EE has been hit with the most issues (Picture: Getty Images/Maskot)
Three of the largest UK phone networks went down leaving thousands of people unable to make calls or send texts.
Issues with EE began around 11am,according to the internet outage tracker Downdetector.
BT had confirmed its network has been knocked out as well,with the number of outages hitting a peak of nearly 1,300.
The outage had a knock-on effect on people on other carriers having difficulty contacting EE users,including Vodafone,Three and O2.
A Vodafone spokesperson told Tech Radar: ‘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’.
What are my rights if my phone network goes down?
Telecom regulator Ofcom has a compensation scheme for broadband and landline customers when services are disrupted.
Ernest Doku, Uswitch mobiles expert,told Metro: ‘Ofcom advises that compensation for mobile signal outages is ‘dependent on the circumstances’,however,in extreme cases where repairs take much longer you may be entitled to an additional refund or account credit.
‘If your landline stops working,you will be entitled to compensation if it has not been fixed within two days,but make sure to report the issue to your provider as soon as it happens. You will receive an initial £9.98 if the service is not fixed two full working days after you report it,and then £9.98 for each full day it is still not fixed after that.
‘If you’re experiencing regular issues,don’t hesitate to contact your provider to see if they can help.’
Doku added: ‘Mobile networks and landlines are vital to reach essential and emergency services,it’s important for customers to be reconnected as soon as possible – and kept up to date with any developments.’
Vodafone says there are no network issues (Picture: Getty Images)
O2 has also seen a small spike in issues on Downdetector,but a spokesperson told Metro that the network is operating as normal.
Some other networks impacted share the same cellular infrastructure as EE,such as Lycra Mobile or 1pMobile. Those piggybacking on Vodafone’s,such as Lebara and Talkmobile,are also seeing minor issues.
How long the issues will last and what caused them is unclear.
One EE customer on X said: ‘Is there a problem calling 101 police non-emergency at the moment? Can’t seem to call from an @EE mobile phone. Call drops immediately.’
Hello Geoff,thanks for flagging. We’ll have the team take a look into this for you.
— EE (@EE) July 24,2025
Another user said they can’t make or receive phone calls,being told when they do: ‘The number you dialled is busy.’
Customers may have received a text from EE saying engineers are ‘looking into a reported problem’ in their postcode and ‘will give you an update as soon as we can’.
Vodafone has urged customers to check its network status tracker.
EE,which is a part of the BT group,sent Metro a statement from a BT spokesperson saying: ‘We apologise for any inconvenience caused; we’re working urgently to fix this issue and will provide a further update as soon as possible.’
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