• 52% of customers had success negotiating with Vodafone, just 37% with BT
• Incentives come in the form of discounts, credits and free upgrades
• Sometimes it’s better to switch than persistently chase discounts

New research has claimed some of Britain’s biggest broadband providers might be more open to negotiation than others when customers try to reduce their monthly bills.

The survey from comparison site Go.Compare found Vodafone emerged as the easiest broadband provider to haggle with – more than half (52%) of customers said they were able to successfully negotiate a better price.

This is a notable finding, because Vodafone was also one of the most complained about broadband providers per the latest Ofcom data, Go.Compare said.

Vodafone and EE are most likely to offer you a discount

Vodafone received 11 complaints per 100,000 compared with the UK average of 7/100,000, with faults, service and provisioning (42%) accounting for most complaints, ahead of complaints handling (24%) and billing, pricing and chargers (17%).

EE (49%), Sky (46%), Virgin Media (45%) and BT (37%) rounded up the top five, though Go.Compare’s data fails to recognize which providers are the least likely to offer discounts.

“Price is certainly a very important factor when it comes to choosing your broadband, and it’s always good to remember that providers may bring down the price – all you have to do is ask,” company spokesperson Catherine Hiley wrote.

This new data will be welcomed by British consumers after years of price hikes – inflation-linked rises, mid-contract CPI and percentage increases, and expensive out-of-contract pricing have all led to higher monthly bills.

Incentives don’t always mean loyalty discounts, though. Many companies choose to add bill credits or waive one-time fees like router delivery or setup. Others keep pricing unchanged, but offer upgrades like speed boosts or add-ons like signal boosters, all leading to more value for the customer.

Identifying broadband providers that are receptive to loyalty discounts

Vodafone’s high success rate is likely a result of strong competition pressures and a desire to reduce customer churn. The company is generally considered one of the less obvious options, known instead of its cellular networks, therefore it’s more likely to match competitor pricing or offer temporary discounts to fight for fiber market share.

BT customers, on the other hand, tend to skew older and may negotiate less frequently than challenger brand customers. Its stronger brand positioning and premium status also likely command higher monthly charges.

“It's always a good idea to compare your options on a comparison site, as you could find a better price than what you’re quoted at renewal,” Hiley added, noting that checking Ofcom complaints data could help arm consumers with more ammunition in the fight for cheaper monthly bills.

While negotiating is a perfect solution for many, Hiley urges customers to “make sure that the quality of the service is worth the effort.” In some cases of repeated outages, persistent slow speeds, poor complaint handling and large annual price increases, it may be better to switch altogether.

For that, Hiley says that recording evidence, such as complaint logs and issue details, is key. “You’ll need to present this information to them when you get in touch, so the more detail you can include the better.”

With providers battling it out to acquire customers in a crowded fiber market, they’re now having to do more than ever as consumers become more willing to negotiate.

For customers weighing up whether to haggle on price or cut the cords and switch, the challenge is increasingly about balancing affordability with reliability and quality of service.

• BT is re-opening its BT Mobile service to existing broadband customers
• These plans will be eSIM-only and come with built-in spam detection tools
• BT says BT Mobile will 'live alongside' its existing EE mobile network

If you’re a BT customer who would prefer to have your broadband and mobile plans under one roof, you’re in luck: BT is bringing back BT Mobile.

At a press conference announcing BT’s appointment as the Official Telecommunications Partner of UEFA Euro 2028, the company confirmed that BT Mobile — which was shuttered to new users in 2023 — will reopen for new and existing BT broadband customers in the near future.

BT Mobile plans will be eSIM-only and come with AI-driven spam detection tools as standard. Similar tools already exist on the BT-owned EE network, but EE charges customers £2 per month to access them.

This is just one of the ways in which BT will differentiate its two mobile brands. “Different customers want different things,” Claire Gillies, CEO, Consumer at BT Group, explained in a panel discussion attended by TechRadar, “and each of our brands will have its own unique set of attributes [...] BT Mobile and EE will live alongside [one another], serving the customers that are best suited to [each brand]. We’ll target them separately."

“We have a population on BT who talk about reliability. They talk about security, they talk about the support they get — having a UK-based call center continues to be very important to that population. And then you have the EE customer, who is [part of] a busy family home, who's looking for the latest innovations in tech, the fastest networks."

“But some customers would prefer to have all of their services conveniently from one provider,” Gillies continued. “And to date, those customers have been looking elsewhere for mobile, whether that’s towards our EE brand or others in the market. This is an opportunity to bring more to them in a more convenient way, and, of course, provide the benefits that come with that, including a better, more reliable network, and a more secure network, because we're starting with security built into those mobile plans.”

BT Group's CEO, Allison Kirkby, was similarly bullish about the ease with which consumers will perceive the differences between BT Mobile and EE: “We’ve been running with multiple brands for well over a year now, and we're very clear [about] how we can differentiate the brands so that they're complementary to each other. We've also learned a lot about how to better target [customers] so that the two brands working together can be more than some of their parts.”

• BT reveals host of new offerings for businesses and consumer users across the UK
• Business users will now get free security tools as part of BT contract
• BT also selected as official telecoms partner of Euro 2028

BT has announced a host of new updates and upgrades for its customers across the UK, as well as revealing it has been chosen as the official telecommunications partner for the upcoming Euro 2028 football tournament.

Launching a new "Behind Brilliant Things" at London's Wembley Stadium, the company unveiled a host of new announcements as it looks to continue its role as a mainstay of UK connectivity.

Along with its Euro 2028 news, the company also revealed the comeback of its BT Mobile brand, new eSIM offerings, and extra security tools for business and customer accounts.

Euro 2028 and more

"As the connector of the country, BT really matters, especially when it comes to events that connect the country, unite the country and showcase the country to the rest of the world," noted Allison Kirkby, Chief Executive, BT Group.

Since the start of the decade, BT has been the single biggest investor of all FTSE companies into UK infrastructure, she added, with the group spending £25 billion to become "digital backbone" of the country in what Kirkby called "a once in a generation investment."

This puts BT on track to reach more than 90% of UK homes and businesses by the end of the decade - a major rise from the current two-thirds.

The company already connects over a million businesses across the UK, along with public sector partners, making it a crucial ally for firms around the country.

"BT really is the only UK operator with the ability, the security expertise, and the operational resilience that can deliver connectivity of this magnitude across the UK," added Jon James, CEO Business.

"BT is trusted every day to deliver the services that help the UK succeed."

In order to help maintain this success, James revealed "a significant upgrade" to the security tools BT offers business customers across the UK, who will now receive Cyber Threat Protect, a new security solution powered by CrowdStrike, free of charge.

"BT is delivering big security for small and medium businesses, at a time when cybercrime has never been more worrying," James added.

Set to be held across 9 cities and broadcast to over 2 billion fans worldwide, Kirkby noted how Euro 2028 offers BT a huge opportunity to show off the state of its network, as well as providing a lasting technology legacy to continue after the tournament.

"Only BT could be behind moments," she said, adding , "you can't always see it, but we're there...trusted to connect homes, businesses and communities, trusted to protect families, organizations and critical public services, and trusted to supercharge the UK - powering progress, so everyone can thrive in this digital age."

The EE network experienced major problems with outgoing calls for a short period today, but the issues appear to have now been fixed.

The issues problems started at around 3.50pm GMT, when a large spike in reports from customers hit 6,700 by 4.17pm GMT on Downdetector and a peak of about 7,800 at 4.20pm GMT. Most reported being unable to make phone calls, although some said this also hit incoming calls.

Fortunately, the number of reports quickly dropped over the next hour and EE confirmed to us that it had fixed the issue. A spokesperson said that "for a short time some customers had intermittent issues when making outbound mobile calls", but that "service has been restored quickly".

Here's what happened during EE's latest outage, which fortunately wasn't anywhere near the scale of the one that hit phone calls on BT and Vodafone too in July 2025.

That's quite a spike

While nothing is yet official, there are definitely problems on the EE network right now – at the time of writing, there are over 9,300 reports on Downdetector (above).

Most of those (87%) are reporting issues with mobile signal, with many in the comments on Downdetector and on social media saying that they can't make calls.

EE hasn't commented yet to acknowledge any widespread problems, but I'm contacting them now and will update this liveblog if I hear anything.

Mostly affecting phone calls

X is now littered with posts like the one above from EE customers saying that they can't make phone calls.

Some say they can't make or receive calls, while others are reporting that they are getting incoming calls but can't call anyone.

This feels like a technical fault in the same vein as the one that hit the network in July 2025, which also affected mobile calls. But we're still yet to get any official comment from EE on what's causing today's problems.

Good news on the horizon?

I've contacted EE for comment, but there are signs that this outage could fortunately be a short-lived one.

A few comments on Downdetector are reporting that "calling is back now" and that it's worth trying again if you're on the network.

The recent spike in reports has also dropped back down to just over 5,800 from a peak of 8,400 at 4.22pm GMT – so let's hope it keeps moving in that direction.

This one could be over soon

If you're still having problems with mobile calls on the EE network, you're increasingly in the minority – the number of reports on Downdetector has plummeted to just under 1,500 at the time of writing, so it very much looks like this has been a temporary blip for most.

Hopefully, that graph continues in the same direction, and the evidence on social media suggests that'll be the case. There haven't been any new posts from frustrated EE customers on X for around half an hour, so whatever caused this glitch seems to have been fixed very quickly.

I'll been keeping an eye out for any residual issues, but fortunately it looks like this outage has been a very minor one compared to the moment when EE, BT and Vodafone went down for thousands in July 2025.

A statement from EE

It looks like today's calls outage is over for the vast majority of people – and EE has now given me a statement confirming that.

An EE spokesperson told us: “Earlier this afternoon, for a short time some customers had intermittent issues when making outbound mobile calls. Service has been restored quickly and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. All other EE services were not impacted.”

That is backed up by the number of reports on Downdetector, which is now under the 500 mark and heading back towards baseline levels. Fortunately, it looks like we can wrap this one up, although as always I'll be keeping an eye out for any aftershocks.

Full fibre broadband doesn't have to cost the Earth, thanks to this outstanding deal that's just appeared at EE. It's for their 150Mbps Full Fibre package, which is down to just £27.99 per month.

It's a cracking price, but just be aware that it's a 24-month contract, and the monthly price will rise to £31.99 from 31 March 2026 and to £35.99 from 31 March 2027. Considering your existing provider will likely raise prices in that time too, this is a deal well worth considering.

To further sweeten the deal, EE will cover up to £300 of your leaving fees, and there are £0 upfront costs. So, if you've been trundling along on sub-par internet, this could be the package you've been waiting for.

Today's best EE Broadband deal

EE is one of the best broadband providers on the market today. Thanks to fast speeds and impressive reliability, EE is known for delivering a great service. Additionally, EE uses the Openreach network, which means its coverage is widely available.

The offer includes WiFi 7, which is EE's most powerful broadband. That means you'll enjoy higher speeds and a more consistent connection – even when you’re further from your hub.

If 150Mbps isn't enough for you, EE also has a range of fantastic offers at different speeds, including a 1.6Gbps package for busy households.

In any Black Friday sales season, you expect to see the best discounts on and around the day itself – which lands this year on November 28. However, I’ve just spotted a deal on a flagship from last year that has absolutely floored me; right now, you can get the Samsung Galaxy S24 with 128GB of storage for just £389 at EE.

• Shop EE's full Black Friday sale

The Samsung Galaxy S24 is the super-powered standard model from Samsung’s 2024 flagship mobile lineup. Normally, even the best Samsung phones are reliable picks for Black Friday deals, but to see such a low price on such a powerful phone is really exciting. At £389, the Galaxy S24 is less than half its launch price and lower than any price Amazon has ever offered..

(Not in the UK? See today's best deals in your region below)

Today's best Samsung Galaxy S24 Black Friday deal

So, what makes the Galaxy S24 such a good choice compared to the handsets ranking in our list of the best Android phones? Firstly, I need to emphasise that this really is a fantastic price – the Galaxy S24 launched at £799, and EE now sells the phone at a typical price of £699. Though we have seen some great discounts on flagship Android phones recently (see the Google Pixel 10 at £599), it’s rare that prices come quite this low.

Secondly, the Galaxy S24 was a leader in performance and features at launch, and as such remains very competitive with current-gen flagships. It’s got a 6.2-inch display, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, 8GB of RAM, and an iconic triple-camera system comprising a 50MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, and 10MP 3x telephoto camera.

Older (but still plenty capable) chipset aside, the Galaxy S24 can still go toe-to-toe with current-generation flagship phones when it comes to its spec sheet. Take a look at the specs tables on our iPhone 17 review or Google Pixel 10 review, and you’ll spot similarities with the Galaxy S24.

And as for software, the Galaxy S24 runs Samsung’s One UI 8 and still has six guaranteed version updates, meaning you’ll be supported through to 2031. The phone is also full to the brim with AI if that’s your cup of tea, with two full feature sets in the form of Galaxy AI and Google Gemini. Be sure to check out our Samsung Galaxy S24 review for more details.

Shop more of today's best Black Friday sales

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

• BT Group is expanding its 5G Standalone infrastructure for more coverage
• A rebrand from 5G SA to 5G+ will communicate the benefits to customers
• EE customers have already seen a boost this summer

BT Group has declared its commitment to delivering standalone 5G, which it’s branding 5G+, to 99% of the UK population by the end of its 2030 fiscal year – four years ahead of any rival’s targets.

With standalone 5G, BT has upgraded its core infrastructure instead of simply adding 5G radios to 4G networks, which will boost performance across the board.

Formally known as 5G Standalone (SA), BT plans to rebrand the technology ‘5G+’ to make the benefits clearer to customers. Two units using new technology are already live in Leeds on top of the existing 5G+ network, with hundreds more planned before 2030.

BT commits to wider 5G SA rollout

Ericsson radios will be responsible for some of the improvements, with up to 4x greater uplink capacity. The upgrades will also result in EE’s network being able to handle up to 100x more capacity than 4G, enabling better reliability in high-demand areas like cities and major events.

BT Group Chief Security and Networks Officer Howard Watson also noted that 1,500 small cells are also in operation across the UK to boost coverage, with 500 having been added over the past 12 months.

Watson cited a recent group report stating that “continuous improvements to mobile network quality could unlock up to £230 billion in economic growth for the UK,” however the business leader acknowledged that expanding 5G SA by itself won’t solve all the issues.

“Targeted interventions will still be required to address specific issues, such as improving connectivity along railways,” he added.

Earlier in 2025, BT Group claimed 34 million British customers would have access to EE’s 5G SA (now 5G+) network by the end of August 2025, with 45 new locations added over the summer. By spring 2026, it’s hoped that 41 million people would have access to EE’s 5G+.

“Whether you are video calling from a crowded train station, livestreaming on social media from a sold-out concert, or simply staying in touch with your family and friends over the summer holidays, 5G standalone on EE makes your experience smoother, faster and more secure,” BT Group Chief Networks Officer Greg McCall added.

The news comes as the UK ranks among the worst mobile user experiences in Europe due to poor 5G implementation, with other European networks proving better across download speed, upload speed, latency and packet loss metrics. BT's upgrades, together with huge improvements from VodafoneThree, could change this.

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Thousands of EE, BT and Vodafone users experienced voice calling issues for over two days this week, but the problems now seem to (finally) be sorted.

The outage first started on Thursday, July 24 at around 11am BST and appeared to be resolved later that day, before the mobile and landline issues re-emerged on Friday, July 25.

Frustrated users continued to report being unable to receive or make calls throughout Friday, but on Saturday, July 25 both EE and BT announced on X that an overnight fix had returned their services to normal.

Both networks say they that they "continue to conduct enhanced monitoring to prevent recurrence", but that voice calling should now be back to normal. Here's how the epic outage played out, what might have caused it and all of the latest advice if you're still having lingering issues...

The latest news

• EE and BT say a fix means services are now "running as normal"
• The voice calling outage started on Thursday, July 24 at 11am BST
• Thousands were affected over two days across EE, BT and Vodafone

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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...

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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...

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.

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 receive 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 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.

Let's hope for better news tomorrow...

Unfortunately, the latest from EE and BT remains that earlier statement at 3pm BST that the networks are working to resolve the voice calling issues that have now plagued customers for two days (with a brief respite).

Meanwhile, the reports from frustrated customers on both networks, plus Vodafone continue to rumble on, despite falling back to lower night-time levels.

We'll see how that plays out tomorrow, but this is the longest (and possibly strangest) network outage I've ever reported on. Fingers crossed for a resolution, or at least an official update, in the morning...

Welcome to day three

We're now into the third day of the voice calling issues that have hit ET, BT and Vodafone. The good news is that reports of outages on the networks are currently quite low, but also growing. But the bad is that there's still no official fix for the problems that have dogged some users since 11am BST on Thursday July 24.

It'll be interesting to see what happens this morning, particularly around 11am BST. For the last two days, that's when we've started to see a spike in reports across EE, BT and Vodafone. Yesterday was slightly better than Thursday, but the issues – thought to be due to an EE routing problem affecting ported numbers across all three networks – still affected thousands.

I'll be reporting on the latest news and, hopefully, an official fix from EE and BT.

Promising signs

While there's still been no official statement from EE or BT, there are signs that the network and voice calling issues of the past few days are finally petering out.

Over on Downdetector (above), there's been no sign of the mid-morning spikes in reports that we saw on Thursday and Friday, and social media complaints have also quietened down. Currently, the graphs are only a little above average across all three networks.

I'll be attempting to get an official statement so we can wave the finishing flag on this epic, cross-network outage, but for now the news is finally looking positive. Phew.

It's finally over (hopefully)

Good news, everyone – EE and BT have just posted a statement saying that an overnight fix seems to have done the trick and services are now "running as normal". That appears to be backed up by Downdetector reports, which are back to just above average on both networks and Vodafone.

That should mark the end of the longest-running network outage I've reported on. It fortunately didn't affect everyone, but those who were hit endured two days of frustrations. EE and BT still haven't specified what cause the voice calling issue, but the most likely culprit is an EE routing problem that affected ported numbers across all three networks.

If you were affected financially by the outage, I'll be back with the official advice on the potential for compensation (as always, it's never straightforward), but for now I'm signing off. Thanks to the many people who contacted us with their experiences on the world's least fun rollercoaster.

This is my seventh Amazon Prime Day, and by now, I've worked out that sometimes it's not just price cuts that make good deals or offerings during the sale. Sometimes, it's merely stock being available.

• Browse all of the best Amazon UK Prime Day deals

I've posted about this particular 30th Anniversary DualSense stock several times before, and even highlighted these very listings before, but these bundles at EE in the UK, which include the controller, are so good – and still available, importantly – that I can't help but write about them again.

What's more, both the PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro bundles that have the controller do actually save you money as well, saving you £10 compared to both items bought separately. If you've been eyeing up jumping up to the PS5 Pro, or if you haven't jumped into everything PS5 yet, then this really is a great way to do so, given that this is the only stock of the limited-edition controller I've seen in months.

You'll need to head to both the PS5 Disc edition console page and the PS5 Pro console page and scroll down (or swipe across if you're on mobile and the bundles pop up) to find the bundles under the 'Bundle deals' collapsible menu.

The PS5 Slim bundle costs £533.98 at the EE Store, and the PS5 Pro bundle comes in at £739.98. For our US readers, I've got the best links to check for stock below.

US 30th Anniversary DualSense stock check at: Amazon | Walmart | Target | PlayStation Direct | Antonline | Best Buy | GameStop | Sam's Club

• See all of today's best Amazon US deals

Today's best PS5 30th Anniversary Edition DualSense bundle deals

PS5 30th Anniversary DualSense bundles

PS5 30th Anniversary DualSense controller stock check

Keep reading for more Amazon Prime Day deals, and to see some PS5 and PS5 Pro bundle prices wherever you are in the world.

Amazon's Prime Day sale – quick links

• Amazon Devices: 50% off TVs, Ring & Fire Sticks
• Apple: AirPods + iPads from $99
• Back to school: deals from $5.99
• Beauty: 80% off toothbrushes & skincare
• Headphones: $120 off Bose, Apple & Sony
• Health: electric toothbrushes from $24.99
• Kitchen: 54% off Ninja, Nespresso & Keurig
• Laptops: record-low prices from $175
• Tablets: iPads and Samsung from $54.99
• Toys: 40% off Lego, scooters & Toniebox
• TVs: cheap TVs from $59.99
• Vacuums: Shark, Bissell & Dyson from $49.99

You can still pick up a PS5 30th Anniversary DualSense controller this Days of Play sale! While the stock of the limited edition controller is tied to a console bundle on the disc edition or PS5 Pro, it still offers great value given the Days of Play price cuts in effect on Sony's console right now.

In the UK, EE is offering a PS5 bundle that features the disc or digital edition console - greatly reduced as part of the Days of Play sale - which includes a 30th Anniversary DualSense. What's more is that these then actually save you another ten pounds according to EE.

You can find the bundles on EE's PS5 Disc edition console page and PS5 Pro console page. You'll have to scroll down on each to find the 'Bundle deals' collapsible menu to find them, but they are there - trust me.

The disc drive PS5 Slim bundle comes in at £439.98 at the EE Store, which is excellent value for money, while the PS5 Digital Edition bundle can be yours for just £699.98.

Today's best PS5 30th Anniversary Edition DualSense bundle deals

PS5 30th Anniversary DualSense bundles

PS5 30th Anniversary DualSense controller stock check

If you're not in the UK and are on the hunt for a PS5 bundle deal, then check out some of the latest and lowest prices in your region below.

• PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary stock looks to be available by invitation again
• This is the second such text from the EE Store I've received in recent weeks
• Sony and other retailers have given no word on any official restocks to come

For the second time in a matter of weeks, I have received another invite via SMS from the EE Store offering me PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary stock.

As a result, I'd recommend keeping your phone close if you've received messages from the store before or are (or were) an EE customer. This might be one of our last best ways to pick up one of the sought-after console bundles with no word on other retailers or official restocks for weeks now.

Even though I moved from EE to O2 last Black Friday, I'm still receiving alerts and offers from the EE Store - so it could be the same for you if you did something similar in recent months.

Today, I received a second message (the first coming a couple of weeks ago) inviting me to buy a PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary bundle. This is the same bundle that EE has sold since the pre-order phase, which consists of the Limited Edition PS5 Slim bundle, an extra Midnight Black DualSense, and a £50 EE Gamecard voucher, all for £539.

Thus, once again, I reckon it's worth keeping your phones close this week as you may get a wonderful invite to buy the rare bundle.

For what it's worth, the link in the SMS is special and can't be replicated on a regular browser, either on mobile or desktop, with the below message popping up.

The message is headed "You can't get there, from here." and goes on to say "If you're looking for the Sony PS5 Digital 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle, you need to access via a special link we've issued to customers."

If you're looking for an alternative and have also had an eye on the 30th Anniversary Edition DualSense controller, then EE can also help you out with another bundle. The store has been one of the few places where the controller has been readily available - though it has almost always been in bundles like the one below. Still, it is worth a look if you're up for a PS5 Slim by coincidence too.

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• IBM awarded contract to upgrade Britain’s ESN
• EE will deliver the project’s mobile communications infrastructure
• Similar projects have already been rolled out across US, Canada, South Korea

The Home Office has confirmed it will be using IBM to deliver the Emergency Services Network (ESN) in Britain, including police forces, fire services, and ambulance trusts.

The move will see more than 300,000 emergency responders hopefully get faster access to data, real-time video, and secure voice communications.

By sharing live data, imagery, and location updates, emergency service workers will be able to coordinate support efficiently, which could help speed up responses and reduce wait times.

IBM chosen as Emergency Services Network partner

Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson is set to oversee the project to make sure it remains on track after several ESN rollout delays in the run-up to this announcement.

“This government is working tirelessly to support this project, making sure it is delivered in a timely and cost-effective manner, and IBM will be an important part of bringing the Emergency Services Network online," Johnson said.

The announcement highlights an example whereby responders to a serious road traffic collision would be able to send their exact GPS location with other services. Fire services would then be able to identify the vehicle model to prepare the necessary cutting equipment or to understand the placement of electric vehicle batteries, while paramedics would have quicker access to patient data, such as prior medical conditions.

ESN has been described as the “next generation of fast, safe and secure voice, video and data communication” that “[allows] emergency services to work in tandem and coordinate efforts.” Countries like the US, Canada, and South Korea have already deployed similar systems.

IBM UK & Ireland Managing Director Rahul Kalia added: “Working with our ecosystem partners, we will deliver mission-critical services for first responders to enhance safety in our communities across Great Britain.”

In a separate announcement, IBM confirmed the ESN contract will last seven years, with an option for a two-year extension. Ecosystem partners will include Samsung Electronics, Ericsson, Frequentis, Exponential-e, and Palo Alto Networks.

The Home Office has also confirmed that EE won the contract to provide the mobile communications infrastructure for the project.

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Hold up, we've got another PS5 30th Anniversary DualSense restock on our hands! It's a Black Friday PS5 deal miracle!

In the UK, EE is offering a bunch of PS5 bundles on the Fortnite Coblat Star PS5 bundles that throw in the 30th Anniversary DualSense - one of which has a genuine saving on it.

You can find the bundles on EE's PS5 Disc edition console page, and PS5 Digital edition console page and you'll have to scroll down on each a little and click the 'Bundle deals' tab to get them to pop up - and it's worthwhile doing that I promise.

The disc drive PS5 Slim bundles come in three forms, with the best being one that includes just the 30th Anniversary DualSense controller for £459 (saving you a tenner). The second disc drive PS5 bundle is more expensive, including Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin, as well as the 30th Anniversary DualSense for £553.96. Then you can go even larger with a bundle for £666.94 that includes the 30th Anniversary Dualsense, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, EA Sports FC 25, and a black PlayStation Pulse Elite headset.

Then there are two bundles on the PS5 Digital Edition too. The first bags you a PS5, 30th Anniversary DualSense, and a £75 EE gamecard voucher for £459.99 and the second gets you the digital PS5 and the 30th Anniversary DualSense only for £375 - but also offers a saving of 10 quid!

Today's best PS5 30th Anniversary Edition DualSense bundle deals

PS5 30th Anniversary DualSense bundles

PS5 30th Anniversary DualSense controller stock check

As Black Friday PS5 deals go, and as Black Friday means of getting a PS5 30th Anniversary Edition restock, the above EE bundle deals are most welcome - it's a shame nothing similar in the US has appeared though, but in the meantime, UK shoppers should make hay while the sun is shining.

If you're not in the UK, then you'll find the latest, lowest prices on some PS5 bundles in your region below as presented by our auto-updating price-finding tech.

More of today's Black Friday sales in the US

• Amazon: TVs, iPads & air fryers from $12.99
• Apple: AirPods, iPads, watches from $89.99
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs & laptops
• B&H: $600 off Nikon, GoPro, Canon & Sony
• Cheap TVs: deals from $69.99 at Best Buy
• Christmas trees: from $54.99 at Amazon
• Dell: Inspiron & XPS laptops from $279.99
• Dreamcloud: mattresses from $349 + free shipping
• Gift ideas: deals for the family from $9.99
• Holiday: decor, lights, & PJs from $10.99
• Home Depot: 40% off tools & appliances
• Lowe's: holiday decor & appliances from $17.31
• Nectar: up to 50% off all mattresses
• Nordstrom: 46% off boots, coats & jewelry
• Purple: up to $1,000 off mattresses + base
• Saatva: up to $600 off luxury mattresses
• Samsung: $2,500+ off TVs, phones & appliances
• Target: furniture, Christmas decor, tech & clothing
• Tempur-Pedic: up to $500 off mattress sets
• Walmart: cheap TVs, robot vacs & AirPods
• Wayfair: 70% off furniture & decor

More of today's Black Friday sales in the UK

• Amazon: up to 58% off Kindle and Echo
• AO: savings on games consoles and appliances
• Argos: up to 50% off toys, Lego, TVs and gifts
• Boots: up to 60% off Dyson, Oral-B and Philips
• Carphone Warehouse: iPhone from £19.99p/m
• Currys: deals on TVs, appliances, laptops
• Dell: laptops, desktops, monitors from £299
• Dunelm: deals on homewares and appliances
• Dyson: up to £150 off
• Ebay: up to 50% off refurbished tech
• EE Store: £40 off the PlayStation5 Pro
• Emma: up to 50% off mattresses
• Jessops: up to £900 off cameras and drones
• John Lewis: up to £300 off appliances and TVs
• LG: £1,000 or more off TVs and appliances
• Ninja: up to £70 off air fryers
• Samsung: up to £600 off TVs, phones and tablets
• Shark: up to £100 off vacuums
• Toolstation: discounts on tools and smart home
• Very: up to 30% off phones, appliances & clothing

Want a PS5 Pro for less? UK retailer EE has discounted the console and is offering better trade-in value for your old PS5.

Right now, EE has dropped the price of the PS5 Pro to £659 (was £699), saving you a tidy 40 quid right there. But it gets better. Upon purchase of the console, EE will offer up to £260 trade-in value for an old games console, as well as email you a code to redeem £30 of extra trade-in credit.

For the record, that extra £30 doesn't seem to build on top of that £260 credit, rather, it allows you to save up to £260 in total upon trade-in. Still, that's pretty phenomenal value when most high-street retailers are offering less by comparison.

All in all, it means you can net yourself a brand new PS5 Pro for potentially as little as £400. That's simply one of the best Black Friday PS5 Pro deals we've seen so far and makes purchasing a PS5 disc drive and vertical stand a bit easier to stomach.

Today's best PS5 Pro deal in the UK

This is an utterly superb deal where you can potentially save hundreds of pounds on a new PS5 Pro console. If you're still looking to upgrade from your regular PS5 or PS5 Slim, then EE's deal is currently the best way to do so in the UK - certainly one of the overall best Black Friday PS5 deals we've seen in the region so far.

The PS5 Pro is typically a very expensive console, even by mid-gen refresh standards. However, it does boast various improvements over the base model, including its capacity for allowing you to play games at higher resolutions and framerates across the board. It also features 2TB of storage space and PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) for crisper overall image quality.

If you're not in the UK, check the list below to find all the best deals for the PS5 Pro in your region.

The figures and estimates presented in this article are provided by Google Finance and are accurate as of September 13, 2024. At no point should readers consider any part of this article to be financial or legal advice. 

Apple has officially revealed the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, with preorders live now and the phones going on sale Friday, September 20. 

iPhone fans and those looking for their next phone upgrade will naturally be keeping an eye out for iPhone 16 deals in the coming months. This is especially true for UK residents who end up paying a premium for iPhones thanks to the high value of the pound. 

In this article, we use the term "resident" to refer to anyone who lives in the UK, regardless of their legal definition. 

Apple lists its iPhone lineup at the same numerical prices for all models and configurations in the US and UK, but depending on market conditions, the dollar is about 24% less valuable than the pound, meaning iPhones in the US are cheaper. 

The recommended retail price (RRP) for the base iPhone 16 in the US is $799, the equivalent of £608.83 as of September 13, 2024. 

However, any UK resident buying an iPhone in the US should be looking to buy an unlocked iPhone – that’s an iPhone that doesn’t come pre-connected to any American mobile network provider. 

If you buy directly from Apple US, an unlocked iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Plus costs $30 more than a carrier-locked one. The prices of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are the same whether you buy a carrier-locked or unlocked model, but you should still buy an unlocked iPhone to avoid initiating a contract with a foreign mobile network provider. 

 iPhones sold by Apple in the UK are unlocked. Prices listed are for the cheapest configuration of each iPhone model.  

Obviously, it’s not going to be economical for a UK resident to travel to the US just to buy an iPhone, but those heading there anyway may be tempted by these lower prices.

However, before you head to the bureau de change, there are some factors to seriously consider before buying an iPhone in the US, from hardware differences to tax technicalities.

1. Sales tax

In the UK, the listed price of an item is typically what you pay at the point of sale, including relevant taxes and duties such as VAT. 

This is because VAT – set at 20% since 2011 – is decided by the UK government, making it easy for manufacturers and retailers to factor it into prices. 

This is decidedly not the case in the US, where sales taxes are decided and applied at not just the state level, but also by counties and cities. The amount of sales tax you’ll pay varies from 0% in Oregon, New Hampshire, and most of Montana and Delaware, up to a maximum of 13.5% in Arab County, Alabama. 

Taking this maximum sales tax and applying it to the unlocked base-model iPhone 16 gives us a total price of $940.92 / £716.97 - a fair bit more expensive than the listed price of $829.

Granted, this still results in a discount when compared to prices in the UK. But it’s important to factor sales taxes into your budget if you’re hoping to buy an iPhone in tourist hotspots like New York City or Los Angeles. 

2. Be ready for eSIM

Starting with the iPhone 14 family, iPhones sold in the US have eschewed the SIM tray for an eSIM-only approach. 

An eSIM – or embedded SIM – is effectively a digital contract that allows you to connect to a carrier’s phone network without a physical SIM card. 

Earlier this year, a report by Juniper Research suggested that as many as half of all connected devices in the US use eSIMs – they’re available in the UK, but a 2023 YouGov poll showed that adoption sits at around 4%.

Using an eSIM in the UK should be simple enough if you’re willing to go digital-only with your mobile network contract. But those who rely on prepaid SIMs when travelling, or just like to have the option, will be relieved that the SIM tray survives on new iPhones sold in the UK. 

Carriers like EE, Vodafone, and O2 do offer eSIMs in the UK. We contacted all three companies to ask whether a US iPhone will work with an eSIM issued in the UK.

EE told us that any iPhone should work with an eSIM in the UK, and we have yet to hear back from Vodafone and O2.

3. Warranty and returns

Buying an iPhone from a US retailer may leave you stuck if your new device turns out to be faulty or broken. 

We can’t yet verify whether Apple honors warranties for products purchased abroad – we have contacted Apple for clarification on this matter but received no response. 

We can’t summarise the specifics of each retailer’s warranty, but we’d suggest this is especially relevant when dealing with retailers with no or limited presence in the UK.

If you need to send your iPhone back, a retailer in the US could ask you to pay for shipping costs, which comes with the possibility of your phone being held at customs or lost in transit. 

We strongly advise you to carefully check the warranty and returns policy of any US retailer you’re considering purchasing an iPhone from, whether you plan to buy in person or by order. 

For reference, the UK has strong consumer protection laws that give customers the right to cancel an order for a full refund within 14 days of the day the goods were received. The customer then has a further 14 days to return the goods. This applies to orders made online, by mail, and over the phone, but not in person. 

Though Apple does not legally have to, the company’s returns policy indicates that this grace period is extended to purchases made at the Apple Store. 

Furthermore, UK law mandates that faulty goods can be returned for a full refund if sold as faulty, and if a fault develops after purchase you have six years to make a claim for repair or replacement (five years in Scotland).

It may be harder to make warranty claims against international dealers simply because of the logistics of getting your iPhone across to the US. Those who value peace of mind in the rare chance of opening a faulty product may want to purchase an iPhone domestically.

As for AppleCare+, Apple’s insurance product for iPhones and other devices, coverage is international, though Apple may use locally available parts and models for repairs and replacements. 

4. Delivery, customs duty, and VAT

Those looking to bring an iPhone into the country themselves may have concerns about customs duty at the airport or when their package arrives in the UK.

The good news for those physically bringing a new iPhone into the UK with them is that there is no customs duty on mobile phones bought for personal use, although you will have to declare goods at customs if the total value of goods brought into the UK exceeds £390, or £270 if travelling by private plane or private boat. 

iPhones bought outside the UK or EU for business use are subject to a 3.3% customs duty. You must declare goods bought abroad for business purposes at customs. 

As for deliveries, VAT is charged on all goods entering the UK by mail unless they are gifts worth £39 or less or non-excise goods worth between £39 and £135 (excise goods include alcohol, tobacco, and energy products). This includes packages sent from person-to-person.  

As mentioned, the rate of VAT is 20% for electronics. This bumps the price of the unlocked base iPhone 16 up from $829 to $994.80, which works out to around £757.59 – not far off of the standard list price in the UK, and that’s before shipping charges, which are themselves likely to be drastically higher than domestic delivery costs. 

Any potential savings are barely more noticeable for the iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

You may be liable to pay further handling charges when your package is held for inspection at the UK border, charges which are notoriously difficult to predict. 

Apple’s US website will not let you purchase an iPhone for delivery to a UK address, but other retailers may choose to allow this. You’d probably pay hefty shipping fees in addition to unpredictable customs charges. In short, it’s just not a good idea.

5. Frequency bands

The frequency bands that phones use to connect to cellular networks are different from country to country. 

iPhone 16 series phones sold in the US support all of the frequency bands supported by their UK counterparts, so you don’t need to worry about this for Apple’s latest handsets. As for older models, we advise you to check Apple’s website and that of your carrier to assess whether a US-made iPhone will work on your chosen UK network. 

We asked EE, Vodafone, and O2 about whether iPhones sold in the US are likely to have any issues connecting to UK frequencies. A representative of EE said: “We are not aware of any issues connecting to UK frequency bands,” but added, “EE cannot guarantee the performance of the device which was brought in the US [sic].”

We have not yet received a response from Vodafone or O2. 

Buying an iPhone in the US - is it actually a good deal? 

Ultimately, whether buying an iPhone in the US is a good idea depends on whether you were planning to travel to the US to begin with, and just how eager you are to save a bit of money.

If you’re tech savvy enough to deal with eSIM and stay apprised of local sales taxes, buying an iPhone on a trip to the US could be a viable way to save a bit – but honestly not a lot – of money. 

This is barely worth it when you tally up the benefits of buying an iPhone domestically. Buying in the UK means you’ll have greater ability to exercise your consumer rights, easier warranty claims, cheaper delivery, more SIM options, and won’t even have to consider customs charges or additional taxes.

We’d go so far as to say you should never order an iPhone for delivery from the US to UK, as you’re likely to incur high shipping costs and may have to pay VAT and additional customs charges.

So there you have it. In general, we don’t think buying an iPhone in the US is a good idea if you’re a UK resident. But if you stay aware of the risk factors and really want to save a little money, the option’s there.  

And if you’ve now decided where you’d like to buy your new iPhone, head on over to our guide to the best iPhones in 2024 for help deciding on which model is right for you.  

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In December 2023, Octopus Energy bought Shell Energy UK, including the company's broadband and home phone customers. For many, this was viewed as a shame because Shell Energy broadband used to supply some of the best broadband deals on the market.

But don't worry, if you're supplied by Shell Energy broadband, then you won't be cut off. Instead, you'll soon be automatically transferred over to TalkTalk, which is just as good. Crucially, you'll be pleased to know that there are no charges for now and you simply need to keep paying your bills as normal. 

Here's everything that you need to know about what will happen... 

Why are Shell Energy broadband customers moving to TalkTalk? 

As we mentioned, Octopus Energy purchased Shell Energy UK back in December. As you may already know, Octopus does supply energy (like Shell Energy), but it doesn't supply home phones or broadband (like Shell Energy broadband). 

As a result, Octopus has been looking for a buyer for these customers and their contracts since it bought the company. Now, Octopus agreed a deal to sell this set of 500,000 customers to TalkTalk. The transfer is due to start in the next few months. 

Crucially, Octopus Energy will keep all of Shell Energy UK's gas and electricity customers. 

What do I need to know about the move? 

If you're a current Shell Energy broadband customer, then you may be worried about the move. However, the key takeaway is that nothing is changing for you for the time being. 

In fact, you'll likely be relieved to hear that the terms and conditions of your current contract with Shell Energy broadband remain valid. Added to this, if you have a problem with your broadband, you can still get help and manage your account through Shell Energy. The process for this remains entirely unchanged and you just need to visit their website. 

Similarly, you won't just suddenly lose your internet connection. Octopus Energy will contact you when it's your turn to be migrated to TalkTalk. This will happen at some time in the next few months but no date has been set for the process to be finalised, so don't worry if you don't hear anything for a little while. 

You'll also be pleased to hear that this move will happen automatically and there's no need for you to do anything. Plus, Shell Energy already uses some of TalkTalk's technology behind the scenes, so the transfer process should be seamless. As part of this, your direct debit should be transferred to TalkTalk automatically - this means that you need to keep paying your bills on time and in full.

There shouldn't be any downtime during the move. It's also worth knowing that, if you do lose service for whatever reason (which is unlikely), and the outage lasts longer than one working day, you'll be entitled to compensation under telecom regulator Ofcom's rules.

Then, when the switching process is complete, you'll also stay on the same contract. Sadly this does mean that you'll still be subject to the April price rises already announced by Shell. 

What do I need to know about TalkTalk? 

We think that TalkTalk is one of the UK's best broadband providers. It's also one of the country's most popular internet service providers, too. 

We've also highlighted a number of great broadband deals from TalkTalk before. This is because the company offers some of the best value deals on the market today. In fact, it's currently running a sale where selected plans are half-price for six months! 

Added to this, TalkTalk also offers a good range of plans, with options ranging from 35Mbps through to 900Mbps. You even have the option to bundle TV packages or calls to your plan, too. 

So don't worry, you'll be in good hands with TalkTalk. You may even find that you want to renew with them when your current contract comes to a close!

What if I don't want to move to TalkTalk? 

Well, the first thing you should do is check the details of your agreement with Shell Energy. If you're out of contract, then you can grab a great new deal before the switch takes place. To find the very best deals in your area, you can either use the widget below or visit our best broadband deals page. 

If you're still under contract, then it's more than likely that you'll need to pay early termination fees if you want to switch away rather than moving to TalkTalk. Given the circumstances, there's a chance that you may not have to pay this fee, but this hasn't been confirmed by either TalkTalk or Shell Energy. We'll update this guide when we know more.

Unsure whether you're still under contract? Head to Shell's website and log into your account. If you don't know the password or you're unable to log in, then check the details in your current contract. You can also check your email address (including your junk folder) for a contract start or end date. Failing that, you can call Shell on 03300 945801 or email broadband.support@shellenergy.co.uk.

If you currently have broadband supplied to your home and your contract is up for renewal, you might want to start looking around for the best broadband deals. This is because the majority of the country's internet service providers (ISPs) have announced they'll be increasing their prices from spring 2024. 

Much like March and April time last year, many ISPs will be putting up the cost of their respective broadband tariffs in line with the rates of inflation from the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Retail Prices Index (RPI). However, some providers will also add more percentage points to these rates to cover their own increased operational costs. ISPs are able to do this even if you're on a contracted fixed monthly cost; you may have heard this being referred to as 'mid-contract price rises'. 

That said, not all providers are doing this and so far some have announced increases that don't include anything above the CPI rates. What's more, some customers will be able to shop around and avoid these hikes - below we've explained what you need to know... 

Broadband price rises for 2024 at a glance

According to the latest reports from MSE, most of the UK's most popular broadband providers have said their prices will be going up, with the cost of some plans rising by as much as 7.9%. 

For clarity here, the December CPI rate was 4%, so this will be the standard change providers can implement.

The latest breakdown of selected ISP price increases is as follows:

• BT - a rise of 7.9% (CPI + 3.9%) starting March 31
• EE - a rise of 7.9% (CPI + 3.9%) starting March 31
• Plusnet - a rise of 7.9% (CPI + 3.9%) starting March 31
• Shell Energy - a rise of 6% (CPI + 2%) starting April 1
• TalkTalk - a rise of 7.7% (CPI + 3.7%) starting April 1
• Three - a rise of 7.9% (CPI + 3.9%) starting April 1
• Vodafone - a rise of 7.9% (CPI + 3.9%) starting April 1

To give some cost examples in real terms, if you pay £20 a month, a rise of 7.9% will see this increase to £21.58. This of course gets more noticeable the more expensive your package is - for instance if you pay £75 a month, possibly for a broadband and TV bundle, you'll see a 7.9% increase to £80.93.

Providers who won't be increasing their costs

More ISPs - including the likes of Sky and Virgin Media - are expected to follow suit and soon announce their respective price rises, so be sure to keep on eye on the latest broadband news for that. However, it's fair to point out that there are a selection of providers who won't have any mid-contract price rises. 

These include:

• Zen Internet
• Hyperoptic
• Utility Warehouse
• Trooli

What if I've just started a new broadband contract?

Even if you've just started a broadband contract with a new provider, you may still face a price hike. Although, depending on your contract terms, if you're in an initial trial phase or a 'cooling off' period with your new deal, you might be entitled to leave or cancel it without having to pay an exit penalty. 

If in any doubt, review your contract or simply check directly with your ISP. 

Can't I just switch to a cheaper deal?

Like we've mentioned above, this really depends on the terms of your contract. However, if you're mid-contract, then in order to switch you'll likely have to pay an exit fee. 

If this is the case, then it's the trade-off of whether paying this penalty will work out better for you in the long run with the money you'll save on your cheaper deal. 

Interestingly, something the UK broadband regulator, Ofcom, is currently in consultation about is a ban on price increases linked to uncertain future inflation and more clarity for consumers on the rising costs, stating that 'companies must set this out up-front in pounds and pence'. If the latter does happen, it will make it easier to work out how much you could theoretically save when switching.

Equally, if you do have an initial cooling off period, or you're in fact out of contract - and in some cases nearing your contract's end - you should be able to shop and switch to a new broadband deal without incurring any fees.

How to find the best broadband deals

Whatever your circumstances might be, if you do want to switch, there are a few approaches you can take to get a top new tariff. 

Firstly, you should head over to our best broadband deals guide, as we'll be able to show you all the latest offers on the market right now. Equally, you may wish to use this research to then go back to your existing provider and haggle for a more affordable price.

Another option is to enter your postcode into our widget below. This will then show you all the broadband deals that can be found in your specific location.

I've been an avid phone lover for years now, and new phone deals always turn my head when it comes to finding great value from devices you wouldn't expect. At this time of year, you'll have normally had at least two major flagship launches in the four or so months prior, and you'll have at least one just around the corner – this year, the Samsung Galaxy S24 for example – but it's the phones that these new releases are replacing that interest me.

Whether it's the phones the new releases are directly replacing or the competitors that are supposedly going to be made obsolete by the newer device, there are great ways to find value in switching devices at this kind of year – and the January phone sales make that all the easier. 

As a result, I've been scouring the best winter phone deals from some of the UK's biggest network providers and retailers to see just where some of the best value of the season lies, and this year, there are some absolute corkers. Whether it's saving nearly £530 on a Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, Saving £600 on a Google Pixel Fold, or even £300 off a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, there are loads of new and interesting ways to save on some of the best phones of 2024 that you can get your hands on right now, so to help you out a bit, here are some of my top picks.  

Today's best winter sale phone deals

Storm Henk isn't the only thing blowing the UK away this week, as the EE Winter Sale is here to give you the chance to get great bargains on some of 2024's best phones. 

If you're looking for the best smartphone deals available right now, you could easily be drawn into looking at a Samsung Galaxy S24 preorder, but, in all honesty, the best option right now could be to look at some of its predecessors. For example, you can save £528 on the Samsung Galaxy S23 or £520 on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, flipping amazing, right?!

The deals don't stop there, with opportunities to save over £450 on the recently released Google Pixel 8, or nearly £220 on the iconic iPhone 14, so no matter what phones take your fancy, there are savings for all!

EE is currently the UK's fastest 4G network and has the most widespread high-speed network coverage of any of the big four phone networks (EE, Vodafone, O2, and Three). Whilst their plans can, in comparison, be on the pricier side, they also offer an unrivalled amount of reliability, as well as some high-value options for existing customers to add additional phones, SIM-only plans, broadband, and now even TV to their deal. 

If you're not quite sure where the best smartphone deals are in the EE Winter Sale, we've picked out our top five EE deals you should get your hands on this January while you still can. 

Our top 5 deals from the EE winter sale

If these haven't quite taken your fancy, or they've maybe sparked an even better idea of the phone you want, why not use our comparison tool below to find today's best phone deals across some of the UK's biggest network providers, with options to tailor your data, upfront cost, and monthly fees into the perfect phone deal for you. 

Today's best phone deals

EE has begun outlining its next era of product offerings and services. Simply dubbed 'New EE', the announcement event covered a wide array of new products and services, as well as changes to their current setup, one of the most notable of which are the changes to the relationship between EE and BT in the broadband space. 

Long before the existence of EE, BT was the UK's powerhouse of broadband potential and still remains one of the best broadband providers on the market, but with today's announcement from EE, this could all be about to change. 

EE has, for a number of years now, been the home of arguably the most premium mobile experience in the UK, with the network being awarded 'Best Overall Network' by RootMetrics® every year since 2014, and it would appear that it's now hoping to bring this same premium experience to its broadband deals.

From October 20, EE Broadband will become the home of premium broadband deals you'd normally come to expect from BT, with a wide array of Broadband, Broadband and TV, and quad-play deals now on the table as well as a new array of exclusive benefits for EE mobile customers.

Given that this will, for many, be considered quite a big change to what you'd expect to see in the broadband space, we've outlined some of the biggest changes to broadband across EE and BT and answered some of the key questions regarding everything that's changing.

EE Broadband FAQs

Exclusive EE customer discounts

For EE Broadband customers looking to add mobile to their plan, great savings await. EE have announced that as part of this transition into a new era EE Broadband customers can get access to EE unlimited data SIMs for only £10 per month on a 30-day rolling contract, meaning you save £31 per month if you were to add two SIMs to your account! 

If you like to get more for your money, you can use this discount on unlimited SIM-only plans all the way up to their Full Works plans, giving you unlimited data and three inclusive extras for £20 less per month than you would usually pay, a great way to save across your phone and other day to day subscriptions such as Spotify, Netflix and more. 

WiFi Enhancer

As part of their new era, EE has announced a new 'WiFi Enhancer' tool which will be available to broadband customers. This tool, created alongside broadband and tech developer Netduma, allows EE Broadband customers to prioritise and optimise their connection to ensure they get the most from their broadband deal all via the EE app. 

One of the key features of the WiFi Enhancer is the inclusion of a 'Work Mode' and 'Game Mode' which, as the name suggests, offer optimisations to your connection to optimise your experiences when gaming or when working from home. These modes are set up to work in conjunction with many online gaming sites and working apps such as Zoom and Teams so no matter what you use you will likely feel the benefits of keeping your connection in the right mode. 

On top of this, WiFi enhancer also provides a 'Geo Filter' function, which automatically chooses the highest quality servers to reduce lag and improve the feel of your gaming, and 'Ping Optimiser' which allows customers to access a more fine-tuned connection to reduce buffering when working or gaming.

Advanced WiFi Controls

For EE Broadband customers using their Smart Hub or Smart Hub Plus, Advanced WiFi Controls gives you full control of the connectivity in your home, meaning it's easier than ever to get the most from your WiFi. Some of the features of Advanced WiFi Controls include:

• Advanced Parental Controls - The ability to limit what your children have access to online. With an array of predefined or customisable filters to help you tailor the protection levels to their needs and can be activated or deactivated at any time. 
• WiFi pause - As the name suggests, you have the ability to halt your Wi-Fi whenever you need to, whether it is a sudden pause or a scheduled switch off. 
• Group Devices - Create groups of different devices in your home to allow control over who is online, who needs to come offline, and even turn off devices in specific rooms. 
• Advanced Web Protect - Protection from viruses is still as important as ever. Advanced Web Protect sends a warning if you are about to visit an untrustworthy site and protects all devices on your network from viruses and phishing attacks, even devices such as smart doorbells and cameras. 
• Password sharing - Give anyone instant access to your connection via a handy QR code which can simply be scanned or by sending a password link from your WiFi controls. 
• Guest WiFi - If password sharing isn't quite to your fancy, you can create an entirely separate connection point to give guests access to your Wi-Fi without having to share any details such as passwords linked to your everyday connection. 

All these features and more can be accessed via the EE app, which is home to everything you need to take full control of your home broadband and keep an eye on all of your contracts and subscriptions. 

Speaking on the new functionalities in the app in an interview after the announcement, Matt Hughes, Director of Broadband and TV at EE, commented "This is the first time we’ve thought from scratch about something beyond the hub in the house" expanding to say  “What you’ll get with the app from Friday [20th October 2023] is the full ecosystem. So the app in your pocket will do everything from setting it up when it arrives through to the in-life management” .

Latest Broadband Deals

Not sure which provider has the absolute best deals on broadband in your area? Not to worry – we've got you covered. We've got all the top deals from the biggest providers below so you can easily see what your best options are with no fuss. 

Use the handy selection tool below to enter your postcode and see all the best broadband deals in your area.

Rhydian Williams from EE has been crowned the winner of Shop Idol - Contact Centre 2023, supported by Samsung Backstage, at the Mobile Industry Awards 2023.

Rhydian beat competition from hundreds of entrants from all of the major retailers in the UK to be named the country’s best contact centre-based mobile phone salesperson.

He received his award at the MIA 2023 ceremony in London from Rhiannon Nightingale, Senior Online Training Manager for Samsung.

Shop Idol 2023

Our annual search for the UK’s best mobile phone salesperson was once again split into two fields - one for Retail, and one for Contact Centres.

After a lengthy search, our judges whittled down the biggest ever Shop Idol entry list to our finalists.

Each year, hundreds of entrants from every major retailer take part in the biggest contest of its kind, facing our esteemed panel of judges to win the top prize. This year, over 50 hours of judging grilled our candidats with interviews, challenges to determine product knowledge, customer service skills and of course, sales power!

Thanks to our partner Samsung Backstage, a selection of amazing prizes were awarded to our winners, who each received a huge Samsung tech bundle worth over £2,300 including a Galaxy Z Flip5, Galaxy Tab S9, Galaxy Watch6 and Galaxy Buds2 Pro.

Congratulations to Rhydian and to all our 2023 Shop Idol finalists!

Our 2023 Shop Idol Contact Centre finalists:

• Ali-Raza Sotta - Currys
• Amy Davies - EE
• Atul Patel - Currys
• Rhydian Williams - EE
• Thomas Varney - EE

Previous Shop Idol winners

• 2022: Haseeb Kamran, Vodafone (CC) / Nad Akram, EE (Retail)
• 2021: Elise Howard, EE
• 2020: Cassie Kirkham, EE
• 2019: Gavin Mooney, O2
• 2018: Joshua Higgins, Carphone Warehouse
• 2017: Stuart Bonner, Carphone Warehouse
• 2016:  Aaron Robinson, Tesco Mobile
• 2015: Claire Pulpher, Carphone Warehouse
• 2014: John Sherwood, Digital Phone Company
• 2013: Martin Haig, Carphone Warehouse
• 2012: Nicola Black, Phones 4u 
• 2011: Chris Bowden, EE  

• You can find out all our Mobile Industry Awards 2023 winners here

EE has triumphed at the Mobile Industry Awards 2023 to take the award for Network of the Year, sponsored by Likewize.

Networks underpin everything the mobile industry does, and this award looked to celebrate the UK mobile operator that goes above and beyond to provide its customers with a top-class network experience.

This prize went to the UK mobile operator that meets and exceeds expectations to provide a top-class network experience, innovation, customer care, and technical excellence. 

Our 2023 finalists were:

• EE
• Virgin Media O2
• Vodafone

Our entrants were asked to submit entries based on the following criteria:

• How have you improve your network at a technical level over the past 12 months? How has this improved service?
• How have you innovated or differentiated your service portfolio over the past 12 months?
• How have you improved customer service and support over the past 12 months?
• What steps have you taken to improve financial performance over the past year and can you provide evidence of commercial growth?

Why EE won

EE was recognised for its huge upgrade program over the past 12 months helping connect more customers than ever before to its network. 

Congratulations to the team at EE for landing our top network prize for the second year in a row, and well done to all the other nominees!

• You can find out all our Mobile Industry Awards 2023 winners here

Cloud gaming has just been taken quite literally, as a Twitch streamer was tasked with testing Nvidia GeForce Now at a gaming den situated at the UK's highest mountain.

Streamer Leah 'Leahviathan' Alexandra partnered with UK mobile service provider EE for a pretty unconventional gaming session. She trekked to the slopes of Ben Nevis, Scotland, to try out the provider's brand new cloud gaming bundle roughly 1,500ft above sea level. That's approximately a third of the way up the iconic Scottish natural landmark.

The bundle is available to EE customers in the UK. It includes an Nvidia GeForce Now Ultimate cloud gaming subscription, Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 and a Razer Basilisk gaming mouse, all for £23 a month. If you're an EE customer, you can check out the deal over at EE's website.

Alternatively, a slightly cheaper TV bundle is also available. This features all the same perks but swaps the Chromebook and Razer mouse for a 43-inch Samsung CU7100 smart TV and Turtle Beach Recon controller. This bundle is available now for £22 a month. And in both bundles, you'll also have access to Samsung Gaming Hub, which collates several streaming services into one accessible hub, including Xbox Game Pass as well as GeForce Now.

While I can't exactly recommend hiking a good way up Ben Nevis for your next cloud gaming session (mainly because I'd prefer to stay at home), I will say that this EE bundle is well worth a look. A new Samsung laptop or smart TV packed with an Nvidia GeForce Now subscription for as little as £22 is an excellent deal. 

Especially so, considering the service's Ultimate tier is £17.99 a month by itself. With that in mind, you're essentially getting a new laptop and mouse (or smart TV and controller) for an extra fiver, give or take.

If a Samsung laptop or mouse doesn't quite do it for you, have a look at our best gaming laptops and best gaming mouse guides, where we recommend the absolute best products you can buy in 2023.

The UK government is looking for a new partner to provide it with Emergency Services Network (ESN) services after years of setbacks and budgeting woes for the current project.

The UK Home Office is reportedly running a tender worth around £895 million to choose a new supplier. 

The Home Office is looking to partner up with a “user services” supplier, which would work next to other partners, including EE which the government agency described as its “current” mobile supplier.

ESN delays

Whoever wins the bid will need to work in program and project delivery, system integration, network and IT infrastructure delivery, as well as the creation of a 4G/5G standalone mobile core network, the publication says. Furthermore, the company will be involved in specifications and certification services for third-party devices and systems connected to the ESN.

Companies interested in competing for the tender have exactly a month - by June 19 - to submit their bid, while the initial term of the contract is due at the end of 2031, it was said. The contract can be extended twice, by 12 months each time, it was added.

The initial contract to replace Airwave’s two-way radio system that’s currently used for ESN, was awarded in 2015 to a consortium comprising of EE, Motorola, and KBR. The deadline for project completion was 2020, but in 2019, the government announced the project was already running roughly 50% over budget, and that it would break the deadline by three years, at least. 

Last year, Motorola started negotiations with the Home Office to step out of the contract, claiming limited future service potential of the assets being built out. Furthermore, in April this year, the Competition and Markets Authority published a report claiming the services wouldn’t be available before 2029. 

• Need an upgrade for your business? Check out the best business mobile phone deals around.

Via: Mobile World Live

Update 24/4/23: Three has now given us an official statement, so we've updated our story. You can find it below in the the first section titled 'You're on Three' below.

If you live in the UK and didn't get the emergency alert that was broadcast to 4G and 5G smartphones at 3pm BST on Sunday April 23, you're not alone. So what went wrong, and how can you make sure you get them in the future?

The UK's Cabinet Office has acknowledged that not everyone received the alert as planned and is working out why. It said that while "the vast majority of compatible phones received the alert", it's also aware that "a very small proportion of mobile users on some networks did not receive it" and that "it will be looking at this as part of our review of the test".

Right now, it isn't clear exactly how many people didn't receive the test alert, which was broadcast across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, and was a practice for future alerts that could help warn you about severe flooding, fires or extreme weather.

But anecdotal evidence on social media (and among the TechRadar team) suggests that Three customers were, in particular, affected by technical issues that meant they didn't receive the siren-like alarm. The network has admitted that there were some issues and we've asked it for further comment on why Three may have been affected.

If you didn't receive the emergency alert, the UK government has opened an official survey where you can leave feedback to help it improve next time. But we've also rounded up the top five other potential reasons why you may not have received the alert this time – and how to make sure you do so in the future.

5 reasons why you didn't receive the UK emergency alert

1. You're on Three

While customers on all of the UK's mobile networks have reported not getting the UK emergency alert test, the most widespread issues were on Three – and so far the network is the only one to officially acknowledge an issue.

In a Tweet (below), it said that it was aware that "a number of customers" didn't receive the alert and it's "working closely with the government" to understand why.

Anecdotally, most of the TechRadar team members (bar two) who are on Three didn't receive the emergency alert test, and the network has now given us an official statement. 

A Three spokesperson told us: "Following the emergency alerts test yesterday, working with the government we identified a technical issue that meant some of our customers did not receive an alert. This morning our engineers deployed a fix that means that there will be no issue with future alerts.”  

While that's comforting for Three customers, we've asked Three exactly what the technical issue was and will update this story when we hear back. This variation between networks may partly be explained by the fact that the emergency alert had to pass through the rebroadcasting processes of each mobile networks, but hopefully Three will give us some specifics on exactly what caused its hiccup.

2. You weren't getting a 4G or 5G signal

Beyond the potential for network-related issues, there are a few technical reasons why you may not have received the emergency alert test – with one of those being the lack of a 4G or 5G signal.

This is something O2 has pointed out to some of its customers, with its FAQs stating that you might not receive an alert when "a device connects to a 3G or 2G signal". Vodafone also told customers to check its network status checker, to make sure they were getting 4G in their area.

This doesn't just apply to phones that don't have 4G connectivity. O2 says "this can often happen inside buildings" and that "a device needs to be on 4G or 5G to receive the alert".

Naturally, this means that all non-4G devices were also ruled out of getting the alert, so that's a factor worth checking if a family member didn't receive it.

3. Your phone software isn't up to date

Another reason why a phone or tablet may not have received the UK emergency alert test is because it was running an older, unsupported version of iOS or Android.

As EE has been pointing out to customers, to be capable of receiving alerts (both the test one and future alerts), your iPhone needs to be running iOS 14.5 or later, while Android phones need to be on Android 11 or later.

This will only affect phones that are pretty old – for example, the iPhone 6S from 2015 supports iOS 14, while the likes of the Google Pixel 2 support Android 11.

But it's possible that, in some cases, a phone didn't receive the alert because it was simply too old to run those OS versions, or hadn't been updated recently enough.

4. You didn't have emergency alerts turned on

Most iOS and Android phones have the ability to receive emergency alerts turned on by default, but in some cases it's possible this option may have been turned off.

We explained how to disable the UK emergency alert test for those who didn't want their Sunday afternoon nap ruined. But if you expected to receive the alert and didn't, then it's worth following those steps (as suggested by EE below) to make sure your phone's set up to receive them.

After searching for 'emergency alerts' on Android (which may also be called 'Wireless emergency alerts' on some phones), you should see a toggle for 'Allow alerts'. This obviously needs to be turned on for you to receive them.

It's a similar process on iPhone – just go to Settings > Notifications, then scroll all the way down the page to the 'Emergency Alerts' section, where you can check to make sure that 'Extreme Alerts' and 'Severe Alerts' are both toggled on.

5. You phone was on Airplane mode

While a lack of 4G or 5G coverage at the time of the test is a more likely reason why your phone didn't receive the emergency alert, another possibility is that your device was in Airplane mode.

We suspect that most TechRadar readers won't need to be reminded of this potential factor, but if someone you know didn't get the alert, it could be worth checking that their compatible iOS or Android device wasn't accidentally left in Airplane mode.

On iOS, you can find this by swiping down at the top of the screen and checking to make sure the plane icon isn't highlighted, and it's the same on Android (swipe down and open the Quick Settings panel to check).

The UK mobile network EE is running an early Black Friday sale this week, giving away massive prepaid gift cards of up to £300 with select Android devices.

Eligible devices include many of the top flagships, such as the Google Pixel 7 and Galaxy S22 Plus, as well as many fine budget options, like the Samsung A33 and Google Pixel 6a.

In some cases, this prepaid gift card of up to £300 is being offered with devices that already have seasonal discounts - offering even more value. For example, the Galaxy S22+ is currently listed with a discount of up to £336 over the duration of a two-year plan. That equates to a £14 per month discount on the unlimited data plan, and that's before you factor in the £300 gift card that's up for grabs in addition.

Note, to be eligible for a free gift card with this promotion, you'll need to be signing up for a 25GB plan or higher on EE. Generally speaking, you tend to get better bang for your buck with the heftier data plans, so definitely consider going for an unlimited data plan if you're someone who streams a lot of content.

The gift card offered with these Black Friday phone deals from EE is essentially a prepaid online Mastercard, with makes it a very handy gift if you're currently planning your Christmas shopping. Bundled together, this is a great opportunity to bag yourself a new device on a cheap unlimited plan and save some cash with your Black Friday deals shopping. 

EE early Black Friday deals

• See more: check out all of this week's deals at EE

Eligible devices

• Google Pixel 7 - £200 gift card
• Google Pixel 7 Pro - £300 gift card
• Google Pixel 6a - £200 gift card
• Oppo Find X5 Lite - £150 gift card
• Oppo Find X5 - £250 gift card
• Oppo Find X5 Pro - £300 gift card
• Samsung Galaxy A33 - £100 gift card
• Samsung A13 5G - £100 gift card
• Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus - £300 gift card

BT has unveiled a new ‘Machine Learning Operations (ML-Ops)’ platform that promises to speed up the rollout of artificial intelligence (AI) models from six months to just six days.

The ML Ops platform was built by BT’s digital unit and its partners Datatonic and Google Cloud and will strengthen the telco’s bid to be an ‘AI-led’ company.

It says the accelerator will help developers harness the power of its 29-petabyte database to create AI models that can be used across multiple applications that drive internal performances and enhance customer facing operations.

BT Digital

For example, these models could help BT combat customer churn, test personalised applications, and identify efficiencies within certain business groups. 

Indeed, it hopes to realise more than £500 million of internal value from data and AI over the next five years, aiding its wider transformation.

“A core driving principle for BT Group is to find a way to safely accelerate the time to value, pound per petabyte, of data,” said Adrian Joseph, Managing Director, Data & AI, for BT Group. “AI Accelerator gives us a path to more rapid value with clear oversight of AI use case parameters and performance.”

BT Digital was created in early 2021 as part of a technological reshuffle, tasked with accelerate its own transformation and allow for the creation of innovative and data-driven products, platforms, and services. 

Earlier in 2022, it created 2,800 jobs in product management, software engineering, cloud, design, data, AI, and machine learning, taking the unit’s workforce up to 6,300 by 2024.

• Here are the best broadband deals right now

Ofcom has urged broadband operators to abandon mid-contract price hikes as a record number of households struggle to afford their communications services.

The regulator’s annual affordability study found 29% of customers, around eight million households, are having problems paying their mobile, broadband and television bills – double the figure from last year.

Operators can increase the cost of monthly tariffs according to inflation each April but given the enhanced role of connectivity in society, Ofcom has questioned whether large price increases can be justified although it will not impose any restrictions.

Broadband affordability

“Of course, we recognise that inflation is a wider, macro-economic problem that affects some wholesale costs, as well as customers,” Ofcom consumer director Lindsey Fussell told the recent Connected Britain event.

“But while Ofcom does not regulate retail prices, we want companies to think very carefully about what is justified during an exceptional period of hardship for many people.”

It has however published revised guidance that has asked providers to proactively emphasise the support available to anyone struggling to pay their bills and do more to promote the availability of ‘social tariffs’ – specially discounted services available to anyone in receipt of universal credit.

Many low-income households are unaware of the existence of social tariffs and although takeup has more than doubled in the past six months, only 3% of eligible households have done so. In addition, Ofcom has called on providers that don’t offer a discounted package to do so and has said the mobile industry follows suit.

One thing that should help is the launch of a new eligibility checker for social tariffs created by the government. 

"Good broadband and mobile connections are essential for day-to-day life and telecoms firms must do more to support those struggling to afford their bills,” responded Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy.

"Which? is calling on telecoms firms to do a better job of advertising their social tariffs, including how they differ to commercial tariffs, and to ensure customers do not incur any additional charges when signing up to discounted rates.

"Telecoms firms should allow customers on any tariff to leave without exit fees if their costs change mid-contract, regardless of whether or not these increases can be said to be ‘transparent’."

Earlier this year, BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Three, Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone were among those to agree to ensure customers struggling to pay their bills are treated compassionately and are allowed to move to cheaper tariffs without penalty, or agree a feasible payment plan. This followed talks with the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS).

• Here are the best fibre deals 

Frontline workers at BT and Openreach will once again go on strike in October in an ongoing dispute over pay and will be joined by hundreds of 999 call handlers.

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) confirmed as many as 40,000 staff, including engineers and call centre workers, will take industrial action on 6, 10, 20, and 24 October after it failed to reach a new pay deal that takes into account the rising cost of living.

BT had offered a £1,500 pay increase for staff at BT, Openreach, Plusnet, and EE, stating that this was an 8% increase for some employees and a rise of 3% for even the best-paid frontline workers. It said that this was the highest pay rise to frontline staff in more than two decades.

BT strike 

However, the CWU says that with inflation now at 10.1%, the offer is effectively a pay cut in real terms. 

The dispute led to the first national strikes since BT’s privatisation four decades ago back in July and August and the union says a lack of progress in negotiations means it has no choice but to do so again.

“We know that our colleagues are dealing with the impacts of high inflation and, whilst we respect the right of colleagues to take industrial action, we are profoundly disappointed that the CWU is prepared to take this reckless course of action by including 999 services in strikes,” said a BT spokesperson.

“We will do whatever it takes to protect 999 services – redeploying our people to the most important priority is a normal part of BT Group operations.

“We made the best pay award we could in April, and we have held discussions with the CWU to find a way forward from here. In the meantime, we will continue to work to minimise any disruption and keep our customers and the country connected.”

• Here are the best broadband deals on the market

EE has been unveiled as the Mobile Industry Awards 2022 Network of the Year, in association with Genuine Solutions.

Networks underpin everything the mobile industry does, and this award looked to celebrate the UK mobile operator that goes above and beyond to provide its customers with a top-class network experience.

This prize went to the UK mobile operator that meets and exceeds expectations to provide a top-class network experience, innovation, customer care, and technical excellence. 

Our 2022 finalists were:

• EE
• Three
• Virgin Media O2
• Vodafone

Our entrants were asked to submit entries based on the following criteria:

• How have you improve your network at a technical level over the past 12 months? How has this improved service?
• How have you innovated or differentiated your service portfolio over the past 12 months?
• How have you improved customer service and support over the past 12 months?
• What steps have you taken to improve financial performance over the past year and can you provide evidence of commercial growth?

Why EE won

All of the major operators have once again excelled over a difficult past year and we celebrate the achievements of the entire industry. 

With a 5G network now covering millions of customers across much of the UK, alongside excellent customer service and reliability, congratulations to EE for winning our top network prize.

Congratulations to the team at EE for landing our top network prize and to all the other nominees!

• You can find out all our Mobile Industry Awards 2022 winners here

BT consumer chief executive Marc Allera says the consolidation of its consumer and business offerings under distinct banners will drive significant efficiencies and allow EE to offer additional services that go beyond connectivity.

The telco giant acquired EE for £12.5 billion in 2016 but has offered broadband and mobile products on both brands ever since. 

However earlier this year it was decided that business focused offerings would be sold via BT and consumer services via EE.

BT EE branding

Consolidation, he added, would result into significant savings on marketing and could go even further

Speaking to The Times, Allera admitted that there was some apprehension among long-serving staff, but it no longer made sense to operate two separate brands following the integration of EE.

Plusnet, which currently operates as a third brand alongside the other two, could be brought into the fold rather than existing in isolation.  

Looking forward, the focus is to diversify EE’s portfolio into areas beyond connectivity, using the 5G network and billing relationship to offer new products and services that increase revenues and deepen relationships. Examples include security cameras and games consoles, applying the principles of a monthly tariff to spread the cost along with wraparound services.

“Why can’t you have an Xbox like an iPhone — where if you drop it, you get it replaced?” he is quoted as saying.

• Here are the best EE mobile phone deals

Virgin Media O2 has urged the government to reduce VAT on social broadband and mobile tariffs from 20% to 5% to help consumers cope with the cost-of-living crisis.

The company said it was committed to helping its customers as much as possible, citing its creation of a national databank and plans to expand the eligibility criteria for its social tariffs which are usually available to those in receipt of universal credit.

However chief executive Lutz Schüler said there was more that could be done and echoed consumer watchdog Which?’s call for VAT to be reduced to the same amount levied on other utilities like gas and electricity. This could save households an average of £120 a year.

Broadband VAT

“By cutting VAT on social tariffs to 5%, as Which? has been calling for, Government could put more money back into the pockets of those struggling most in a targeted way,” he said. “We would pass on any social tariff VAT cut in full and urge the next PM to review this as a priority.”

Which?’s analysis of Ofcom data found that 5.7 million households, or a fifth of all homes in the UK, experienced at least one affordability issue during April 2022. Meanwhile the number of households that experience multiple affordability issues increased by 56% from February 2022.

However, it said the fact that many people were willing to cut back on other areas rather than lose their broadband or mobile connection highlights the fact that connectivity is now essential to everyday life and that taxation should reflect that.

Schüler added that Virgin Media O2 would introduce a new government tool that automatically assesses social broadband eligibility

“This was very welcome news and something we’ve long called for,” he said. “We’re committed to using this API as soon as possible, with work already underway to implement it, and we will also expand our eligibility criteria to include a wider range of benefits so even more people can access our social tariff.”

Several other major broadband providers offer social tariffs and many mobile operators have donated free data to the national databank or provided free SIM cards to those most in need.

• Here are the best broadband deals 

The UK government will not take any action regarding French-Israeli tycoon Patrick Drahi’s stake in BT, deeming his interest not to be an issue that demands intervention.

Drahi, the French-Israeli founder of Altice and owner of auction house Sotheby’s, surprised many in the industry when he acquired a 12% stake in BT for £2.2 million in June 2021 – a move that made him the company’s largest single shareholder.

He then invested another £1 billion to increase the stake of his Altice UK vehicle to 18% in December that year, making a legally-binding commitment not to launch a takeover bid for another six months. 

BT Altice

That period expired in June 2022, fuelling speculation of a takeover bid.

With the government viewing BT’s investment in full fibre and 5G networks crucial to its wider economic and policy aims, coupled with the fact the telecommunications infrastructure is increasingly an issue of national security, it informed BT in May that it would be looking into the situation.

Under the National Security and Investment Act, department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BIES) can review foreign takeovers in businesses it believes are integral to national security. However, it has now said it will not be exercising its ‘call-in’ powers

“BT Group has now been notified by the Secretary of State that no further action is to be taken under the Act in relation to the increase by Altice Europe N.V. of its shareholding in BT Group from 12.1% to 18%,” said BT.

Despite the speculation, Drahi claims to have no interest in a full takeover and has given his support to the existing BT management team and strategy.

• Here are the best 5G phones around today

Three has appointed Iain Milligan as its new chief network officer as the company seeks to continue the recent progress it has made in the deployment of its 5G infrastructure.

Milligan joined the firm in 2005 wans was most recently director of service operations and assurance. He replaces Carlo Melis, who is taking up a position as Chief Technology Officer at Wind Tre, the Italian operator also owned by Three’s parent CK Hutchison.

Under Melis’ leadership, Three’s 5G network has expanded to cover 56% of the UK population – the most of any operator – while testing firm Ookla ranks the service as the country’s fastest.

Three chief network officer 

Milligan will be tasked with continuing this momentum, enhancing its 4G service, and overseeing the switch off of Three’s 3G infrastructure at the end of 2024. 

This will allow the company to reallocate spectrum and resources towards the rollout of its next-generation networks.

“It is an honour and a privilege to become Three’s Chief Network Officer after 17 years at the company during which connectivity has transformed the way we all live,” he said. “I am looking forward to continuing Carlo’s work and building a big network for customers and businesses up and down the country.”

“With seventeen years of experience at Three, Iain’s understanding of the company and its operations will drive the next stage of our network development as we continue the rollout of the UK’s fastest 5G network and build an even better 4G network,” added David Hennessy, Chief Technical Officer, Three UK and Three Ireland.

“I want to thank Carlo for his work in developing Three’s network and I wish him the best of luck in his new role with our sister company, Wind Tre.”

• Here are the best Three mobile phone deals

The UK’s national emergency alert system will go live in October, finally giving the government the ability to send a text message to any mobile phone in areas where there is a risk to life.

Emergency alert systems powered by cell broadcasting technology are common in many countries, including the USA, Netherlands, Canada, South Korea, Japan and New Zealand, and have helped save lives during natural disasters such as earthquakes.

However, the UK has never had such a system, despite trials in the early 2010s. This meant that during the early phase of the Coronavirus pandemic, the government had to enlist the support of the four major mobile operators to send text messages to their customers.

Mobile emergency alert system

Plans for an alert system were put into motion last year, with trials held in Reading and Suffolk, and the government believes 85% of the UK population will be able to receive a message if required.

Scenarios where messages would be issued include flooding, fires, extreme weather, public health emergencies and possibly terror attacks. Alerts can be sent across specific cells, meaning they are highly targeted for specific areas and incidents.

“To make sure that government continues to offer the best possible prevention and protection against threats, we are shaking up how we prepare for and respond to emergencies, strengthening the effective resilience capability we already have in place,” said cabinet office minister Kit Malthouse.

“We will launch a new public emergency alerts system in the Autumn which will focus on extreme weather, revolutionising our ability to ‘warn and inform’ people who are in significant and immediate danger. These alerts will be sent direct to people’s mobiles giving details of the emergency - such as local flooding - explaining what to do and how to seek help.

A publicity campaign will begin in September, with every compatible phone in England, Scotland and Wales receiving a welcome message the following month.

Messages will have a different appearance and a distinct sound to standard communications, and anyone will be able to opt-out of the system should they so wish.

• The best SIM only deals

BT has become the first European mobile operator to successfully combine four channels of spectrum on a live 5G standalone (SA) network in a development that will help fulfil the speed and capacity promises of next-generation mobile services.

Carrier aggregation fuses separate spectrum bands together to harness the advantages of each. For example, marrying the coverage and indoor propagation rates of low-band frequencies with the high capacity and data rates of mid and high band airwaves.

In addition to the performance gains, operators can use their existing spectrum assets to reduce the cost of network deployment.

5G SA carrier aggregation 

Working with Nokia, BT combined EE’s commercial 2.1 GHz, 2.6GHz, 3.4GHz and 3.6GHz frequencies on a radio mast at its Adastral Park research facility in Suffolk. 

This is the first time four channel components (4CC) have been combined outside a lab setting in Europe.

BT says 4CC will deliver the full benefit of its 5G SA infrastructure. Early 5G deployments have relied 5G non-standalone, which uses new radio technologies but still relies on an underlying 4G core, but 5G SA is powered by a virtual, cloud-based core that allows data to be processed closer to the point of collection.

This allows for guaranteed speeds, enhanced reliability and ultra-low latency – essential for some of the most revolutionary 5G applications, especially in industrial settings.

“As we migrate to a 5G SA core network, this technology milestone is vital to giving our customers the best experience” commented Greg McCall, Managing Director of Service Platforms at BT. 

“5G SA, coupled with edge compute, will unlock new opportunities for customers looking to develop new services. Furthermore, this technology showcases what’s possible for devices in the future in terms of supporting carrier aggregation, which is an important part of customer experience.”

 “We are once again delighted to be deepening our partnership with BT, supporting them with our industry-leading Carrier Aggregation technology for this trial,” added Mark Atkinson, senior vice president of Radio Access Networks PLM at Nokia. “Nokia and BT have a long history in investing in cutting-edge technologies and this trial is another example of what our companies can achieve together.”

• Here are the best 5G phones

Three’s solid growth continued during the first half of 2022, with the operator attracting more customers to its network and expanding its 5G network.

5G has now been switched on at more than 3,300 sites and coverage now stands at 56% of the UK population – one percentage point more than the 55% that rival EE claimed when it published its most recent financial results.

Meanwhile, Three’s 4G service is now accessible to 99% of the UK and the company has confirmed it intends to switch off 3G by the end of 2024 to focus on its more advanced infrastructure.

Three 5G

Three’s customers have traditionally used more data than their equivalent on other networks and this trend has continued. The average subscriber now consumes 21GB a month – an increase of 24% year-on-year, and its 4G network carries 28% of the UK’s mobile data traffic.

The number of active contract customers increased by 6% to 8.2 million – a figure that outperformed the rest of the market. When pay-as-you go customers are added into the mix, the base rose by 5% to 9.9 million.

This was boosted by an 8% increase in wholesale customers thanks to the efforts of its mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) partners, while Three’s renewed push for the business market saw its B2B base more than doubled. Three’s 5G home broadband base more than trebled during the first six months of the year too.

This expansion means that although revenues remained flat at £1.18 billion, underlying profitability rose by 4% to £261 million.

“Our performance in the first half of 2022 is clear evidence of how our strategy to invest in our network and technology is delivering meaningful growth across our business divisions,” declared Three chief executive Robert Finnegan.  

“As a result, we added almost half a million contract customers year-on-year, adding almost as many contract customers as our competitors combined in H1. In addition, we are seeing an increasing contribution from a broader range of divisions such as B2B, SMARTY and Wholesale. Pleasingly, this resulted in an improved margin and increase in EBITDA.

“Beyond network investment, we have also made significant progress in the development of our customer propositions. Specifically, we continued to evolve our B2B offering – with this customer base increasing over 130% in the period – and we believe there is a lot more to come from Three Business.”   

• Here are the best Three mobile phone deals

Consumer watchdog Which? has called on the government to reduce VAT on telecoms services after claiming nearly six million households are struggling to pay their bills due to the rising cost of living.

Its analysis of Ofcom data found that 5.7 million households, or a fifth of all homes in the UK, experienced at least one affordability issue during April 2022. Meanwhile the number of households that experience multiple affordability issues increased by 56% from February 2022.

An affordability issue might mean missing a payment, changing service, or having to cut back on other essentials.

Broadband affordability

As many as 3.5 million households reduced spending on items such as food and clothes in order to pay their bills and this trend impacted both those on middle and lower incomes – the most common impact of the current crisis.

Which? says the fact that many people were willing to cut back on other areas rather than lose their broadband or mobile connection highlights the fact that connectivity is now essential to everyday life and that taxation should reflect that.

It wants the next Prime Minister to reduce the amount of VAT spent on telecoms from 5% to 20%, in line with other utilities like gas and electricity, a move that could save households an average of £120 a year.

“The fact that millions of households have made sacrifices to prioritise their broadband and mobile connections during the cost of living crisis demonstrates just how essential these services are for day-to-day modern life,” said Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy.

“To help cut bill costs, the next Prime Minister should reduce the VAT paid on telecoms in line with other essential services. Businesses must support anyone struggling to afford their bills and ensure consumers are aware of and able to access the best deals.”

Which? has also echoed calls for broadband providers to make customers aware of their best value deals and any social tariffs they might be eligible for. Several providers now offer such tariffs, usually available to anyone in receipt of universal credit.

• Here are the best broadband deals 

Frontline workers at BT and Openreach have gone on strike for the first time in 35 years in a dispute over pay.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) balloted nearly 40,000 Openreach engineers and BT call centre workers over industrial action after failing to reach an agreement with the company over a new pay deal that takes into account the rising cost of living.

BT had offered a £1,500 pay increase for staff at BT, Openreach, Plusnet, and EE, stating that this was an 8% increase for some employees and a rise of 3% for even the best-paid frontline workers. It said that this was the highest pay rise to frontline staff in more than two decades.

BT strike 

However, this offer was rejected by the CWU, which wants a 10% increase that reflects the 9.1% inflation rate and delivers a wage increase in real terms. The two sides failed to reach an agreement, leading to the first national strike since BT’s privatisation four decades ago.

EE staff members are not part of the walkabout after a ballot failed to reach the required turnout.

“Without CWU members working across BT Group, there would have been no home-working revolution,” CWU general secretary Dave Ward said ahead of the strikes. “This work, which was done under great difficulty and often came with tremendous personal sacrifice, delivered £1.3 billion profits for the company.

“Over £700 million was paid out to shareholders. The company’s CEO, Philip Jansen, handed himself a £3.5 million pay package – a 32% increase. Over £700 million was paid out to shareholders, and the Chief Financial Officer was handed £2.2 million – a 25% increase.

“The reward for our members? The imposition of a below-inflation increase – the very same workers who delivered profits that more like lottery numbers than actual wages.”

Staff will walk out today and again on Monday 1st August, with picket lines are expected across the UK. The industrial action means there will be disruption to BT’s rollout of full fibre broadband, while customers who suffer from connection issues will find it difficult to contact customer services or get the fault resolved by an engineer.

BT says it is confidence that its contingency measures will minimise disruption and will postopone any non-essential planned engineering or software updates, similar to what it did during the pandemic or over holidays such as Christmas.

It added that it had no plans to reopen its 2022 pay review, stating it had heled “exhaustive discussions” with the CWU at the start of the year.

“We’re balancing the complex and competing demands of our stakeholders and that includes making once-in-a-generation investments to upgrade the country’s broadband and mobile networks, vital for the UK economy and for BT Group’s future – including our people,” said a spokesperson.

“While we respect the choice of our colleagues who are CWU members to strike, we will work to minimise any disruption and keep our customers and the country connected. We have tried and tested processes for large scale colleague absences to minimise any disruption for our customers and these were proved during the pandemic.”

• Here are the best broadband deals on the market

BT says it is pleased with the pace of its network modernisation programme, revealing in its latest financial results that its 5G network now reaches more than 55% of the UK population, and its fibre footprint reaching eight million properties.

The company now has 7.7 million mobile customers able to access its fastest service should they have a compatible handset, while 763.000 premises were added to the Openreach full fibre network during the first quarter of 2022.

It expects to reach 3.5 million new homes and businesses during the current financial year, up from 2.6 million last year, bringing it closer to its overall target of 25 million by 2026.

EE 5G coverage

The number of active connections across all providers stands at 2.1 million and BT added 118,800 new full fibre subscriptions to its own services during the three month period

Chief executive Philip Jansen said he was pleased with the pace of its infrastructural upgrades, viewed as critical to the company’s future strategy of being a leader in converged communications services, as well as 1% increase in revenues to £5.1 billion.

“BT Group has made a good start to the year; we’re accelerating our network investments and performing well operationally,” he said. “Despite ongoing challenges in our enterprise businesses, we returned to revenue and EBITDA growth in the quarter.

We’re achieving continued high customer satisfaction scores thanks to our much-improved customer service and the value for money that our products and services represent.

“The modernisation of BT Group remains on track. We are delivering and notwithstanding the current economic uncertainty we remain confident in our outlook for this financial year.”

An obvious storm on the horizon is the first national strike by frontline staff since the company was privatised in the 1980s later this month. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) balloted nearly 40,000 Openreach engineers and BT call centre workers over industrial action after failing to reach an agreement with the company over a new pay deal that takes into account the rising cost of living.

• Here are the best broadband deals(opens in new tab) on the market

The UK’s four major mobile operators are all making significant progress in the rollout of their respective 5G networks, according to testing by RootMetrics that suggests the gap in performance between EE and the rest is narrowing.

RootMetrics conducted nearly 650,000 tests across the UK during the first half of 2022, measuring metrics such as network speed, reliability and call and text performance to compile rankings it hopes provide networks and consumers with a snapshot of the current mobile market.

The results show EE and Three are “neck and neck” when it comes to delivering the best 5G experience in the UK.

UK 5G tests

Both posted availability scores of nearly 50%, compared to Vodafone and O2’s 35% and although EE offered more consistent speeds, Three edged ahead with median download speeds of 200Mbps compared to EE’s 150Mbps. All four networks recorded a 5G median download speed of at least 100Mbps in most major cities.

The results suggest that investments in 5G infrastructure could eventually loosen EE’s grip on the UK’s network crown as this mobile generation progresses. But, for now, EE’s traditional dominance remains unchallenged when all network technologies, including 4G and 3G, are taken into account.

The BT-owned operator came first in all seven categories tested, including speed and reliability, and was named the best network for the ninth year in a row.

There were some regional differences with Three performing well in Wales, while Virgin Media O2 offering excellent text results in all four UK nations.

“We are proud to be named the UK's best network for the ninth year running,” said Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s consumer division. “Reliability is of huge importance to our customers, and we pride ourselves on leading the industry. I'm delighted to see the huge investments we make recognised once again and we will continue to expand the UK's leading 4G and 5G networks across the nation.”

Internet speed tester Ookla acquired RootMetrics late last year, hoping to combine the firm’s scientific methodology with crowdsourced data to create more powerful analytic and testing capabilities, along with new methods of testing and live event monitoring.

• Here are the best Three mobile phone deals

UK mobile operators have started to ban access to illegal file-sharing sites, following the precedent set by broadband providers a decade ago.

In 2012, the High Court decreed that 70 pirate websites, most notably ‘The Pirate Bay’ should be blocked to British web users following a successful case led by music industry body the British Phonographic Institute (BPI).

Several more websites were added to the list in the subsequent months and years, including sites offering free illegal streams of sporting events. Hundreds of sites are now covered by orders.

BT EE branding

At the time, mobile phones accounted for a much smaller proportion of web use than fixed connections. Ten years on, and 4G and 5G traffic has increased significantly, driven by speed upgrades, availability, and the wider shift to mobile devices.

Now the BPI, which estimates piracy costs the music industry up to £200 million a year, has managed to extend the ruling to cover mobile connections, meaning operators will have to comply with the regulations. EE has become the first operator to do so, and the BPI says it hopes more will follow.

“There are now more mobile subscriptions than people in the UK and we want those fans to enjoy genuine music sites and be protected from illegal sites as much as they already are on their broadband and Wi-Fi,” said BPI General Counsel Kiaron Whitehead.

“A quarter of people now connect to the internet over 3G, 4G and 5G rather than broadband and Wi-Fi. That growth brings with it the risk of increased music piracy. The operators of these pirate sites make millions of pounds a year, without a penny going to the creators of the music they exploit.

“We are therefore pleased that EE – which was the first mobile network to launch 5G to the UK population – has now become the first mobile network to block pirate sites which are subject to our High Court blocking Orders under section 97A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.”

• Here are the best EE mobile phone deals

BT is creating 2,800 new jobs at its digital division as it seeks to drive its own transformation and bring more expertise in-house so it can better serve its customers.

The roles include positions in product management, software engineering, cloud, design, data, AI and machine learning, and will bring BT Digital’s workforce up to 6,300 by 2024.

Less than half of the jobs will be created in the UK, with 1,000 at BT’s regional hubs in Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Belfast, Ipswich, and London.

BT Digital

The remainder will be in India, more specifically Bengaluru and Gurugram.

BT hopes the intake is as diverse as possible, with 400 roles earmarked for apprentices, graduates, women returners, and others starting their careers in digital.

“[BT] Digital was founded to accelerate BT’s transformation, innovation and return to growth. To succeed, we need to bring in and upskill the top digital talent, and our efforts will boost the tech communities in the UK and India along the way,” said Harmeen Mehta, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer at BT.

BT’s digital transformation has seen it adopt cloud technologies, create a group-wide data and artificial intelligence (AI) platform, and adopt a ‘digital first’ cultural shift at the company which is investing in fibre and 5G infrastructure alongside other services for business and consumers.

• Here are the best broadband deals right now

Tango Networks has agreed a deal with BT Wholesale to use EE’s 4G and 5G network to power a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) capable of turning into mobile phone into a dedicated business line.

‘Mobile-X Extend’ expands the reach of Tango’s unified communications infrastructure so virtually any device can be integrated into the platform and make use of business specific features such as call transfer and holding.  

The native experience means devices use a business phone number and allowance without the need to download a specific application, while customers retain control and visibility over employee communications.

Tango Networks UC

This includes the ability to capture and record business voice and text for regulatory or efficiency purposes.

Tango Networks says the deal is good news for its channel partners who will be able to offer business communications supported by EE’s speed, coverage, and reliability.

“Consumer-oriented use cases, features and pricing models have dominated the development of the mobile communications industry,” said Andrew Bale, Tango Networks’ Executive Vice President. 

“That all changes with Tango Extend, a mobile network built for business and designed to be controlled by businesses. Now with our partnership with BT Wholesale enabling access to the EE network, the reach and quality of these communications will be second to none and truly business class.”

“We’re pleased to be providing Tango Networks customers with access to our fantastic EE mobile network,” said Alex Tempest, managing director of BT Wholesale. “We’ll be supporting them as they roll out services for companies with distributed workforces, including remote and mobile-based colleagues.” 

• We've rounded up the best mobile plans for business

BT’s frontline staff have voted to go on a national strike for the first time since privitsation in the 1980s in a dispute over pay.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) balloted nearly 40,000 Openreach engineers and BT call centre workers over industrial action after failing to reach an agreement with the company over a new pay deal that takes into account the rising cost of living.

BT had offered a £1,500 pay increase for staff at BT, Openreach, Plusnet, and EE, stating that this was an 8% increase for some employees and a rise of 3% for even the best-paid frontline workers. It said that this was the highest pay rise to frontline staff in more than two decades.

BT strike 

However, this offer was rejected by the CWU, which wants a 10% increase that reflects the 9.1% inflation rate and delivers a wage increase in real terms.

Industrial action means that customers who suffer from connection issues will find it difficult to contact customer services or get the fault resolved by an engineer at a time when connectivity is more important to society than ever before.

“For the first time in nearly four decades, we are faced with national level strike action across BT Group,” said CWU general secretary Dave Ward. “Our membership faced the challenges of home working, high staff turnover, and a real culture of fear created by senior management to deliver an overwhelming show of support for strike action.

“Without CWU members working across BT Group, there would have been no home-working revolution. This work, which was done under great difficulty and often came with tremendous personal sacrifice, delivered £1.3 billion profits for the company.

“Over £700 million was paid out to shareholders. The company’s CEO, Philip Jansen, handed himself a £3.5 million pay package – a 32% increase. Over £700 million was paid out to shareholders, and the Chief Financial Officer was handed £2.2 million – a 25% increase.

“The reward for our members? The imposition of a below-inflation increase – the very same workers who delivered profits that more like lottery numbers than actual wages.”

The CWU says it is still committed to meaningful discussions and it is inviting BT for more talks to avoid strikes. BT says it is disappointed with the outcome of the ballot.

“BT Group awarded its highest pay rise for frontline colleagues in more than 20 years – an average 5% increase and up to 8% for those on the lowest salaries,” said a spokesperson. “At the same time, we’re in the middle of a once-in-a-generation investment programme to upgrade the country’s broadband and mobile networks.

“These investments are vital for the benefit of our millions of customers and for the UK economy. Above all, they are central to the success of this business – and its colleagues – now and in the future.

“Our job is to balance the competing demands of BT Group’s stakeholders and that requires careful management, especially in a challenging economic environment. The result of the CWU’s ballot is a disappointment but we will work to keep our customers and the country connected.”

• Here are the best broadband deals on the market

The UK telecoms industry has agreed to a range of measures to ensure customers stay connected to mobile and broadband services as the cost of living rises following talks with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

BT, Openreach, Sky TalkTalk, Three, Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone are among those to have agreed to ensure customers struggling to pay their bills are treated compassionately and are allowed to move to cheaper tariffs without penalty, or agree a feasible payment plan.

All have said they will ensure customers are aware of social tariffs available to households on universal credit while mobile operators have also agreed to increase promotion of their low cost offers.

Broadband affordability

“The telecoms sector knows that people are facing real challenges with the cost-of-living crisis,” said Andrew Glover, chair of the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA). “Our members are determined to do what they can to help their customers through this period and, together with government, we will work to raise greater awareness of the support available.

“These commitments, along with the social tariffs that are available from many members, will hopefully help people in need at this challenging time. We encourage customers who are struggling with their bills to reach out to their broadband provider to get help.”

At least six broadband providers – BT, Community Fibre, G.Network, Hyperoptic, KCOM and Virgin Media O2 – offer at least one discounted deal to anyone receiving universal credit. These tariffs cost between £10 and £20, and speeds range from 10Mbps to 67Mbps.

However as of April 2022, just 2% of those eligible for social tariffs have taken out a subscription.

At the time, regulator Ofcom suggested that 1.1 million households struggled to pay their broadband bills, a figure which may have risen over the past few months as the cost of food, fuel, and utilities increases due to wider geopolitical challenges such as the war in Ukraine and Brexit.

Prior to this latest intervention by the DCMS, several operators had already agreed to drive awareness of their social tariffs, which may have driven takeup over the past two months.

BT will use Dynatrace’s issue monitoring platform across its IT infrastructure, hoping the added intelligence and automation will allow it to have self-healing systems by 2025.

Initial rollouts showed Dynatrace’s technology reduced the time it took to detect issues by half, with many issues identified in real time and automatically resolved. 

This means a more efficient technological estate and, ultimately, a better service for BT’s customers.

BT transformation

The company’s adoption of an AIOps strategy will also deliver significant cost savings. Dynatrace’s technology replaces 16 different existing monitoring platforms, saving an estimated £28 million b y 2027 and freeing up resources into areas that can deliver greater business value.

“Dynatrace gives us precise insight into our technology estate and consolidates all data in a single pane of glass,” comments Jim Dempsey, Director of Service at BT. “It will let us improve predictability and drive faster resolutions, driving better customer experience.”

“With the integration of Dynatrace, our teams will benefit from the consolidation of all data from across our multi-cloud environment, including fault detection, giving end-to-end visibility across the service path for any given customer need. In addition, Dynatrace AI and automation provide a deeper understanding of digital services, deriving signals from noise with root cause, and delivering resilient operations for all applications and microservices.

“This allows us to build early prediction and remediation through the previously announced investments in ServiceNow – an estate that heals itself in real time.”

In addition to the cost savings promised by Dynatrace, BT’s adoption of ServiceNow will deliver another £25 million worth of savings. With the company currently undergoing a major modernisation and efficiency programme to complement its rollout of full fibre broadband and 5G networks, these are not insignificant sums.

Managerial and office restructures, coupled with other moves to make its supply chain and procurement operations more efficient, have helped BT achieve £1 billion worth of savings 18 months earlier than originally planned. Meanwhile it has brought forward its £2 billion target from 2025 to 2024.

Tesco Mobile is the latest UK mobile operator to abolish inclusive roaming within the European Union (EU) and will start charging customers for calls, texts and data from next year.

Existing customers who entered into a contract before 16 June 2022 will still be entitled to free roaming until they upgrade, but everyone else will have to fork out more from 1 January 2023.

The operator had previously stated that it had no plans to reintroduce fees following the UK’s decision to leave the EU and hasn’t confirmed the news publicly. It has, however, changed, the terms and conditions of its contracts and communicated the new policy internally.

Tesco Mobile roaming

According to one report, staff said the change had not been “adequately” communicated given there had been no public announcement, and that the details of the internal announcement were “strictly confidential".

The conduct described would appear to be at odds with that of an operator famed for its customer service and satisfaction.

The changes have now appeared on the ‘Home from Home’ section of Tesco Mobile’s official website, which now describes the feature as lasting “for the rest of 2022”.

“From 2023 you won’t be able to use your monthly minutes, texts and data or UK bundles within the 48 Home From Home destinations and roaming charges will apply,” the company confirmed in an FAQ buried further down the page.

Tesco is not alone in going back on its word in this particular matter, however.

The existing EU legislation was introduced in 2017, but stopped applying to the UK following the country’s withdrawal from the EU in 2020. 

Nonetheless, EE, Three, and Vodafone repeatedly stated they had no intention of changing their EU roaming policies before and after the referendum, yet all have since done so. This leaves O2 as the only major operator that still includes EU roaming as standard.

Via i

The UK government is to review Patrick Drahi’s stake in BT, using new powers that allow it to review foreign takeovers in businesses it believes are integral to national security.

Drahi, the French-Israeli founder of Altice and owner of auction house Sotheby’s, surprised many in the industry when he acquired a 12% stake in BT for £2.2 million in June 2021 – a move that made him the company’s largest single shareholder.

He then invested another £1 billion to increase the stake of his Altice UK vehicle to 18% in December, making a legally-binding commitment not to launch a takeover bid for another six months.

BT Altice

That period is due to come to an end on June 14, fuelling speculation that he could look to exert even more influence on the country’s largest telecommunications provider, or even stage a full takeover. It has been previously suggested that Deutsche Telekom’s 12% stake could be of interest.

With the government viewing BT’s investment in full fibre and 5G networks crucial to its wider economic and policy aims, coupled with the fact the telecommunications infrastructure is increasingly an issue of national security, it has decided to review Drahi’s interests.

The National Security and Investment Act came into effect at the start of this year and provides ministers with the ability to intervene if it believes there is a risk.

“The acquisition by Altice of 6% of shares in BT has been called-in for a full national security assessment by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today,” the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy confirmed.

“The government has powers under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 to scrutinise and – if necessary – intervene in qualifying acquisitions on national security grounds.

“The government has 30 working days (extendable by up to a further 45 working days) to carry out that assessment. That process is underway.”

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BT has launched a new converged business product can increase speeds on slower copper lines by up to ten times by fusing fixed and 4G infrastructure into a single connection.  

The company says ‘BT Hybrid Speed Boost’ is an interim solution designed to help organisations in areas that haven’t yet been upgraded to full fibre infrastructure.

Accordingly, the service is included at no extra cost for any business that still relies on a copper line.

BT hybrid

Eventually, BT is aiming to connect 25 million homes and businesses to full fibre by the end of 2026 and is on track to reach 10 million by this time next year. Ultimately, the government wants nationwide coverage by 2030.

“We’re launching the first product in the UK to fuse fixed and mobile connections together to bring faster speeds to small firms which might be struggling on slower copper lines,” said BT manging director for its SoHo division.

“While the Openreach full fibre network is expanding at pace, week on week, we understand the frustration of small firms who risk being stuck behind as they wait to hear when ultrafast full fibre broadband will come to them. Fast, reliable broadband is vital for the smooth, day to day running of a business, so we’ve taken action today to boost speeds for business taking copper broadband – at no extra cost.

“Hybrid Speed Boost could revolutionise operations for small businesses that may currently be struggling with the required bandwidth to process large files, access cloud services or use HD video.”

The service is the first to be launched as part of BT’s ‘charter’ that outlined how the company planned to serve business customers with their digitisation efforts. It includes a commitment to provide customers with a springboard for growth through innovation, digital services, customer service and connectivity.

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