EE, Vodafone, O2 Users Suffer Calling Routing Issue

Hundreds of users of the three major mobile phone networks in the United Kingdom experienced issues making and receiving calls between their respective networks on Monday, and into Tuesday.

BT’s EE network saw hundreds of users take to Downdetector on Monday to report problems, before complaints began tailing off in the early hours of Tuesday morning, and then flaring up from 7am Tuesday before declining slowly once again.

Vodafone users meanwhile reported a slew of problems on Monday to Downdetector, that seems to ease off in the early hours of Tuesday morning, before returning again from 7am.

Users of O2 also reported issues to Downdetector on Monday and Tuesday morning, mirroring EE and Vodafone’s reported problems. Much smaller number of Three UK users reported problems.

Call routing issue

The problem affecting these mobile networks (and also some landline numbers) first began surfacing around midday on Monday 4th September.

So who was the culprit responsible for the problems?

Vodafone had denied that there was a problem on its own network and pointed to “an issue with the EE network”, ISPreview reported.

EE claimed earlier that calls to other networks, mobile data and text messages were not affected.

But soon after a spokesperson for EE apologised and acknowledged that some customers were indeed “unable to make or receive calls from a Vodafone number” and that they were “working quickly to resolve this“.

The BBC meanwhile reported on an update from a Vodafone spokesperson, who said that numbers transferred or “ported” from EE to any new network, including Three UK, O2 and Vodafone, were also affected.

This was down to three of the digits in the mobile number still identified them as “EE” numbers (which caused an error with the call routing).

Problem solved?

While those former EE customers could call within their new network, calls to other networks were being affected by the problems at EE.

On Tuesday morning, ISPreview noted that EE had sent the following updated statement, confirming the problem had now been resolved.

“The issue impacting some customers’ calls to and from a Vodafone number has been resolved,” a spokesperson for EE was quoted as saying by ISPreview.

“We’re very sorry for any inconvenience caused. Calls to other networks, mobile data and text messages were not affected.”