Ofcom "in talks" with Vodafone over police & NHS weekend call failures
Ofcom says it's urgently investigating outage after UK left without non-emergency access to Police and NHS

Vodafone is facing an investigation by telecoms regulator Ofcom after a "catastrophic failure" of its systems blocked access to emergency and rescue services numbers over the weekend.
The problems first came to light on Saturday morning, with police forces and NHS services across the UK reporting issues with both the 101 and 111 non-emergency numbers.
Both numbers are offered by the emergency services as a means of seeking advice on health matters, in the case of 111, or to report less urgent matters that wouldn't require a 999 call to be logged.
Vodafone is responsible for operating both numbers, and in a statement to IT Pro put the issue down to a fault in its fixed line call routing system.
"Our engineers... worked hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and services have now been restored," the statement continued.
"We will continue to monitor the services closely and will be carrying out a full investigation into the issue. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."
The problem also stopped callers to commercial services, such as the RAC, Barclays Bank and First Great Western, from getting through until service were restored later in the day.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Breakdown firm RAC told customers via social networking site Twitter that Vodafone had suffered a "catastrophic failure to its telephone equipment", which is why their calls weren't getting through.
Vodafone suffered a catastrophic failure to its telephone equipment this am which is affecting many large businesses who use their services.RAC Breakdown (@RAC_Breakdown) November 22, 2014
Meanwhile, Ofcom has confirmed in a report to the BBC that it's been in contact with Vodafone to understand how the downtime occurred, and will be investigating the problems "as a matter of urgency."
-
Bigger salaries, more burnout: Is the CISO role in crisis?
In-depth CISOs are more stressed than ever before – but why is this and what can be done?
By Kate O'Flaherty Published
-
Cheap cyber crime kits can be bought on the dark web for less than $25
News Research from NordVPN shows phishing kits are now widely available on the dark web and via messaging apps like Telegram, and are often selling for less than $25.
By Emma Woollacott Published
-
NHS supplier hit with £3m fine for security failings that led to attack
News Advanced Computer Software Group lacked MFA, comprehensive vulnerability scanning and proper patch management
By Emma Woollacott Published
-
Cyber attack delayed cancer treatment at NHS hospital
News A cyber attack at Wirral University Teaching Hospital in 2024 delayed critical cancer treatment for patients, documents show.
By Nicole Kobie Published
-
Alder Hey Children’s Hospital confirms hackers gained access to patient data through digital gateway service
News Europe’s busiest children’s hospital confirmed attackers were able to steal data from a compromised digital gateway service
By Solomon Klappholz Published
-
Major incident declared as Merseyside hospitals hit by cyber attack
News The incident, which has led to cancelled appointments, is just the latest in a series of attacks on healthcare organizations
By Emma Woollacott Published
-
Kyndryl and Vodafone Business collaborate on new cyber security services
News The expanded partnership aims to help Vodafone customers meet their regulatory compliance requirements
By Daniel Todd Published
-
Thousands of procedures canceled at London hospitals as Qilin releases blood test data
News The attack on blood testing company Synnovis continues to affect patients, while the ransomware group follows through with its threats
By Emma Woollacott Published
-
Ransomware group threatens to publish 3TB of stolen NHS Scotland data after posting proof of attack
News NHS Dumfries and Galloway has confirmed some of the sensitive data stolen during the 15 March attack has been published by a known ransomware operator
By Solomon Klappholz Published
-
Attack on third-party software vendor disrupts NHS ambulance services
News The ambulance services serve more than 10 million people across the south of England
By Ross Kelly Published