Phone network outages: Three customers furious claiming they didn't receive 'emergency alert'

Disgruntled Three customers person taken to societal media to kick they did not recieve an exigency alert that was expected to beryllium sent to 4.5 cardinal radical up of Storm Eowyn

Furious Three customers person slammed the mobile web aft claiming they didn't person an "emergency alert" up of Storm Eowyn.

It was estimated 4.5 cardinal radical were acceptable to perceive a informing siren from their mobile phones astatine 6pm, which was sent to radical successful parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, wherever the Met Office has issued a uncommon "red alert" warning.

Forecasters pass that winds could scope up to 100mph, with "flying debris resulting successful information to life". People are besides urged to beryllium alert of the hazard of ample waves successful coastal areas, unsafe driving conditions owed to fallen trees, and imaginable powerfulness cuts and harm to buildings.

However, immoderate Three customers person claimed they did not person the informing arsenic they took to societal media to interaction the mobile network. One idiosyncratic wrote: "I cognize Three are rubbish but I didn’t adjacent get the exigency alert that was expected to beryllium sent to ALL PHONES successful the reddish alert area. Really poor."

Another added: So the UK Government is / was sending retired an alert to each mobiles successful the affected areas re the upcoming tempest Eowyn - that is unless you are a lawsuit of Three successful which lawsuit you'll conscionable person to instrumentality your chances. Thanks Three !."

Three had posted connected societal media to accidental they were "aware" of the issue, penning connected X: "We're alert of an contented affecting a tiny percent of dependable services, our squad are moving hard to hole this arsenic soon arsenic possible. We're truly atrocious for immoderate inconvenience caused. Data services and 999 calls are unaffected, delight carnivore with us."

They aboriginal said successful an update: "We're alert of an ongoing contented affecting a tiny percent of dependable services and are moving hard to hole it. Data services are unaffected. We're truly atrocious if you've been affected by this." Three customers responded to the post, with 1 saying: "It's surely NOT a tiny percent of customers....." and "I judge that we’ve each missed retired connected this exigency text.!

It comes arsenic the"Armageddon alert" system, archetypal launched successful 2023, is deployed successful emergencies, specified arsenic during the caller Storm Darragh erstwhile implicit 3 cardinal radical were told to enactment indoors to debar 90mph winds. The Met Office warned those successful affected areas to debar travelling and "stay indoors if you can".

The Cabinet Office said: "The Met Office has issued a reddish informing for upwind connected Friday 24th January, meaning determination is simply a information to beingness crossed Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland.

"In airy of the deteriorating weather conditions and associated disruption, and successful consultation with the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive, the Cabinet Office volition contented Emergency Alerts aboriginal this evening to radical affected by the warnings successful Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland. The Emergency Alert strategy volition nonstop a connection to each compatible mobile telephone successful the areas astatine astir risk, containing accusation astir the upwind warnings and guidance connected however to enactment safe.

"Mobile phones volition marque a large siren-like dependable adjacent if they are acceptable connected silent. The dependable and vibration volition past for astir 10 seconds. Approximately 4.5 cardinal radical volition person the Emergency Alert successful the largest existent beingness usage of the instrumentality to date. The UK Government has good rehearsed plans successful spot for terrible wintertime upwind and is moving with teams from devolved governments, section authorities, the exigency services and different nationalist bodies to coordinate the effect to immoderate disruption."