The mobile network Three has acknowledged that some 999 emergency calls failed to connect during a major outage that affected thousands of customers. While the company has since resolved the issue, it has warned of potential further disruptions due to Storm Éowyn.
Outage and Customer Reports
Customers reported being unable to make 999 calls during the service interruption. Although the BBC has not independently verified these claims, Three confirmed receiving a “small number” of reports regarding 999 call failures—a maximum of ten customers—and has launched an investigation.
A Three spokesperson stated: “A normal volume of 999 calls were connected yesterday, and our monitoring confirms the service is working fully this morning. We apologise sincerely for the inconvenience caused by the issues on our voice network yesterday.”
Impact on Customers and Other Networks
Over ten thousand users reported call failures on outage tracker Downdetector on Thursday. Several thousand additional reports came from users of Smarty and ID Mobile, smaller mobile companies that operate on Three’s network.
Three reassured customers that services had returned to normal overnight but highlighted that further disruptions could occur due to Storm Éowyn. Extra engineering resources have been deployed to address any potential issues caused by the storm.
As of Friday morning, Downdetector recorded over 1,300 reports of outages, which later declined. Three also mentioned that a “very small number” of customers using WiFi calling continued to experience issues.
Customer Reactions and Concerns
Three, which serves approximately 10.5 million customers across the UK, has not disclosed the total number of affected users. Frustrated customers took to social media to express their dissatisfaction, with some claiming they missed medical appointments or were left stranded due to the outage. Some users have even stated their intention to leave the network.
Regulatory Response and Potential Compensation
The communications regulator, Ofcom, confirmed that it is in contact with Three to assess the scale and cause of the problem. Whether affected customers will receive compensation remains uncertain; however, Ofcom’s website indicates that providers may offer refunds “while repairs are being made.”
Recent Developments
The outage occurred just a month after the UK regulator approved Three’s merger with Vodafone in a £16.5bn deal. Coincidentally, the disruption coincided with a major outage affecting the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT on the same day.
