Three outage: Network crash leaves thousands of frustrated Britons unable to make calls

Three has not revealed what may have caused the outage - Downdetector
Three has not revealed what may have caused the outage - Downdetector

Thousands of frustrated Britons were left unable to make calls or use mobile data this morning following a network outage at Three.

Tracking site Down Detector said the problem began at around 9am with users throughout the UK complaining that they could not use their phones.

A Three UK spokesperson said: “Three’s services have now been restored for affected customers. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the issue.”

Of those who reported problems, around 25pc said they had no signal while 22pc said they had issues with mobile internet.

Three did not reveal what may have caused the outage, but had suggested that those affected should try switching their phones off and on.

Customers took to to Twitter to vent their frustration. "Vast swathes of north London with ZERO network coverage from Three UK," wrote one user. "Absolute disgraceful when people are forced to work from home. Will be claiming for lost income and damages."

"It’s becoming impossible to work from home when you have no service," wrote another. "This is becoming more and more common. What’s going on?"

The outage follows government advice that people should work from home where they can. However, recent technical issues have made it difficult for thousands of workers across the UK.

In August, Google’s G Suite - which includes the Gmail email service as well as Google Drive, Google Chat, Google Docs, and Google Meet - was plagued with issues for several hours in what experts claims was its worst ever outage.

That came just weeks after problems for BT customers after its broadband kit was damaged by the thunderstorms.

Research from Uswitch suggested that more than 20m adults in the UK had experienced an outage in the past 12 months, whilst 4.8m Britons had not been able to get online for at least three hours due to power-cuts, broadband issues or routine maintenance on cables.

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