Vodafone Outage Leaves Thousands Without Internet and Mobile Service Across UK

Imagine the digital pulse of the country flatlining. For tens of thousands of Vodafone customers across the UK, this became a reality on Monday, 13 October 2025. A major service outage abruptly cut off broadband, mobile internet, and phone calls, leaving a void where constant connectivity used to be.

The disruption began around 3 p.m. and escalated dramatically. Within minutes, the digital blackout reached its peak, silencing online work, streaming, and communication for countless users during a busy afternoon.

According to outage tracking site Downdetector, the scale of the problem was immense, with more than 135,000 reports logged by 3:20 p.m. The data revealed a clear picture of the failure. Over two-thirds of these reports were linked to Vodafone's fixed-line broadband services. Nearly a quarter of affected customers lost mobile internet access, while around 8% reported being unable to make calls due to a complete loss of mobile signal.

Widespread Impact Across Major Cities

The outage was not isolated, hitting major urban centres hard. Vodafone customers in London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, and Manchester found themselves suddenly disconnected. To make matters worse, some users reported being unable to access the Vodafone app or website, which blocked them from checking their service status or contacting support for help.

Vodafone confirmed the issue impacted its broadband, 4G, and 5G services. The company noted, however, that its older 2G network, which supports voice calls and SMS messaging, remained unaffected by the disruption.

The network began its slow recovery late Monday afternoon, though the company did not immediately disclose the root cause of the widespread outage.

'This afternoon the Vodafone network had an issue affecting broadband, 4G and 5G services', a spokesperson for VodafoneThree told The Guardian. 'The network is now recovering. We apologise for any inconvenience this caused our customers'.

No Indication of a Cyber-Attack

Officials stated the outage was limited to Vodafone's UK customers and is not believed to be related to a cyber-attack. Customers of Three UK, which merged with Vodafone's British operations in May 2025, were not affected by the service failure.

That merger created the UK's largest mobile provider, with a combined total of more than 27 million subscribers. Vodafone alone serves over 18 million mobile customers and has been expanding its broadband reach, which now extends to more than 700,000 households.

Even as the network began to stabilise, problems lingered for many. Downdetector continued to show approximately 4,000 reports of service issues shortly after 6 p.m., indicating that a full recovery was still in progress.

Other Networks Unaffected

While Downdetector registered some minor incident reports for other major providers, including BT (which owns EE) and VirginMediaO2, these were not indicative of a wider problem. Spokespeople for those companies confirmed their networks were operating normally.

What Customers Can Expect

For those who suffered through the disruption, compensation may be available if outages persist. Under Ofcom regulations, broadband users could receive £9.76 per calendar day if their service is not fully repaired within two working days. Mobile customers may also be eligible for refunds or account credits, depending on the specific circumstances of their outage.

Ofcom advises any affected users to contact their provider directly to discuss potential compensation options. It is also recommended to keep detailed records of the disruption to support any claims.

Looking Ahead

Vodafone has not yet provided a detailed explanation for the outage or confirmed whether further disruptions are expected. Customers are advised to monitor the company's official channels for updates.

The incident has renewed important conversations about network resilience and transparency, especially as millions of UK residents depend on stable internet and mobile access for their work, education, and daily lives.