Millions of Vodafone customers experienced major disruptions after a widespread network outage left many mobile phones stuck in “SOS Only” mode, preventing users from making regular calls, sending texts or accessing mobile data. The issue primarily affected customers across Australia on Thursday morning and quickly triggered thousands of complaints online.
According to Vodafone, the outage was caused by a problem at one of its network hubs around 8 a.m. local time. The company said the fault was identified, isolated and resolved, with services being progressively restored throughout the day. However, some customers continued to experience intermittent connectivity issues while devices reconnected to the network.
At the peak of the disruption, outage-tracking platform Downdetector recorded more than 8,000 reports from affected users. Many customers reported that their devices displayed only SOS mode, indicating that normal network access was unavailable. Frustrated users took to social media to complain about being unable to make calls or access the internet.
Vodafone reassured customers that emergency services remained accessible during the outage. Users who lost access to the Vodafone network were still able to contact emergency services by connecting through alternative mobile networks.
The company has advised affected customers to restart their phones if they continue to experience service problems after restoration. Vodafone also apologized for the inconvenience caused by the outage.
While most services have now returned to normal, the incident has once again highlighted how dependent millions of people are on mobile connectivity for communication, work and emergency access.
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