Three Ireland network disruption hits 300,000 customers

Ireland’s second-biggest mobile network has suffered its second major disruption in less than a month.

Three Ireland said "unauthorised" work by BT on the BT transmission network used by Three was responsible for the interruption of services on Monday.

About 300,000 customers, or 15 per cent of Three Ireland's two million customers, were affected by the disruption which started in the afternoon and carried on until 7.45pm. The area around Cork city appears to have been particularly affected.

A statement from Three Mobile said a full review of BT’s operating procedures would take place. “We would like to thank our customers for their patience and apologise again for the inconvenience caused.”

The network also experienced serious problems on Easter Monday when an electrical fault prevented many users from making calls or sending texts.

The failure prompted considerable reaction on Twitter, with unfavourable comparisons made between Three’s service and that of O2, which it took over last year.