back to article O2 craps itself on national Blighty holiday as cabinet minister moans: 'Oi, sort it out!'

O2 customers up and down the UK were left without access to the carrier's mobile service on Bank Holiday Monday, after its network buckled for five hours yesterday evening. Even former Minster of Fun Sajid Javid – who is now Business Secretary under the new Tory government – griped about O2's pisspoor service. He tweeted: No …

  1. Vimes

    Note the time of the tweet

    https://twitter.com/O2/status/602991401354268672

    Somebody thinks tweeting somebody here at 2AM is a good idea?

    Damn those Indian call centres and time difference...

  2. David Knapman

    Is "we can confirm that service returned to normal at 23.35 hrs yesterday" code for "everyone stopped even trying to use our service"?

  3. Doogs

    Was an odd one - both my missus and me are on giffgaff; she had a signal while I didn't.

    So, in our house, the problem was "isolated" to me.

    1. Yugguy

      Similar to us, we are both on O2, the missus lost signal but I didn't.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        There are a number of HLRs which hold account information and authentication keys. If one of these fails then a proportion of users will lose access to the network. The HLR in use depends on the SIM card, I forget which digit in the 16 determines it.

        Looks like both of you had 1 SIM covered by the failing auth mechanisms.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Makes a change from EE

    "When quizzed about whether EE could avoid such an embarrassing network collapse"

    That was Reg sarcasm, right?

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge

      Re: Makes a change from EE

      I could understand it if the Reg asked 3 some questions but I've got no idea what they hoped to achieve by asking EE.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Don't jump yet...

    My company (40+ users) is on Vodafone and its mast in Kirkintilloch, near Glasgow has been up and down like the proverbial whore's knickers since they botched a 4G upgrade in March. They seem to regularly be rebooting it, if that's a mast thing, as service goes completely for a few minutes at a time (with the call you were on, natch) before coming back up to 1996 levels - for the last week we've been unable to get more than 2G and all they tell us to do is check their coverage map...

    Thanks god I signed to a 30 day contract rather than the two year one. Bye bye Vodafone.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Don't jump yet...

      More likely the mast is getting too busy and simply reducing the signal strength and coverage area during busy periods.

      1. Stuart 16

        Re: Don't jump yet...

        If you think that's bad, Vodafone placed a microwave relay next to a Christmas tree farm and were shocked when the whole local service failed in November due to the fact that the trees grew.

        http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/9990108.Vodafone_blames____too_tall____Cwmbran_trees_for_signal_trouble/

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Don't jump yet...

        More likely the mast is running Windows.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Don't jump yet...

        It's all occurred since they ran this upgrade; that caused two days of actual downtime with no signal at all. Since then, it's been intermittent but these last six days there has been nothing beyond 2G at any time of the day. It's a populated, area, but small town levels, rather than a city and there's no major roads or other sources of transient load nearby.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Almost but not quite as good as virginmedia

    Phone Call 1: Yes, there is a fault.

    Phone Call 2: We know nothing of this fault you speak of.

    Phone Call 3: Were working on the fault and it will be fixed by 11pm tonight (Saturday)

    Phone Call 4: Were currently in the process of changing all the cards in the cabinet as they all overloaded and it will be fixed by 7pm tonight.

    Meanwhile I have an internet connection like the grand old duke of york.

    Count yourself lucky O2 users....

    Though to be fair as a home worker I do have 4g and various wifi networks near by that I can use...

    1. dotdavid

      Re: Almost but not quite as good as virginmedia

      Even their online fault checker is a bit crazy. When my Virgin internet is down I go on their fault checker website using my phone and it usually says internet is fine but there's a problem with the TV service in my area. Unfortunately there's little I can do but wait until they fix the TV problem before the internet starts working again.

  7. Alistair
    Coat

    Interesting.

    Sounds like an HLR db corruption. Either that or an incomplete HLR node to node failover.

    Split brain perhaps?

  8. Buzzword

    O2 tend to be cheaper than the other networks though. You pays your money and you takes your choice.

    1. Craigie

      "O2 tend to be cheaper than the other networks though."

      Nearly lost my coffee there! What?!?!?

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Does this have anything to do with

    Last few days been calling out to a load of mobiles around the country.

    Mobile connects, then hangs up in less than 2 secs.

    The mobiles are expecting the calls.

    It's shit.

  10. Jim Hague

    HLR db problem

    I'll go with the HLR db theory. I lost all service while roaming in Paris yesterday evening. Trying to find someone in the throng at the Gare de Lyon, too. Was then jolted awake by a torrent of texts being delivered just before 1am local.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: HLR db problem

      You can generally get a full service near the Gare de Lyon, so I'm told, but do remember to hold onto your phone whilst it's happening.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: HLR db problem

        Strange; whenever I have been in Paris and asked a local where I can obtain "x", I have always been directed to the Champs-Élysées.

        It didnt matter if it was a replacement phone, or a new tyre for my bike .... Champs-Élysées

  11. Mage Silver badge
    FAIL

    Just wait

    Till Three completely take over managing O2 in UK

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    How the heck did people under 35 survive without being able to tweet and update their social pages from their phones? No doubt they'll let us know now everything's back. I can't wait to read their rational and reasoned opinions on the matter.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      In my case it's trying to run a business, very few of whose members are under 35, but all dispersed throughout the plant and often on the move. Customer use these "mobile" phones to keep in touch with us too. Many of them are under 35, but not all. I'm not quite sure of your point, but I'm sure you delight in walking to a room in your house and making a phone call from within a four foot radius of a point somewhere in it. Well done you.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I heard someone suggesting electing the government by twitter, it was at that point that I realised we are reaping the rewards of media degrees, and death suddenly seemed less frightening.

  13. TeeCee Gold badge
    Coat

    And the moral of the story is:

    If you encourage everyone to "Be more dog", don't act all surprised when you end up with shit all over the country.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Almost certainly a result of the aggressive outsourcing to the lowest cost support / 'run and operate' provider policy forced on O2 by Telefonica over the last few years.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    3 Network merge

    Was due to happen over the weekend. The reboot your phone is not as dumb as it sounds. Infact I needed to do EXACTLY that when T-Mobile and Orange merged networks...

    Funny that EE are the ones throwing stones, when there are no panes of glass left in their greenhouse...

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What a horrid photo

    Full page on the screen of a dog shitting. Amateurs.

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