Three network down for tens of thousands across UK

  • Published
Three mobile logo on a phoneImage source, Getty Images

Tens of thousands of Three mobile customers in the UK have reported they cannot get signal on their phones.

Downdetector, which tracks websites, showed more than 20,000 people had reported their mobile service was affected on Friday afternoon.

Customers have complained on social media that they are unable to make calls, send texts or use mobile internet.

The firm has apologised for the outages.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by Three UK

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by Three UK

According to Three's website, external the firm has more than 10 million customers across the UK.

It is unclear how many of them are affected by the outages, however, as those who rely on mobile internet may be unable to report the issue.

Reports of a problem first emerged on Friday morning in low numbers, and increased substantially by Friday afternoon.

The outages are also understood to affect some people using smaller providers which use Three's network.

There have been 3,000 reports from customers of one such firm - Smarty - according to DownDetector.

It is unclear whether customers will be able to claim compensation for the outage, although regulator Ofcom - the nation's communications regulator - says it "may be appropriate" for providers to offer refunds, external "while repairs are being made".

This is the second major technology outage in a week in the UK, after HSBC customers were left unable to use the mobile app or online banking for much of Black Friday.

Some users also reported issues with their 4G and 5G, as well as some customers having problems with "no signal" and "total blackout" on Smarty, which operates on the Three network.

In 2016, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the European Commission blocked Three's attempted takeover of O2, arguing that it would have risked higher prices.

But now Vodafone is seeking to merge its UK businesses with Three - in a deal worth £15bn. The deal could be completed by the end of 2024.

The companies are the UK's third and fourth biggest mobile operators.

Three UK is owned by the Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison.