BT, Three face probe over mobile outages in UK

UK’s telecom and media regulator Ofcom said on Monday it had launched investigations into mobile and broadband services providers BT Group and Three following summer outages that disrupted mobile services nationwide.

The outages affected thousands of customers across BT’s EE network and Three UK, causing widespread disruption in the UK to call services and preventing users from making or receiving calls to other networks, including emergency services.

The regulator said BT’s software issue from July 24 to 25 affected EE and BT customers, while Three had notified Ofcom about a separate incident on June 25 that similarly affected call services.

Ofcom said on Monday it would assess whether the companies had failed to comply with requirements to take appropriate measures to prevent network failures and mitigate their impact when they occur.

“We will co-operate fully with Ofcom throughout the investigation and apologise again for any issues caused by this incident,” a BT spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Three UK, which was formed by Vodafone’s $19 billion merger with CK Hutchison’s unit, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

BT Group, formerly British Telecom, is a British multinational telecommunications company headquartered in London, England. It’s the largest provider of fixed-line, broadband, and mobile services in the UK, operating in around 180 countries. BT offers a range of services, including broadband, mobile, TV, cyber security, networking, and managed services.

Three UK, also known as Hutchison 3G UK Limited, is a British telecommunications company based in Reading, England. It’s the smallest of the four major mobile network operators in the UK, with around 10.9 million subscribers as of November 2024. Three UK provides 4G and 5G services through its own network infrastructure and is known for its affordable packages and deals for frequent travelers.

Both BT and Three are major players in the UK’s telecommunications market. BT has a significant market share, with 28.3% of broadband subscribers, while Three is a popular choice for mobile services, offering competitive pricing and fast 5G speeds. Three was recently voted the Best Network for Data by Uswitch for the second year running, highlighting its strong performance in the UK’s mobile market.