EE, BT and Vodafone are still down for many – here's what we know about the outage

Vodafone takes the baton

We're now well into day two of these major UK phone network issues – and while the bulk of the focus has been on EE and BT, who appear to be the root cause of the problems, Vodafone has also been significantly affected. In fact, it now has the highest number of reports on Downdetector at over 1,150 at the time of writing.

So why are Vodafone users still experiencing issues? Vodafone's social media channels have been frustratingly quiet, so allow me to fill the gap. Yesterday, the network told me: "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".

Unfortunately, that's the latest statement I've received from Vodafone. I did also received a separate message from someone who works in an NHS Trust that uses EE, who similarly claimed that the issues were thought to be a routing problem affecting ported numbers. While I haven't been able to verify that source, it would explain why Vodafone users might be affected by an EE / BT problem, and why some numbers on EE haven't been affected at all.

It does also perhaps explain why these issues have lasted so long – this isn't a more traditional outage like the one we saw from Three in late June, but a seemingly more complex one that will (fingers crossed) hopefully be resolved by the weekend.

This is still affecting people

Phone network problems like today's aren't just an inconvenience for many people – they're also hitting businesses and, on some worrying occasions, emergency services.

Messages like the above have been common on social media since yesterday, and I've also received many several from people who feel quite powerless in the absence of fully working customer service lines.

One reader, who is actually on Vodafone, gave an insight into how random the issues can be. They said they have two identical phones in the same room and on the same network, but calls to one of them go straight to voicemail.

They added that they can make outgoing calls on it and receive calls on WhatsApp, but no more – adding that they're "not sure what to do as it’s affecting my business".

Separately, Richie Harrison (Ops Manager for the IT service provider Koris365) told me yesterday that the "biggest impact to our customers has been the call routing through Gamma systems that rely on the affected carriers, which have degraded or failed entirely". Some of those customers include Blue-Light services and hospitals.

Yesterday, we also saw the likes of South Western Ambulance and the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service post messages on X stating that the network issues were affecting 999 calls, although these have apparently since been resolved.

EE and BT told me again today that customers could and should use 999 as normal, so at least those issues seem to be sorted – but the impact of this extended outage continues for many.

The problems persist

I'd like to be able to bring better news, but the problems that have been troubling EE, BT and Vodafone since yesterday – and spiked again today at 11am BST – are showing no real sign of improving.

There continue to be over 1,000 reports on Downdetector for EE and Vodafone, while BT landline issues continue to rumble on at a slightly lower (but still significant) level.

The response from both EE and BT continues to be that they are "experiencing some voice call issues today" that are "less widespread" than yesterday, but they're working to resolve them "as soon as possible".

Many understandably frustrated customers will be hoping that means before the weekend...

An update from BT and EE

I've just heard from BT spokesperson who has said: "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".

There's no estimate of a timescale, but it's good to hear some acknowledgement of the issues many have been experiencing today.

Still no sign of a complete fix

Despite BT and EE's statement yesterday, it seems the issue isn't properly fixed. Reports of problems with phone calls have spiked again on EE, Vodafone, Lebara (which is on the Vodafone network) and, to a lesser extent, on BT landlines.

Frustratingly, EE's customer service lines also appear to be down again – I've tried the 07953 966 150 number recommended by EE customer service, and it isn't going through. I've tried a few numbers for BT too, and it's the same case there. I've asked EE and BT for an another update on what's happening and when there might be a fix.

Vodafone is also affected, but why? Yesterday, the network told me the issues were related to number porting across networks, so those who have ported from EE to Vodafone may also be affected. It certainly doesn't seem to be a simple issue to fix...

The frustrations continue

There still hasn't been any acknowledgement of this morning's issues from EE or BT.

Considering the reports are consistently back up to over half of yesterday's peak, this doesn't appear to be a temporary blip – and Vodafone is also seeing a similar spike, despite the network's protestations that its issues are a knock-on effect of customers being unable to call those on EE or BT.

If this continues, we'd expect to get an official update soon. The communication from all networks has been pretty sluggish, but hopefully this morning's problems won't drag on as long as yesterday. I'll update you as soon as I get a response.

A repeat of yesterday?

This morning's spike in reported issues on EE and BT isn't matching yesterday's peak, but it is around halfway there. The problems appear to be the same – being unable to make or receive calls, although mobile data remains largely fine.

There's also a large spike on Vodafone, although this again appears to be related to the EE issues and calling people on that network. One Vodafone user on Downdetector has just noted that "I can’t call EE phones from Vodafone again today – it worked last night but it’s gone again today".

Interestingly, today's issues have started at an almost identical time to yesterday, around 11am BST. I've asked EE and BT for an update.

This isn't over yet...

Oh dear, despite EE and BT's statement yesterday that the issues were fixed and that services were "running as normal", that doesn't seem to be the case according to Downdetector.

We've just seen big spikes in reports on EE, BT and Vodafone, with EE jumping above the 1,000 mark. Are these just teething issues from yesterday or a new problem? I've asked EE and BT what users can do if they're still experiencing problems, and will report back.

Starlink briefly joined the outage party

If you thought satellite networks might be the answer to regular mobile or landline outages, Starlink yesterday gave us a brief reminder that they aren't infallible either.

In a completely unrelated outage yesterday at 3pm ET / 8pm BST, Starlink went down with reports hitting over 60,000 in the US and 10,000 in the UK on Downdetector.

If anything, it shows how many people are now reliant on satellite-based internet services, and that they too can be vulnerable to outages. Starlink's issues were, though, far more short-lived than EE and BT's, lasting only a few hours.

In fairness, it was also a rare incident for Starlink, which now has around six million users across 140 countries. Starlink's VP of Engineering Michael Nicolls said that it was due to a "failure of key internal software services that operate the core network".

He added that Starlink "will fully root cause this issue and ensure it does not occur again", which is a little more bullish than EE and BT have been on their issues...

Is the problem fixed?

Good morning, BT and EE now say that yesterday's network problem – which affected mobile and landline calls for thousands – are now fixed. In the statement above, it says that "the service is running as normal".

However, that doesn't seem to be the case for everyone. On Downdetector, reports are starting to rise again this morning – on EE, for example, the reports are already at 380 and rising.

I'll be getting in touch with both networks this morning to find out what might be causing these residual issues and will update this liveblog as soon as I hear back.

EE and BT customer services lines also down

Just to compound today's frustrations, the customer service phone lines for EE and BT also appear to be down right now.

I tried EE and that is still the case right now. I was prompted to try after a TechRadar reader emailed me to say that their son works in an EE call centre and that they were all down.

While it's possible to get through to BT's customer service, it sends you in a loop that makes it impossible to pick any options or speak to an advisor, suggesting there are still issues there too.

According to the BBC, the UK communications regulator Ofcom has also said that it's in contact with BT "to establish the scale and cause of the problem as soon as possible". So it looks like this sadly won't be a quick fix from here.

BT update – it's still working on a fix

BT has just got back to me with a small update. The main statement from a BT spokesperson is similar to before: "We’re currently addressing an issue impacting our services. We apologise for any inconvenience caused; we’re working urgently to fix this issue and will provide a further update as soon as possible”.

However, it also added that 999 is working as normal and that customers can and should continue using that, despite the wider voice calling issues. It also said that it's assessing the impact for customers and stressed that it is working hard to fully restore services for them.

Unfortunately, there's still no timescale for when that's going to happen, so customers will have to remain patient into this evening.

An update from Vodafone

Earlier, Vodafone told me that there was "no problem" with its network, and that reported issues from its customers were all a knock-on effect from EE and BT.

However, with reported problems around incoming and outgoing calls continuing on Downdetector, I asked if it had an update. A Vodafone spokesperson told me: "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".

So that could certainly help explain why Vodafone's graph on Downdetector remains high at over 1,000 reports, at the time of writing. Presumably, once BT and EE fixes the root cause, that number should come down...

The problems persist

Sadly, that downward trend in reported issues from an hour ago hasn't continued in the right direction, with EE showing a spike from around 4.30pm BST.

It's a similar story on BT, while Vodafone – which maintains that it has no issues of its own – has gone back above the 1,000 mark again. Unfortunately, it looks like this one is going to run into the evening, but I'll update you as soon as I hear anything more (hopefully with better news).

A nationwide issue

While BT and EE haven't expanded on the issue that's continuing to hit their landline and mobile networks, it's clear from Downdetector that this is a UK-wide issue.

The heat map of reports for EE (above) shows they've come from across the country, from London up to Glasgow. It's a similar story when you look at the map for BT, and the sources of the comments on the site and on X.

So while we've seen outages with a far higher spike in reports (for example, Three UK in late June), it's clear this one is still far-reaching and significant. I've asked BT and EE for another update on a rough timescale for a fix, as many customers are understandably getting frustrated at this point.

What's the main problem?

The bulk of complaints from EE customers are that they can't make or receive phone calls. For some, this seems to be universal problem across all networks, while for others it only affects calling other networks outside EE.

One TechRadar reader, who is on EE, messaged me to say that they can call others on EE, but not on other networks. They reported this to EE but it told them the local network was running without issue. EE seems to have changed its tune on social media since then, stating (like the BT statement) that "we’re currently addressing an issue impacting our services".

Over on BT, the issue is related more to landlines, where customers are again reporting being unable to make or receive calls. I've just chased up BT and EE for an update and will report back if I hear anything.

Signs of improvement?

I haven't yet received an updated statement from BT and its official X account is continuing to tell panicked customers that it's still "working urgently" to fix the issue.

On the plus side, the reports on Downdetector (below) seem to be dropping for EE and BT, as is the knock-on effect on the likes of Vodafone and O2. Curiously, Three UK (and related networks like ID Mobile) seems to be bucking the trend, suggesting there could be a separate issue there.

But in the main, the trend is looking positive – now all we need is some confirmation of a fix from BT to continue the promising news.

Vodafone says it has no issues

I've just heard back from a Vodafone spokesperson who's simply stated that "there is no problem with the Vodafone network".

That doesn't necessarily mean that Vodafone customers aren't experiencing any issues today, but it appears that these could simply be the knock-on effect of contacting those on EE or BT landlines.

This means it increasingly looks like the root problem is with BT and EE, which have both acknowledged the issue and "working urgently to fix" it. I'm chasing up BT for an update now and will update this liveblog as soon as I get one.

BT landlines also hit

While the biggest number of reported issues has been with phone calls on EE, there has been a large spike in reports of problems on BT landlines, too. That makes more sense now we know that the root cause of the problems seems to be from BT's infrastructure, according to its spokeperson.

A number of people on X have reported being unable to make or receive landline phone calls on BT. Some are also reporting that the helpdesk number is down.

BT's official account on X has only replied stating that it will share the complaints with its team to investigate, but at least BT's official statement (below) is more revealing. Hopefully there's a fix coming soon.

A statement from BT

EE, which is a part of the BT group, has just sent me this short statement from a BT spokesperson: “We’re currently addressing an issue impacting our services. We apologise for any inconvenience caused; we’re working urgently to fix this issue and will provide a further update as soon as possible."

That doesn't shed too much light on the issues, but it seems the problem lies with the BT infrastructure underlying the mobile networks and broadband. I'll let you know as soon as I get that further update.

An unusual network outage

This morning's problems across Vodafone and EE – and related networks like Lebara – are pretty unusual. They aren't a typical nationwide outage, where we use a large surge in reports, or a temporary blip where the reports quickly drop again.

This means it's likely a more specific technical issue. On Downdetector, a couple of comments have pointed the finger at 'SIP trunk providers', which connect business phone systems to public phone networks via the internet.

There's speculation that the ultimate fault lies with EE, but we'll hopefully get an official statement soon to put the rumors and uncertainty to bed.

The problems are specific to calls

Across both EE and Vodafone, the reported issues are mainly related to phone calls (both outgoing and incoming).

But as the X post above suggests, the problems may also be specific to making calls to people on other networks – which would explain why we've seen simultaneous spikes across both EE and Vodafone.

I'm still awaiting statements from both networks on the exact cause, and a timescale for a resolution, and will let you know as soon as I hear anything.

No statements from the networks yet

I've contacted both EE and Vodafone for a statement on the ongoing issues with calls that many are experiencing, but haven't heard back yet – I'll update this liveblog as soon as I do.

Strangely, there's been little official acknowledgement of the problems on the likes of X, too. Vodafone is asking customers to send it private DMs about their issues, while EE's account says it's passing reports onto "the relevant team to look into".

While the outages aren't quite on the UK-wide scale of Three's last month, they are now affecting enough people to require an acknowledgement that they exist and an estimated timescale for a possible fix. Hopefully, that'll come soon if the reports continue to rise.

Lebara also affected – and is Three now involved?

Because Lebara is part of the Vodafone network, it's also experiencing some issues today –with a notable spike of reports on Downdetector.

And now Three, which suffered the UK's last major network outage in late June, is also showing a small but significant rise in reports, currently standing at the 300 mark.

It's possible this is related to the problems on EE and Vodafone (with Three customers unable to get through on those other networks), and I don't currently have any problems on Three. But it's another one I'll be keeping an eye on.

The reports continue to rise

The reports of network issues are still steadily rising on Downdetector for both EE and Vodafone. At the time of writing, the spike for EE has shot above the 1,300 mark, and has climbed particularly sharply in the last 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, over on Vodafone the reports are only slightly lower at around 850. If they continue in this direction, I'll be expecting a statement from both networks about the issues (which mainly seem to be affecting calls) pretty soon.

Vodafone responds

While it isn't an official statement from Vodafone acknowledging issues, the network's customer service reps on X are responding to some irate customers stating that "due to some technical issues" some will be experiencing issues with making and receiving calls.

Vodafone's X account says that the network is working to "fix this as soon as possible". I'm following up with them to see if there's an official statement on the problems.

Problems at most major networks?

This is an unusual situation – there appear to be spikes in reports of issues at all of the major UK networks, including EE, Vodafone and O2. There's a smaller, less notable spike at Three.

We typically see mobile outages hit multiple networks when they're related MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operator), who share the same cell network. But this morning's issues appear to be hitting all of the big networks simultaneously.