Sky Mobile down — Thousands miss ‘important calls’ as O2 and Giffgaff also affected, are you owed compensation?
SKY Mobile users across the UK were reporting an outage affecting calls and internet.
Users took to social media to express their 'outrage' as the mobile and broadband provider's issues see thousands affected, complaints from O2, Virgin and Giffgaff were reported.
Sky Mobile has responded to complaints, tweeting: "We are aware that some Sky Mobile customers are experiencing issues with making and receiving calls right now. We are investigating the issue and we are sorry for any inconvenience this may be causing."
We have approached Sky to find out if customers can expect a refund of any kind, but usually, if users experience an outage for a prolonged period of time, compensation may be owed.
Meanwhile, users were also reporting issues with O2 and Giffgaff. However, according to O2, these issues were being reported by customers who are unable to contact Sky Mobile users only.
Read our Sky Mobile down blog below for the latest news and updates...
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Thank you for reading our coverage of yesterday's Sky mobile internet outage.
You can stay up to date with the latest and stories here.
Top phone and broadband tips
Here are a few key tips and tricks for your mobile phone and broadband devices.
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How can I cut my bill?
If you think your bills are too high and want to drive them down, the first thing to do is find out what the cheapest deal on the market is.
You can use this rate as a bargaining tool to get a better offer from your provider.
Get in contact with your provider to see if they can match this rate – if not, you might want to switch instead.
Sites like MoneySuperMarket and Uswitch all help you customise your search based on price, speed and provider.
This should make it easier to decide whether to renew your contract or move to another provider.
Does Ofcom have rules about mobile outage compensation?
Yes. The telecoms regulator has approved two alternative dispute regulation (ADR) schemes – CISAS and Ombudsman Services: Communications.
ADR schemes act as an independent middleman between the service provider and the customer when a complaint can’t be resolved.
You have to wait eight weeks after contacting Vodafone before contacting CISAS under its rules. It’s also free to lodge an application or complaint.
You may receive compensation once CISAS has undertaken an investigation.
An investigation could take up to six weeks.
Virgin Media say all issues caused by Sky Mobile outage
Virgin Media has said any issues affecting its customers are, in fact, a result of Sky Mobile’s outage.
A Virgin Media O2 spokesperson confirmed there is no fault on the O2 network.
They said: “Some of our customers, along with those of other providers, experienced some disruption to calls and text messages earlier which was a knock-on effect of an issue at Sky Mobile.”
Users vent frustration as Sky Mobile faces outage
One said: “Sky mobile has gone down, again! Couldn’t make or receive calls earlier, now texts won’t go either.”
Another said: “I have urgent calls to make sort it out ugh.”
A third disgruntled person added: “This is happening too often. I need to contact my son urgently. We are both on Sky Mobile.”
A fourth said: “My wife’s Sky mobile phone has no signal or internet, my phone is sat next to it with full both. Needs fixing ASAP!”
A Sky Mobile spokesperson said: “We are aware of an issue impacting some Sky Mobile customers.
“We’re working to get this resolved as soon as possible.”
Can I get compensation if I have no phone signal?
There is no automatic compensation scheme for mobile networks like there is for broadband and landline firms.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t get any compensation if your signal cuts out.
You should also keep a note of how long the outage lasts and any inconvenience it causes you.
If you have to spend any money due to the outage, make sure you keep evidence of that, too.
You can check your provider’s website to see if you’re entitled to compensation.
How can I contact Sky Mobile?
There are several ways to get in touch with Sky Mobile.
See the websites’ contact page for how to get in touch with the network provider.
You can also speak to the firm via its live chat service.
If you still want to complain to Sky about an issue with your mobile connection, you can via do so via landline, post or online.
Best broadband provider UK: At a glance
- Best overall:
- Best broadband provider for price:
- Best budget broadband provider:
- Best broadband provider for deals:
- Best broadband provider for speed:
- Best fibre broadband provider:
All recommendations within this article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click on a link in this story we may earn affiliate revenue.
How do I check the Sky Mobile service status in my area?
Sky Mobile has a dedicated web page where you can find out if there are any problems in your area.
You can visit the Service Status area of the website to check for yourself.
Simply click on the mobile option and enter your postcode.
It will then tell you if there is any planned maintenance or ongoing issues where you are.
Complaints continue to drop as mobile data returns to Sky customers
Complaints from Sky Mobile customers are continuing to fall as the evening goes on.
Today, thousands of Brits were hit with an outage that prevented them from making or receiving calls and, for many, accessing the internet.
Now, customers are seemingly seeing services return as complaints on DownDetector near baseline.
Giffgaff shares update as outages continue
Giffgaff has shared an update as issues continue to affect its customers.
The update reads: "Good Evening All.
"Thank you for your patience whilst this issue is being investigated. The engineers have identified the issue and are in the process of rolling out a fix.
"Some members may have already seen an improvement to their service, though it may take some time for full service to be restored."
Does Ofcom have rules about mobile outage compensation?
Yes. The telecoms regulator has approved two alternative dispute regulation (ADR) schemes - CISAS and Ombudsman Services: Communications.
ADR schemes act as an independent middleman between the service provider and the customer when a complaint can't be resolved.
You have to wait eight weeks after contacting Vodafone before contacting CISAS under its rules. It's also free to lodge an application or complaint.
You may receive compensation once CISAS has undertaken an investigation.
An investigation could take up to six weeks.
Virgin Media say all issues caused by Sky Mobile outage
Virgin Media has said any issues affecting its customers are, in fact, a result of Sky Mobile's outage.
A Virgin Media O2 spokesperson confirmed there is no fault on the O2 network.
They said: "Some of our customers, along with those of other providers, experienced some disruption to calls and text messages earlier which was a knock-on effect of an issue at Sky Mobile."
Sky Mobile complaints are on the way down
The number of user complaints is falling as the evening goes on, according to DownDetector.
While still far above baseline, the reports of Sky Mobile outages across the UK are falling.
Can I get compensation if I have no phone signal?
There is no automatic compensation scheme for mobile networks like there is for broadband and landline firms.
But that doesn't necessarily mean you won't get any compensation if your signal cuts out.
You should also keep a note of how long the outage lasts and any inconvenience it causes you.
If you have to spend any money due to the outage, make sure you keep evidence of that, too.
You can check your provider's website to see if you're entitled to compensation.
How can I contact Sky Mobile?
There are several ways to get in touch with Sky Mobile.
See the websites' contact page for how to get in touch with the network provider.
You can also speak to the firm via its live chat service.
If you still want to complain to Sky about an issue with your mobile connection, you can via do so via landline, post or online.
Giffgaff issues statement amid mobile outage
A Giffgaff statement said: "We’ve just been informed that some members may also be experiencing intermittent issues with their mobile data.
“The engineers are currently still investigating these issues and as soon as we know more we will update this thread.
“We again apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Best broadband provider UK: At a glance
- Best overall:
- Best broadband provider for price:
- Best budget broadband provider:
- Best broadband provider for deals:
- Best broadband provider for speed:
- Best fibre broadband provider:
All recommendations within this article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click on a link in this story we may earn affiliate revenue.
Are O2 and Giffgaff experiencing issues?
Complaints on Down Detector for O2 and Giffgaff users have soared this afternoon.
But this is NOT due to an outage, we understand.
According to O2, users are reporting outages because they are unable to contact Sky Mobile customers.
Otherwise, the networks remain online.
How do I check the Sky Mobile service status in my area?
Sky Mobile has a dedicated web page where you can find out if there are any problems in your area.
You can visit the Service Status area of the website to check for yourself.
Simply click on the mobile option and enter your postcode.
It will then tell you if there is any planned maintenance or ongoing issues where you are.
Users claim mobile data is also facing issues
Sky Mobile users are also reporting issues with their mobile data.
Currently, the provider is facing an outage affecting customers' ability to make and receive calls.
But some reports also claim mobile data is experiencing issues.
One person said: "It isn’t just calls, it’s mobile data too."
While another added: "Lost data as well, nothing works off wifi."
Complaints fall slightly as outage continues
Complaints from Sky Mobile customers have begun to fall slightly, according to data from DownDetector.
However, the number of user reports is still far above the baseline.
Sky Mobile hit with outages
Sky Mobile has gone down for hundreds of customers leaving them without mobile and internet services.
The provider is suffering an outage with some customers struggling to get any phone signal at all.
Others have seen their mobile internet go down completely leaving them unable to get online.
The issues started just before 2pm this afternoon, with over 1,000 customers reporting issues, according to Downdetector, which measures outages.
The outage appears to be widespread, impacting users across the UK.
Top phone and broadband tips
Here are a few key tips and tricks for your mobile phone and broadband devices.
- How to delete your Instagram account
- What does pending mean on Snapchat?
- How to check if you've been blocked on WhatsApp
- How to drop a pin on Google Maps
- How can I change my Facebook password?
- How to go live on TikTok
- How to clear the cache on an iPhone