MSE News: O2 network down: How to use your mobile and will I get compensation?

Former_MSE_Helen · 12 July 2012 at 9:24AM

"Millions of O2 phone users have been unable to use their mobiles after parts of the network went down..."

Read the full story:
O2 network down: How to use your mobile and will I get compensation?

redrose1414 · 12 July 2012 at 9:54AM

I have turned my 3G off and now I can recieve texts but can't make or recieve calls. Any one know why? It seems strange that I can get texts but not calls.

latecomer · 12 July 2012 at 10:36AM

From the linked article:

Can I use this to leave my contact?

You have to be kidding - this meant to be a money saving website not a forum for getting out of contracts when something goes a little wrong. Let everyone walk away from their contracts and then do we have another article next year about why everyone's contracts are all £10 more expensive as they recover the costs.

Perhaps this is what comes of selling out to a commercial company......

Silk · 12 July 2012 at 10:56AM

redrose1414 wrote: »

I have turned my 3G off and now I can recieve texts but can't make or recieve calls. Any one know why? It seems strange that I can get texts but not calls.

Mine was the same so I turned the phone off and turned it back on and it's fine now no problems

movilogo · 12 July 2012 at 11:05AM

You have to be kidding - this meant to be a money saving website not a forum for getting out of contracts when something goes a little wrong.

20 million people not being able to use their phones is not a little thing! Network outage that this scale means something is seriously wrong.

If O2 is not forced to pay any compensation, they won't have any initiative to make sure this does not happen again.

While being able to leave contract might be far fetched, O2 should at least compensate customers properly e.g. by waving a week's fee etc.

jamesd · 12 July 2012 at 11:06AM

Breaking the contract seems unlikely if the story that this was due to a burglary at an O2 network control center is true. Force majeure clauses would presumably apply. A burglar might, say, have cut the power to some systems, some of which might not have recovered normally when power was restored. Or maybe some cables were stolen. (shrug)

redrose1414, different phones and services can use different servers at the back end of a mobile phone network so it's not surprising that only some phones, some people and some services are affected at the same time. 2G voice service is probably most critical and highest priority. Texts used to and still might travel as background traffic on the control network for voice, so they might come back before voice does. People who aren't using the affected back end servers might only be affected by things like slower texts due to an accumulating backlog of messages for the ones who can't get connected.

latecomer · 12 July 2012 at 11:25AM

movilogo wrote: »

20 million people not being able to use their phones is not a little thing! Network outage that this scale means something is seriously wrong.

If O2 is not forced to pay any compensation, they won't have any initiative to make sure this does not happen again.

While being able to leave contract might be far fetched, O2 should at least compensate customers properly e.g. by waving a week's fee etc.

Something was seriously wrong - but its wasn't every customer that was affected, reports say tens of thousands were affected, not millions.

I'm sure O2 will be trying very hard to ensure it doesn't happen again as I suspect business customers may well have compensation clauses if there is complete lack of service (similar to broadband contratcs etc)

For the majority of people its an inconvenience and not being able to text your pals for a few hours is hardly the end of the world.

annie1975_2 · 12 July 2012 at 11:29AM

All working here now..Seems like most people are now?

annie1975_2 · 12 July 2012 at 11:35AM

latecomer wrote: »

Something was seriously wrong - but its wasn't every customer that was affected, reports say tens of thousands were affected, not millions.

I'm sure O2 will be trying very hard to ensure it doesn't happen again as I suspect business customers may well have compensation clauses if there is complete lack of service (similar to broadband contratcs etc)

For the majority of people its an inconvenience and not being able to text your pals for a few hours is hardly the end of the world.

I agree. When you think of a big network like that,things can and do go wrong.And I think they have done remarkably well to get it working within 24 hours.

marleyboy · 12 July 2012 at 11:39AM

After a quick reboot my phone is now back including 3G. For those of you still waiting for service, try giving it another reboot now and let us know if it is up and running.

For the majority of people its an inconvenience and not being able to text your pals for a few hours is hardly the end of the world.

It isnt just the inconvenience for one or two people sat at home, quite a lot of businesses have O2 contracts, which has caused them quite a major issue.

For some people the network is a lifeline, if your not effected, do feel free to post in a thread where you might be of more use.

latecomer · 12 July 2012 at 11:45AM

FYI The company I work is on O2 for all phones so I was directly affected.

Most business customers have business contracts (and landlines for that matter)

As I said in my post for the majority of people its an inconvenience, which acknowledges for some its more than this.

MSE News: O2 network down: How to use your mobile and will I get compensation?

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