Is Tesco Mobile and O2 down UK? Are there network issues, can I get calls, what’s been said - outage explained

Tesco mobile and O2 mobile customers were left unable to use their phones to make or receive phone calls for around eight hours due to an issue with the network they both share.

Frustrated customers first took to Twitter at around midday on Wednesday 8 February to report that they could not use their phones properly and to try to find out via the official Tesco Mobile Twitter page if there was a problem. People could not reach out to O2 via the social media network because they do not have an account. At the time of writing, on the morning of Thursday 9 February, it appears that the issue has been resolved.

So, what exactly have customers said and how have Tesco and O2 responded? Here’s what you need to know.

Are Tesco Mobile and O2 mobile down?

On Wednesday 8 February 2023, it would appear that the O2 mobile network, which serves both O2 mobile and Tesco Mobile customers, went down for many people across the country. Customers have reported being unable to send or receive phone calls and have also said they cannot send or receive stand or multimedia text messages.

Reports of problems with the network started being logged at around 11.30am on 8 February, according to Down Detector, with 17 people stating they were experiencing problems with Tesco Mobile then. By 3pm, this number had risen to 658. Similarly with O2, there were 20 reports of problems at around 11.15am, according to Down Detector, and by 12.32pm this had increased to 396. The number has fluctuated since then, but as of 3.40pm there were still 195 reported issues to the site. As of 11am on Thursday 9 February, Down Dectetor states there are now only 15 reports of issues with Tesco Mobile and 25 with 02 - but these could be unrelated.

What have customers said?

One customer said he was concerned by the lack of service because his children’s school wouldn’t be able to get in touch with him if they needed to. He wrote: “Fuming with @tescomobile. Can’t make phone calls or receive them?? This is my only point of contact and I dread to think if something happened to my kids at school and I can’t be contacted. Fix this issue immediately please or contact me to at least let me know the situation.”

Another customer said she was likely to miss an important phone call due to the on-going issue. She said: “@tescomobile currently been unable to make or receive calls for 2 1/2 hours now! Any idea as to when these issues will be resolved as I’m awaiting a very important phone call which looks like now I am certain to miss.”

One customer called on Tesco to reduce people’s bill payments next month to compensate for the lack of service. She said: “@tescomobile can’t make and receive calls today, not ideal! Sort it out please or deduct a days payment from our bills.”

What have Tesco and O2 said?

Tesco took to their Twitter page on Thursday 9 February to confirm that the issue had been resolved by 8pm on Wednesday 8 February. Responding to a customer who was asking if an issue they were having with their mobile phone was connected, a spokesperson said: “The issue was resolved yesterday before 8pm, however the issue was only affecting making and receiving calls.”

While the issue was on-going, Tesco and O2 apologised to customers affected and said the issue is being looked in to. Any customers who wanted the latest information on what was happening were being advised to look at the O2 website as Tesco Mobile uses O2’s network.

A statement on the O2 website stated: “We’re aware of a voice issue that may be affecting some customers. Our technical teams are investigating. We apologise for any inconvenience. Updates will be shared here as soon they are available.” This has since been removed as service has returned to normal.

A tweet from the official Tesco Mobile Twitter account to one customer read: “We’re aware of a calling issue that’s impacting some of our customers. Our technical teams are investigating. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused.” The same tweet was sent to multiple customers.

Some customers were also asked to send a direct message (DM) to the Tesco Mobile Twitter page with details which will help them track where the issues are taking place.

Another tweet from Tesco to a customer read: “Please send over a DM with the mobile number, the full postcode of the affected area and time of a failed call.”

Tesco also advised customers to try switching their phones on and off again.