Thanks to @savaju I got it working!
steps:
- toggle OFF System Settings/Security/Require PIN Code for your SIM card
- shut down the phone
- with the phone turned OFF, long press volume up + power keys; phone vibrates once; keep buttons pressed until three short vibrations. without this step, the procedure didn’t work for me
- turn on the phone.
In my case, 4G data came back to life.
Additional remarks:
- Toggling “Require PIN code” ON with mobile data in status OK will break it upon reboot
- Toggling “Require PIN code” to OFF with mobile data in status BROKEN will make it work after reboot. So far that worked without the reset procedure described at step 3 above.
- the procedure “fixed” as well the connectivity on another SIM (Auchan Telecom) which previously remained stuck in 3G. Now it goes 4G with mobile data.
Awkward.