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Three UK, one of the country’s largest mobile network providers, has suffered a major outage, leaving thousands of customers unable to make or receive calls this morning.
According to Down Detector, reports of disruption began shortly after 8:00am BST, with over 9,300 users flagging issues at the peak of the outage. Affected users reported being unable to place voice calls (79%), while others cited no signal (17%). Some users also noted problems with text messaging.
The outage has also impacted ID Mobile and Smarty, both of which operate on the Three network infrastructure.
Three Confirms Disruption to Voice Services
A spokesperson for Three UK told UK News In Pictures:
“We’re aware of an issue affecting voice services and are working hard to fix it.
Data services are working normally. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.”
Despite widespread disruption, no timeline has yet been given for when full service will be restored.
Outage Widespread Across the UK
According to Down Detector’s heatmap, reports of the outage have come from major cities including:
Customers have taken to social media to express frustration, with many complaining of missed medical calls, work disruptions, and safety concerns.
One user posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“Absolutely horrendous! I have a young child who is ill, and had to drive to the surgery because I couldn’t call them.”
Another wrote:
“Three, get your act together. I’ve just missed a vital call for the third time.”
Calls for Compensation Mount
Dozens of customers have demanded compensation, with many threatening to switch networks.
While Three, Smarty, and ID Mobile are not signed up to Ofcom’s automatic compensation scheme, users are encouraged to:
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Use Live Chat via Three’s website
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Submit a complaint form online
If you’re unhappy with the resolution, you can report your experience to Ofcom, which uses customer complaints to monitor industry performance, even though it doesn’t investigate individual cases.
Previous Outages and Customer Trust
This is not the first time Three UK has faced a major service disruption. A similar outage in January 2025 lasted 17 hours, prompting over 10,000 user complaints and significant backlash online.
The repeated issues are leading some long-time customers to reconsider their contracts.
“Counting down the days until I never have to deal with this company again,” one user posted.
What You Can Do
Check Three’s status page for updates
Try using Wi-Fi calling if available
Report your outage to Down Detector or Ofcom
Consider contacting customer service for a goodwill payment
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