Some customers of mobile operator Three UK are this afternoon being impacted by a partial network outage, which is preventing them from making outgoing calls (this often returns a “call failed” message). But 999 (emergency) calls and data (mobile broadband) connectivity, including related IP based calls (e.g. WhatsApp), continue to function.
A spokesperson for Three UK said on social media: “We’re aware of an issue affecting a small percentage of voice services, our team are working hard to fix this as soon as possible. We’re really sorry for any inconvenience caused. Data services and 999 calls are unaffected, please bear with us.”
The fault itself appears to have started at around 1pm today and is still ongoing now. In addition, it’s worth considering that the phrase “small percentage” will still represent a significant number of users from an operator with a customer base of c. 11 million. Complaints have been coming in from right across the UK.