Huge Orange UK network failure affects 1.5 Million handsets!

[Guest The Doctor]

Last night at around 20:00 the Orange UK mobile phone network had a major failure affecting the whole of the UK. Fortunately, the problem was rectified at 00:10 this morning.

Orange UK have yet to make an official statement regarding the incident but sources indicate that approximately 1.5 million handsets, regardless of model, mobile number or geographical area were affected by the failure.

Orange, in an unofficial statement, have advised that if your handset was affected, you should switch off your handset and switch it back on again to ensure that it can still connect to the network correctly.

A press release from Orange is expected within the next few days

Phil

[EDIT: MoDaCo readers have also reported problems with the Orange internet service during this period as well]

[Guest Disco Stu]

A press release from Orange is expected within the next few days

Phil

Yeah, no rush.

We talking Q3 or Q4 ?

;)

[Guest Dr Who]

Orange, in an unofficial statement, have advised that if your handset was affected, you should switch off your handset and switch it back on again to ensure that it can still connect to the network correctly.

So thats the official, "Have you tried turning it off and on, yet?" then????

[Guest MARKUKCOUK]

So thats the official, "Have you tried turning it off and on, yet?" then????

well this is all really really odd....

since I was on the phone during 8:10 and was texting all evening :/

[Guest benwatt]

Could be coincidence, but the Orange network has also been down most of this afternoon and evening in the North East of Scotland, it only came back up a couple of hours ago.

[Guest pisquee]

Didn't just seem to be the mobile network, as I couldn't use the IP phone on my Orange Livebox either last night, and using my BT line to phone a friend who isn't even on Orange gave me a service unavailabl message.

[Guest mobieg]

i had no problems yesterday in london on orange.

[Guest Disco Stu]

I don't remember using my phone at all last night but I couldn't access my Orange email account from my PC.

Don't know if that is connected

[Guest The Doctor]

I don't remember using my phone at all last night but I couldn't access my Orange email account from my PC.

Don't know if that is connected

Maybe... did some background reading before posting and it seems this isn't the first network failure orange has had, internet or mobile phone-wise...

Phil

[Guest xorangefirex]

I'm curious how many realized that it was a network wide failure. Fairly sad that it took four hours to rectify, but at least it was night, and not during heavy business hours. There probably would have been riot in the streets full of business men.

[Guest pisquee]

At first I thought it was just my local cell had gone down, as my phone was getting no signal at all, despite numerous network scans, and phone resets. I was then more curious when my orange IP phone wasn't working either, and suspected something bigger than just Gateshead.

It would be nice if there was a service status on their web page for them to admit faults, and what scale they are at the time, and give a time frame for a fix.

[Guest Samuran]

Afternoon

I think I was affected by this. The first I knew was a bitchy phone call to our land line by my lady asking me why my phone was off and my answer phone didnt work...

I did some playing that night, phoning my mobile from my land line was fun. Dial the last number then instant "derrrrrrrrrrrrr" tone down the phone. I tried turning on and off that night to no avail.

Also I could send texts but not receive.

The most random bit was yesterday (day after the problem) when my phone buzzed notifying me of 4 missed calls... and I dont mean the orange sms "you have a missed call" propper, push softkey view notification.

Its back to "normal" now but just another thing pushing me towards T-Mob.

Cheers

Ben