Mobile phone outages can throw your day off course. Missed calls, no texts and no mobile data can quickly become more than just an inconvenience.
Whether you rely on your phone for work, appointments, emergencies or simply keeping in touch, losing your mobile service can cause real disruption.
So, when your mobile network goes down, can you claim compensation?
What counts as a phone outage?
A mobile phone outage is when part or all of your mobile service stops working. You might be unable to make or receive calls, send texts or access mobile data.
Some outages affect thousands of customers across a network, while others may be limited to a particular area.
Are mobile networks required to compensate you?
Unlike broadband and landline customers with providers signed up to Ofcom’s Automatic Compensation Scheme, mobile customers don’t have the same automatic protection when their service goes down.
That does not mean mobile customers can never receive compensation.
Ofcom says that, depending on the circumstances, it may be appropriate for your provider to give you some money back while a fault is being repaired. In more serious cases, where repairs take much longer, you may be entitled to an additional refund or account credit.
If you have been without service for some time, you may also have the right to leave your contract without paying an early termination charge. This will depend on your contract and whether your provider has failed to meet its obligations.
When could you receive compensation?
There is no standard payout for a mobile phone outage, so what you receive will depend on the circumstances.
When you contact your provider, it can help to explain:
- How long you were without service
- Whether calls, texts, data or all three were affected
- Whether the problem was intermittent or continuous
- Where and when you experienced the problem
- How seriously the outage affected you
- Whether the fault was resolved within a reasonable time
- The terms of your mobile contract.
A short outage will not necessarily result in compensation. However, if a problem lasts for days or weeks, or your provider repeatedly fails to fix it, it is worth raising the issue directly.
What should you do if your phone service goes down?
If your mobile service stops working, there are a few useful steps you can take.
- Check whether there is a known outage. Most providers have an online service or network status checker.
- Keep a record. Note the time the outage started and ended, and what services were affected. Ofcom recommends keeping a log of interruptions to your service and how long each one lasts.
- Contact your provider. Go to the customer service section (online or in-app) and explain what happened. Report the fault, even if it appears to be a wider network issue.
- Detail the impact. Be clear about how the outage affected you, particularly if it caused you to lose money or miss out on something important.
- Stay polite but firm. Compensation isn’t guaranteed, but it’s worth asking your provider what support, refund or compensation may be available.
- Keep evidence. Save complaint reference numbers, emails, screenshots and details of any additional expenses.
If you need to stay connected while the fault is being fixed, ask your provider whether it offers an alternative. Depending on your phone and provider, you may also be able to make calls or send messages over Wi-Fi.
What if your provider doesn't fix the problem?
Your contract is with your mobile provider, so it remains responsible for dealing with the problem even if it uses another company’s network.
Ofcom says providers should investigate network faults and keep customers updated about how and when they expect them to be fixed.
If your provider fails to repair the fault when promised, or you are unhappy with how long it is taking, you can make a formal complaint.
What to do if you're not getting anywhere with your provider
If you’ve complained and the problem still hasn’t been resolved, you can take things further.
Step 1: Follow the provider’s formal complaints process
Start with your provider’s official complaints procedure.
Telecoms providers must have a complaints code of practice explaining how complaints are handled, how to contact them and what you can do if you remain unhappy.
Step 2: Ask for a “deadlock letter”
If you and your provider cannot agree on a solution, you can ask for a deadlock letter.
This allows you to take your complaint to an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme without waiting for the normal time limit.
Step 3: Take your complaint to ADR
From 8 April 2026, you can take an unresolved telecoms complaint to ADR once six weeks have passed since you first complained.
ADR is free for consumers and provides an independent assessment of the dispute.
There are two Ofcom-approved schemes:
- The Communication & Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS)
- Communications Ombudsman.
Every UK telecoms provider must belong to one of them. You can check which scheme covers your provider through Ofcom’s ADR checker.
The ADR scheme will consider the evidence from you and your provider and decide what, if anything, the provider should do to resolve the dispute.
Could you leave your mobile contract?
Possibly. Ofcom says that if you have been without service for some time, your contract may give you the right to leave without paying a penalty where your provider has failed to meet its obligations or breached a key condition.
This does not mean every prolonged outage automatically lets you cancel your contract for free. Check your terms and speak to your provider before cancelling payments or ending the agreement yourself.
Join the Claim
We increasingly rely on our phones for work, banking, travel, healthcare and keeping in touch, so when a mobile network fails, the impact can be significant.
Not every outage will result in compensation. But if you’ve been without the service you’re paying for, particularly for a prolonged period, it is worth raising the issue with your provider and understanding the options available to you.
Join the Claim helps UK consumers stay informed about major consumer issues and potential group action claims.
If you think you may have been affected by wrongdoing involving a major company, you can check the latest group action claims on our website to see whether any may apply to you.
Join the Claim connects consumers with SRA-regulated lawyers. Keep an eye out for updates on any potential claim and possible eligibility checks/registration opportunities.
- Last Updated: September 2025
- Next Update Scheduled: September 2026
