O2 to compensate customers after breakdown in service

MOBILE PHONE company O2 has confirmed it will compensate users affected by the technical fault that took the network’s data services offline.

The company said its 3G and 4G data networks, which were knocked offline by a software issue on Thursday morning, were restored to normal yesterday.

Some O2 customers also reported being unable to send and receive text messages but O2 said this issue had also been resolved.

The technology firm confirmed that it would be giving its pay monthly, small and medium business and mobile broadband customers credit for two days of monthly airtime subscription charges, to be issued by the end of January.

Pay-as-you-go customers are to be given 10 per cent credit on a top-up in the new year, O2 said, adding it will let customers know when this is available.

O2 said pay-as-you-go mobile broadband customers would receive a 10 per cent discount on a Bolt On purchase – which are additional call, text or data bundles that can be purchased at any time.

“We’re very sorry about yesterday’s data issue. We understand how important it is to stay connected, especially at this time of year,” a company spokeswoman said. “We’d once again like to thank our customers for their patience. We’re doing all we can to make sure this issue doesn’t happen again.”

Sky Mobile – which uses O2 services – has announced plans to give its customers a day’s free unlimited data during today.

On Thursday, O2 issued a joint apology with telecoms company Ericsson over the mobile data incident. O2 UK chief executive Mark Evans said the company’s managers “fully appreciate it’s been a poor experience”.

Marielle Lindgren, the chief executive of Ericsson UK and Ireland, confirmed the faulty software which caused the problems had been decommissioned.