will impact their 4G service. The 5G network has no impact on 4G service as it doesn't use traditional cell towers. (As more people switch to it however - it does free up data throughput from the 4G network making the data load better for those still using 4G.) It actually consists of antennas on light poles and other fixtures. The CDMA network will be fully retired by the end of this year and those cell sites will be carrier aggregated to add additional 4G capacity. We've always had 2 network technologies working simultaneously for our customers and that won't change as 4G will continue to be around for a long time.

This is why troubleshooting is important because without all the details, the issue may not be network related at all. If it is a network issue though, we can always file a ticket with our Network Engineers after the proper troubleshooting has been performed.

EbonyR_VZW

[realestatepromigs]

It has happened to our entire real estate office (area code 34465) - everyone who has Verizon is suffering and so is our business. Absolutely no cell signal in our office and I had no problem for 7 years there with same i phone models and same verizon.  I love how they blame US, or the weather, or the SHARED issue, everything  but themselves. And now when one drives ANYWHERE in the Pine Ridge subdivision of Beverly Hills, FL 34465 (a high end deed restricted community, where our office is located) the signal is spotty with dropped calls and non-connections.  CASE STUDY: Saturday my husband chaffeured me and my buyer customers to two different areas of the county about 10 miles apart. One area in Beverly Hills and one area in  Crystal River (34428).  When we got to the Dunnellon Road area of Crystal River looking for a new construction house, we needed google maps. My iphone with LTE could not connect to Google maps and we literally did not know where to go in the car.  4 people,  2 repeat customers with us.  So, my customer pulls out her phone and says, " let me get up google maps".  I have Google Maps and she has Google Maps. I have no data signal and she pulls up Google maps in an instant. So, I ask her, "who is your cell phone carrier/provider?"   she replied" AT & T, I have never had a signal problem with them.  

I WAS a loyal Verizon customer, with them for 20 years. No more. I can't afford to lose business, calls, connections  or lose my way because they had something happen to them and don't want to own up to it!   

From what I have read from the comments,  Verizon's only "solution" is "Wait because we will have 5G soon and that will cure everything."   That is an inadequate response. And to lie and deny that the problem is not on verizon's end and make us do all kinds of things to our phones to trouble shoot any time we call to alert you of the problem is LAME.

There are 15 people in our office. And all the agents with Verizon have had a 70% drop in signal and cell and data connection in our area. I even lost a call just now in my home, which is one of the highest elevations in the county!! I used to have stellar service here!  

I am going to move our plan to AT & T and very sad and sorry to have to go through the hassle, but obviously customer loyalty and patronage for decades means nothing to Verizon.

So, as Arnold would say....."HASTA LA VISTA, BABY!!"

Real Estate Pro - Beverly Hills, FL 34465

3/16/2020

[JFinTN]

Realestatepromigs, if I could give this a million likes I would.

[B-ferg1]

This appears to be system wide, although Verizon won't admit it. What good is 5G if you can't keep a connection? 5G signal travels less distance, requiring more tower needing to be installed. Speed and quality are useless without a connection. If everyone provided Verizon with as poor payment service as they do with signal capabilities, Verizon would want it fixed pronto. Verizon  touts to have the #1 network , hate to see #2`s service. Use wifi calling we're told, that defeats the purpose of having a mobile phone if I have to be tethered to a particular spot, I could just use my land line and why do I need to pay for a plan from Verizon if I have to rely on my internet plan, which I'm already paying for. I'm thourouly disgusted with Verizon's service and unwillingness to provide a satisfactory service I pay for!!!

[vzw_customer_support]

B-ferg1

You definitely deserve the service that you pay for. We're willing to exhaust all troubleshooting steps to resolve this issue. You mentioned that you were advised to use Wi-Fi Calling. Are you having issues with calls and accessing data indoors at that location? Wireless service can be challenging indoors due to restrictions caused by the materials that a building was built with. As a result, no wireless provider can guarantee service in all building structures. However, Wi-Fi Calling allows you to use a high speed internet connection to make and receive calls when cellular service isn't available. Is this why we recommended Wi-Fi Calling? 

For more information regarding the benefits of using Wi-Fi Calling, click the link below:

https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/wifi-calling-faqs/

Are you experiencing issues with data speeds in a certain place or everywhere that you go? Did you recently update the software on your phone or download a new application to your phone? 

For more device support, click https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/brands/

LasinaJ_VZW

[Avengersxtplus]

5g will not penetrate homes and buildings as well as 4g period. 5g will have to have twice or three times the towers/beams/repeaters to give the same coverage as 4g when it was performing well. And that's only outdoor coverage with 5g. As it still will not penetrate buildings unless there's and indoor repeater or you run own your WiFi to operate wifi wifi calling and data over WiFi. 

The problem is in fact Verizon is not maintaining, improving and expanding 4g coverage due to rises in population and demand to meet loyal customer needs. This is happening all over the country. ( Read the chats , blogs and posts by customers and cell tower engineers not bound to Verizon's  excuses & false replies. )

Bottom line is that Verizon is spending 18 billion on 5g expansion and that's this year. But it will take two to three years to catch up to the coverages 4g use to provide before the 4g service started fading. And still it ( 5g ) will not penetrate buildings or homes as 4g does or did before the 4g service got overloaded with demand. The other big three of the four providers are expanding the towers/beams/repeaters for 4g and 5g simultaneously while Verizon is only concerned with 5g expansion. And while the 4g service with Verizon continues to fade they bank on disatisfied customers and new customers purchasing the new 5g devices just to get the false hope of receiving better service. ( Which if that is possible it would be two to three years out and still not able to penetrate buildings without the help of wifi and signal extenders.  Not a good marketing strategy Verizon. It's evident when many have had 3 and 4 bar signals for years and then over the last year or two it has dropped to 2 and 1 bar signal bars ( sometimes no service ) in the same locations outdoors. It makes one wonder if Verizon is intentionally turning the 4g signal outputs down on their towers to push the 5g fad. 

Recently I have been testing a free 30 day portable test drive device with T-Mobile. Free Device, 30 days or 30 GB of data. ( Whichever comes first ) T-Mobiles tower is further away yet I get better and more consistent call reception and blazing fast 4g data speeds. Explain that one. 

Also your former CEO that recently retired was for the customers needs and providing optimal Verizon service. 

The new CEO is said to only be concerned with 5g expansion and no expansion or improvement on 4G service for existing loyal customers. 

Rest assured the other companies are improving service and their prices for services and equipment are more affordable & not over the top as Verizon is. 

People don't mind paying a bit more for better service. But your service has gradually become less than optimal . Rather is has become poor to fair including customer service. Trouble tickets and hours on the phone with tech support no longer have any effect on correcting poor service. 

Have a great day. 

[vzw_customer_support]

We want to make sure you have the signal is working the way it should. Let's make sure we get to the bottom of this for you. Can you tell me what services are being impacted ( calls, text or data)? What are your two nearest cross streets and zip code?ChetonJ_VZW

[Doreen2]

Are all of Verizon customer service reps trained to tell Verizon customers that you want to help?  Show the customers Verizon cares? 

How about reporting back to upper management and let them know about all Verizon customer complaints !!

Every complaint is the same problem!! All over the United States!!

FIX THE PROBLEM!!!!

Do not reply to this comment unless you’re going to tell me VERIZON IS GOING TO FIX THERE TOWERS!!!

[vzw_customer_support]

We understand the need to have working service, and we want to take a look at your concern. What services (calls, texts, data) are being affected? When did the issue begin?

PedroM_VZW

[Hlisa]

I'm not exactly sure this response was directed towards me... but then again, the "please tell us more" lines seem rather redundant across this whole thread.

ALL of the above. Texts can take hours, sometimes a day to appear. Calls??? I used to have full bars, right now, I'm at two. And yes, I used to have full bars inside. Outside? This is not some strange Green Acres void where we should have to go outside (and climb a pole) to make a phone call. Data? Fugeddaboudit. At least we have LOS to a WiFi system (which I wouldn't have considered broadband 15 years ago in Seattle).

Timing? Cannot honestly say whether it happened over the last 6 months or other. It's just in the conversations with farmer's and friends in the area that we've started connecting towards a common theme: Verizon service.

Getting back into life and safety - without a reliable signal, our alarm (including fire) cannot reliably reach central dispatch. Now I'm seriously doubting the ability to reach 911 from my phone.

Please elevate this issue.  Now. With all of the individuals on this thread. We need supervisory attention. Now.

[Avengersxtplus]

Many trouble tickets have been done in the past months. I was sent a message from Verizon on one of the tickets by text that said I am no longer in an optimal coverage area. Yet I was in a good coverage area for almost 6 years. Yet I've never changed locations, I've been at the same location all along now . I know it won't help. I own 5 acres of land and anywhere I go outside. On my porch/deck out in the open land , the road , the pecan orchard. It just doesn't improve. Whereas in the past years it was 3 to 4 bars and decent data speeds. This is not just an individual phone or area issue. I got my wife a new Verizon device 3 months ago and it's the same reception issues with her phone. Having to have a different providers device to run 2 Verizon devices using the other providers device WiFi connection is not really feasable. We shouldn't have to do this to make the Verizon devices perform in the manner they should. Do you have a signal booster that provides an enhanced signal with an external antenna. ( Not dependent on wifi ) I use to have one years ago for my vehicle that was provided to me free by Alltel before the merge or buyout. ( Verizon & AT&T buyout of Alltel ) You could use them in your home also with a 12 volt power adapter. Used one of these long ago when 4g first came out and I was on the road alot for work in areas with sporadic coverage due to the tower confusion and choas of Alltel selling part of it's service to Verizon and keeping the other part of it's service ( Alltel ) until a few years later when it sold the remainder of it's service to AT&T. 

Not that it will help but my cross streets are as follows. 

Allison Lane & Robbin's Road . 30458 ( Statesboro , Georgia ) 

[vzw_customer_support]

Thank you so much for the details,we appreciate it. It's our priority to provide a seamless network experience and we are concerned to hear that you are experiencing challenges with your service. We would love the opportunity to help you in any way we can. Can you tell us a little more? When was the last time you had a service ticket completed? 

RachelM_VZW

[JFinTN]

Has any VZW_Customer_Support person ever actually responded again after asking for more information? Every reply is a different rep asking the same 5 or 6 questions. Verizon, your customer service, and the declining cell service you provide, is incredibly frustrating.

[spamoni4]

Not that I can tell.  It may be a simple canned response.  I still have issues and no resolution.  the only information, which I added before, is that a VZW rep indicated this is potentially related to the roll out of 5G and non 5G phones being redirected to different towers, potentially further away than a closer one.  

[Avengersxtplus]

And to further answer it's all services . Calls, Data and delayed text. 

Thank you. Sent a previous reply but forgot to include this. 

[Hlisa]

Us, also.  And in discussing with friends and neighbors in this rural farming community, there is consensus that there has been a significant degradation is signal.

47591, 47597, 47524 zip codes...

I suspect this degradation in quality if signal is the culprit behind "no link to dispatcher" errors on our security system. 

We've been with Verizon for over 15 years. I've had - until the last year - appreciated the coverage and quality of signal across multiple states. However, based upon suggestions in this thread, we will be taking other providers for a test drive.

in this day and age, cell service should be as reliable as electrical service...

[chawla1234]

Same here, 01757 and 01420. Calls take minutes to look for the signal to even start the ring, until I give up, restart the phone and the call rings right away. Phone calls bounce right to voicemail all the time. Texts will not go through, and I receive them delayed by an hour sometimes. Restart my phone and get them in a flood.

This is in zipcodes and addresses that for YEARS had great signal for voice and data. Now months ago, simultaneous with humongous great new 5G rollouts, consistent problems. May have to ditch Verizon Wireless after many many years. I can't afford to be missing calls and texts and restarting my phone every time I need to make a call.

"Can you hear me now?" Been a awhile since anyone had to ask that question, in particular Verizon customers. But I guess it's time again. Feels like 2005 all over again...

[vzw_customer_support]

Chawla1234, we value your long-standing loyalty, and would never want to lose you as a customer! We're here to help restore your faith in us, and help resolve your service issues. We certainly don't want to think due to our 5G rollout, 4G will no longer be available, as it will. I understand in locations you previously had excellent service in; your service has now become less than stellar. To gain clarity, are others in these locations, also experiencing these service issues? We will need to review the area; please provide the nearest intersection, city, and state where the problem persists. Does the problem persist indoors/outdoors?

ChakiaH_VZW

[Avengersxtplus]

Verizon , this issue is nationwide in areas that are not within cities with a tower very nearby. And even when in the city adjacent to the Verizon Corporate store in 30458 most people at times get only two signal strength bars and slow data. 

I've been following all blogs, Facebook complaints , Community complaints and the issue is widespread. Not just individuals or one or two areas but large groups of customers and many many many areas nationwide. It seems or is that the power output or tower use has been restricted or cut back. When has Verizon updated or expanded their 4G systems or towers? Or checked output and adjustment and expanded towers to serve more areas and customers? 

I as many others have went from 3 to 4 bar signal strength down to 1 bar and sometimes none. With no obstructions or radio interference in our areas. We are not stupid , some of us are very knowledgeable in technology and radio signals as well as Cellular Technology. Yet there is always and excuse on Verizons end as " Things beyond our control such as obstructions and radio interference " . When Verizon is not going to do anything that is. Which is 99.9 % of the time. The thing is why do these same obstructions and radio interference instances not effect T-Mobile or AT&T services in the same areas when in fact their towers are further away ? And a steady 2 bar signal with them provides for better call and faster data speeds in the same area. 

I'd suggest Verizon step up their services as others are catching up and surpassing your once widespread service. And customers nationwide are taking notice . 

Thank you. Transmitted this message running a Verizon device using a T-Mobile hotspot connection so I wouldn't lose you or the message.