EE, Vodafone and BT down again for second time in 24 hours
Three of the largest UK phone networks have gone down for the second time in 24 hours, leaving thousands of people unable to make calls or send texts.
Issues with EE and Vodafone began again shortly before 11am today, according to the internet outage tracker Downdetector.
BT has confirmed its network is still experiencing issues following yesterday’s outage.
There are over 1,000 reports of problems on Downdetector on EE and Vodafone, while BT landline issues continue at lower levels.
The disruption had a knock-on effect on people on other carriers, including Three and O2, with hundreds reporting issues with voice calls and signal.
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EE, which is a part of the BT group, sent Metro a statement from a BT spokesperson saying: ‘Following yesterday’s technical fault, we are currently experiencing some voice call issues today.
‘The impact appears to be less widespread, but we are working to resolve this as soon as possible and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.’
Vodafone told Metro: ‘Currently the EE / BT network is experiencing technology issues which means some of our customers will also be experiencing issues making or receiving calls.
‘We’re working closely with them to help resolve it as quickly as possible.’
What are my rights if my phone network goes down?
Telecom regulator Ofcom has a compensation scheme for broadband and landline customers when services are disrupted.
Ernest Doku, Uswitch mobiles expert, told Metro: ‘Ofcom advises that compensation for mobile signal outages is “dependent on the circumstances”, however, in extreme cases where repairs take much longer, you may be entitled to an additional refund or account credit.
‘If your landline stops working, you will be entitled to compensation if it has not been fixed within two days, but make sure to report the issue to your provider as soon as it happens.
‘You will receive an initial £9.98 if the service is not fixed two full working days after you report it, and then £9.98 for each full day it is still not fixed after that.
‘If you’re experiencing regular issues, don’t hesitate to contact your provider to see if they can help.’
Doku added: ‘Mobile networks and landlines are vital to reach essential and emergency services, it’s important for customers to be reconnected as soon as possible – and kept up to date with any developments.’
Some other networks that share the same cellular infrastructure as EE include Lycamobile or 1pMobile. Those piggybacking on Vodafone’s, such as Lebara and Talkmobile, are also seeing minor issues.
The outage follows a flood of reported issues making phone calls and sending texts yesterday.
A Vodafone spokesperson told Tech Radar yesterday: ‘Due to the ongoing EE network issue, and the way number porting works across networks, customers who have ported from EE to Vodafone or Three may experience issues too’.
O2 also saw a small spike in issues on Downdetector, but a spokesperson told Metro that the network was operating as normal.
They said the problems were down to customers having problems contacting friends/family on EE.
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