As we increasingly rely on our mobile phones for everything—from staying in touch with loved ones to managing our daily tasks—any disruption to our service can feel like a major setback.

Unfortunately, for Vodafone customers, a significant service outage has recently caused quite a stir, leaving many disconnected.

The issue came to light when Vodafone confirmed to the media that a number of their customers experienced 'brief' outages.

'We are aware a technical issue is currently causing brief disruptions to some mobile customers,' a Vodafone spokesperson stated.

Vodafone admitted that their customers experienced ‘brief’ outages. Image source: Shutterstock

‘Our technical teams are working to quickly resolve the issue. We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience and thank them for their patience,’ the spokesperson added.

It was reported that the impact of the outage was not minor.

Outage tracking website Downdetector reported that over 11,000 Vodafone customers flagged a problem with their service just after 4 p.m. (AEDT) on March 13.

Although the number of reports began to decrease rapidly, it was clear that a significant number of users were affected.

Downdetector’s graph displayed the Vodafone outage on March 13. Image source: Downdetector

Earlier in the day, around 10 a.m., there was a smaller spike of about 7,000 outage reports, indicating that the problem may have been ongoing.

The majority of the issues, about three-quarters, were related to mobile phone service, with the rest mostly concerning mobile data.

This disruption in service is particularly troubling for our senior community, who may depend on their mobile phones as a primary means of communication, especially in times of emergency or for health-related concerns.

Social media platforms saw a flurry of activity from frustrated customers across Australia, including those in Sydney, the Gold Coast, and Perth, with many reporting that their phones had switched to SOS mode—a feature that allows for emergency calls when the network is unavailable.

'Going by the tweets I’m seeing, Vodafone is down nationwide in Australia. At least it’s not just me, I guess [... ] Vodafone you are so tough to defend when things like this keep happening,' one social media user posted.

While some users found that restarting their device resolved the issue, others waited for the problem to be fixed by Vodafone.

By 5:30 p.m., 9news.com.au reported that the technical issue was being addressed and customers were gradually regaining service.

This is not the first time Vodafone has experienced an outage. Last month, more than 5,000 incidents of mobile phone reception and connection issues were reported to the Downdetector website

Key Takeaways

• Vodafone Australia experienced brief outages affecting mobile customers, which were confirmed by a company spokesperson.
  
• Over 11,000 reports of service disruption were noted just after 4 p.m. AEDT according to the outage tracking website Downdetector, with a noticeable decrease in reports afterwards.
  
• Customers experienced issues predominantly with mobile phone service, followed by mobile data problems.
  
• Despite the inconvenience, Vodafone apologised to customers and indicated that services were returning to normal by 5:30 p.m., with the technical teams working on a quick resolution.
  

Were you affected by this outage, members? Share your experience in the comments below.

 

[AlanQ]

Major? ROFL, only if you want coverage in the 3 main eastern capitals. Once you're outside the inner metro area the coverage drops down to third rate to the point it often runs off Telstra. Don't think too many would have even notice a difference to their usual coverage/connection

 

[IAN3005]

VODAFONE Is useless....