Extremely slow data, but only for me, and only in some locations

Question

I have Unlimited Plus, and a new phone (S23 Ultra) that i bought from Fi. Everything is fine when at home, but every time I visit Maine, my data speed drops to around 0.2 mbps (could be 256 kbps, but speed test reports in mbps). It happens about an hour north of Portland (which is about where Verizon coverage gets spotty, though AT&T, T-Mobile, and US Cellular all have strong networks there). Also, my girlfriend has no problems with her phone, and she is on my plan! I consistently have 4 or 5 bars, and either LTE or 5G. And I've never used more than 5GB in a month; nowhere near my 50GB limit. But when I'm in Maine, the internet is barely usable. Have gone through troubleshooting with multiple support agents, whose advice ranged from network reset (ineffective) to "sorry, there is no coverage in that area" (incorrect, and also not how cell phones work - you can't have 5 bars if there's no coverage).

jeff kenton · Accepted Answer

Hey Charlie 2533!
Thanks for your question, and welcome to the Google Fi Wireless Forum!
 
Cell phone service operates in two realms at once. One is the carrier signal, and the other is the data network signal. It is possible for the telephone service to have a strong signal, and the network running over that network (throughput) to be low. Rural areas can suffer from this, where there is often an assumption that very few people will need network at any point, so the throughput does not need to be high.
Also, if your network preference is set to 5G, and there is a very weak 5G signal, your phone will choose to latch onto that signal until it is lost. After it is lost, it will try LTE, and lower signals.
This site (a 3rd party site) has instructions for switching the preference. LTE has broader distribution, especially in remote locations (as your map seems to indicate): 
https://www.androidphonesoft.com/blog/how-to-change-5g-to-4g-on-android/
Try changing your phone's preference to LTE and see if the situation improves for you.
 
Hope that helps! Let us know if you have further questions!