Continuous connect/disconnect on 5G Fairphone 4

/e/OS Devices Fairphone
1

Hi there,

this is my first post on this forum.

I am using a fairphone 4 for several years now. Most of the time I was happy with it, but about 2 years ago my problems started. In some areas with 5G coverage the phone would suddenly restart and continue doing so as soon as the sim pin is entered. Back then I wrote to the fairphone support, but nothing ever happened. At some point fairphone released an update that ‘fixed’ the reboot. Now it continuously connects and disconnects to the network rendering the phone unusable. The only workaround is to deactivate 5G networks completely. Originally the issue occurred only in Bucharest, so I could live with it. But now I have the issue close to my home too. It is not an /e/os issue but a fairphone one, since it happend with stock OS too. I use orange Romania as provider and the issue occurs in Romania as well as in Roaming. Are there other solutions than using only 4G?

2

Is it worth asking the carrier? I get the impression that 4G / 5G switching can be hard work for them depending on local “bandwidth” / demand.

There are options in Settings > Network and internet > settings of your mobile carrier > Preferred network type.

  • The route to settings of your mobile carrier may vary by Android version.
3

Back when the problem started, I did think it was a provider issue. I changed Sim cards several times, double checked them on other phones, they always worked fine on the non-fairphone. They checked the APN and other settings, nothing helped.

The settings you suggested is currently my only way to use the phone. I have to set it to 4G, otherwise I get the connect/disconnect loop. Sorry if I did not describe that clearly.