Mobile outages are pretty rare these days, but when they do happen they can be really stressful. Sometimes the issue might be isolated to one tower and other time's it's an issue with a telco's entire network.
There's not always an easy way to tell, but here are a few simple steps to follow if you think you're experiencing a mobile network outage.
Make sure it's not just you
If you can't get network connectivity on your phone, there are a few things you should try before just assuming it's an outage. Try toggling flight mode on and off to disconnect it from the network and force a new connection. You can also try restarting your phone.
You should also ensure your phone bill has been paid, because otherwise your service may have been cut off or suspended until your account is up to date. If you're a prepaid plan customer, make sure your recharge hasn't expired.
Visit an outage checker
In most cases, a telco's network status page is your best bet for working out if there's a mobile service outage. If you're not getting mobile connectivity, you'll want to ensure you're connected to a WiFi network on your phone or use a device, such as a computer, that doesn't rely on mobile networks.
You can also try checking your telco's social media pages for further information. Scroll a little further down for links to these for Australia's three network providers.
While your telco's network status page is normally your best bet, these are not always updated the instant an outage happens; it can take some time for telcos to diagnose a network failure. If you want to get a quick answer, you can check Down Detector – a crowd-sourced website where users make reports if they're experiencing an issue.
Down Detector is far from perfect - people often report individual problems as outages - but it tends to be quite accurate in the event of an actual outage due to the swell of users making reports. It's also worth noting that Down Detector uses the same pages for both mobile and internet outages. For example, a spike in Telstra outages could refer to phone service or NBN. Each Down Detector page does however have a breakdown of the most reported problems.
If you're experiencing a mobile network outage, your only course of action is to wait until it's over or decide if you want to jump to another network.
Changing provider
If you're constantly experiencing outages, you may want to think about changing your mobile provider. Just make sure you're changing to a provider on a different network than your current option. For example, if you're having issues with Telstra, swapping to a smaller provider powered by the Telstra network probably won't help.
Instead, you'll want to look at Optus or Vodafone or a Mobile Virtual Network Operator powered by either network – think amaysim or felix.
If you have an eSIM compatible device and are on a no-contract plan you should be able to sign up over WiFi for a new SIM without having to visit a store. An eSIM plan is exactly the same as a regular SIM just delivered via internal hardware in your phone, in this case an embedded SIM rather than the plastic SIM.
Here are popular eSIM plans from WhistleOut's database that cost less than $20 per recharge:
Telstra network outage resources
If you think you might be experiencing a Telstra network outage, here are some helpful links:
A Telstra network outage could also affect the following MVNOs:
- ALDI mobile
- Belong
- Boost Mobile
- Everyday mobile
- Exetel
- Lycamobile
- MATE
- More
- numobile
- Superloop
- Tangerine
If the Telstra network is down, it's likely that all of these providers will be experiencing the same issue.
Here are the cheapest mobile plans in WhistleOut's database with at least 20GB of data from Telstra MVNOs:
Optus network outrage resources
If you think you might be experiencing an Optus network outage, here are some helpful links:
An Optus network outage could also affect the following Optus MVNOs:
- AGL
- amaysim
- Aussie Broadband
- Catch Connect
- Circles.Life
- Coles Mobile
- Dodo
- Exetel
- iPrimus
- Moose Mobile
- Southern Phone
- SpinTel
- Yomojo
Here are the cheapest mobile plans in WhistleOut's database with at least 20GB of data from Optus MVNOs:
Vodafone network outage resources
If you think you might be experiencing a Vodafone network outage, here are some helpful links:
A Vodafone network outage could potentially affect the following Vodafone MVNOs:
- felix mobile
- iiNet
- Kogan Mobile
- Lebara
- TPG
Here are the cheapest mobile plans in WhistleOut's database with at least 20GB of data from Vodafone MVNOs:
If it's not an outage, call tech support
If you've established that there isn't an outage, you've restarted your device, and don't have mobile service on your device, there's a chance you're experiencing an issue that's isolated to your account.
In this case, it's best to get in touch with your telco directly. If you have a landline or another device that works, that may be your best bet. Otherwise, you may want to make contact via an online channel.
These are the most popular NBN 50 plans with WhistleOut users this week:
Alex Choros
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