Customers of all the UK’s mobile networks found themselves grappling with connectivity problems after a technical issue hit EE.
Reports of the problems first surfaced around midday yesterday via customers of the UK’s second-largest mobile operator, Vodafone. The issues were shown through Downdetector, a platform used to track service problems and outages.
Vodafone assured the public that its network was functioning correctly. However, the hiccup lay in the inability of Vodafone users to connect with EE numbers.
In contrast, a spokesperson for EE commented: “We’re aware that some of our mobile customers are unable to make or receive calls from a Vodafone number. We’re working quickly to resolve this and we’re very sorry for any inconvenience caused.”
EE assured users that calls to other networks, mobile data, and text messages remained unaffected by this setback.
The discrepancy in statements between the two rival companies added to the confusion.
Vodafone customers were the first to report the issue on problem-tracking sites and on social media platforms. However, Vodafone insisted that its network was unaffected and placed the blame on EE.
A Vodafone spokesperson commented: “Some of our customers have been impacted by an issue with the EE network. This meant some customers were unable to connect calls to EE numbers, and the issue also affected customers who’ve previously transferred their number from EE to Vodafone.”
The problem stemmed from numbers transferred or “ported” from EE to any new network, including Three, O2, and Vodafone.
Due to a unique identification of three digits in these numbers still identifying them as EE numbers, the calls were momentarily routed through EE’s infrastructure. While former EE customers could call within their new network, they encountered difficulties when trying to connect with other networks.
Customers of both Vodafone and EE continued to report network issues on various social media platforms into the evening.
As to be expected, issue reports dropped over usual sleeping hours. This morning, reports have once again spiked well above normal levels but remain far less than yesterday’s peak.
(Photo by Thom Holmes on Unsplash)
See also: Vodafone and Ericsson trial 5G network slicing for mobile gaming
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