O2 blames network outage on third-party software glitch

O2 claims mobile operators worldwide could be affected

The O2 mobile network has suffered a major outage this morning, with the company's data network going down globally, although O2 subscribers could still make calls.

The outage kicked off around 4.45am this morning, with services that rely on O2's network also suffering as a consequence. For example, Transport for London's bus-information systems went down as it relies on the O2 network to communicate bus progress and times.

Connected vehicles have also been affected, and the issue (obviously) also affects mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) that use the O2 network. MVNOs affected include Tesco Mobile, GiffGaff, Sky Mobile and Lycamobile.

The company blamed a software issue affecting a third-party supplier for the outage.

One of our third party suppliers has identified a global software issue in their system which has impacted us

"We're aware that our customers are unable to use data this morning," the company admitted in a statement.

It continued: "One of our third party suppliers has identified a global software issue in their system which has impacted us. We believe other mobile operators around the world are also affected. Our technical teams are working with their teams to ensure this is fixed as quickly as possible."

Customers, understandably, have been somewhat disgruntled as a result, particularly given the length of time that it has taken the company to fix the problem - although not all customers.

Computing will update this story as soon more news comes in.