Surface 3 LTE has no internet on HSPA+ network

Thank you for your response, Aart! It's good to know that I am not the only one experiencing this issue. I am positive this is an issue with the Surface 3 as I currently am on my third Surface 3 LTE (because the first two got replaced due to screen issues)

It would be nice to have the option not to use the HSPA+ band. I think now it sometimes switches to the HSPA+ band because the signal strength of LTE is not as good as the signal strength of HSPA+. Not saying there is no LTE signal at all...just less powerful. In those cases I would like my Surface 3 to hold on to LTE rather than switch to a band with better signal that provides no internet.

Still sometimes internet over HSPA+ is fine...sometimes...

I don't think there is a way to force this as it is really hardware level settings and scripting.

I wonder if the Samsung Galaxy Tab S Pro or the Dell Venue Pro (which both have LTE options as well) are any better at this. In hind sight I think the Dell would have been a better option. I notice that I use an Archos Cesium 80 (very cheap 8" Windows tablet) a lot at home while on the couch. The only huge advantage of the Surface 3 and the 10.8" screen size is that I don't need to carry a separate laptop. And I think the sizes above 10.8" are too large.

For that matter the Chines stuff that comes from Aliexpress, Gearbest etc may also be a good option. iPad sized casing, running Windows. With LTE options, keyboard docks and stylus support. But...you cannot be sure if it is really what you want.

I own an EXOPC and WeTab tablet. Both have a Huawei EMM770W card that allows 3G connection. However, with those you need to dial in every time you want to get on the internet.

Add: latest firmware upgrades up untill date mentioned above didn't fix anything.

Hi Plantje,

I'm in the netherlands aswell. I own a Surface 3 LTE since March. I totally know what you are going through and tried all the steps you tried and got exactly the same returns. My provider is KPN. I'm a pilot and work on ships with the surface 3. At home it's a wonderfull device, but as soon as you start moving you lose connection and get the HSDPA+ no internet crap. Restarting all the time is a real pain and I don't have time for that, I'm busy sailing a ship. It's frustrating that during those times my phone always has internet, allthough it's much smaller and probably has a smaller antenna. Losing connection now and then is fine (also my KPN android-phone has that), but one should be able to reset the modem without restarting the whole tablet. I was just searching for a script to do that once I figure out what to restart. You're right. Devicemanager freezes, the whole restart-sequence freezes. I can't seem to work around it satisfactorily. Better still would be an update that polls better. If you have found a way, let me know. Otherwise I love my surface. I regret the fact that I didn't buy the €300,- cheaper version without LTE and use thetering from my phone.. Regards, Aart from Brielle.

Let's hope the firmware update completely solves the issue: http://www.neowin.net/news/heres-whats-improved-in-todays-surface-3-firmware-update

The last few days it doesn't seem to be a huge issue for me. My Surface 3 is now on the Insider Preview, meaning it runs the Anniverary Update.

Next to that I have found some sort of a work around that enabled me to work for a few times on the train. When I needed the LTE connection I saw it was connected to either LTE or HSPA+. Then I first disconnected and in most cases then I immediately saw HSPA+ as the available connection (so somehow even while displaying it was connected to LTE it was in fact connected to HSPA+). Then I switched to the "Wi-Fi" tab in the settings and switched back to the "Mobile" tab and saw that LTE was available. If I then connect to LTE it works and stays connected to LTE.

There is a slight possibility that Vodafone NL has added LTE antennas but that would be a real concidence.

The huge downside of this workaround is that you have to disconnect and reconnect manually every single time! Which makes you wonder what the advantage is of a non LTE Surface 3 and use a cell phone to connect through a shared internet connection