There’s no doubting that BT is one of the most influential companies in the UK.
According to the firm’s website, more than 30 million consumers and one million businesses and public sector customers use its broadband and mobile services. That’s before you get to BT-owned Openreach, which maintains the phone cables and relevant infrastructure for most UK homes and businesses.
So, as you can imagine, it’s bad news when BT experiences an outage of any kind. But is that what’s happening right now? Here’s how to find out if there’s a current problem at BT, or if the issue is specific to you.
You may also be interested in our articles on how to cancel BT broadband and how to fix BT Broadband connection problems.
Is BT broadband down in my area?
The frustrating irony of your BT broadband internet connection being disrupted is you can’t check the latest news about it on your computer. You may well be reading this now using your phone’s mobile internet instead, which is the best way to check under these circumstances.
BT is active on X (formerly Twitter), and the best BT account to check on the latest BT phone and broadband service status updates is @BT_uk. You can tweet them directly for an update, or send them a direct message (DM) – these are open to all users. You may also want to check the #BTdown hashtag to see if anyone else is posting about it – remember to click on both the top and latest tab.
For a quick overview of the current state of affairs, input your landline number on BT’s Service Status page. This will tell you if there are any current issues in your area. This page used to provide a general overview of the UK status, but that’s no longer available.
If you’re not willing or able to enter your landline number, Downdetector provides an overview of the current status. It’s based on user reports, but these are usually a reliable indicator of any problems. Checking Fing is also a useful way to find out about any outages.
Is BT phone service down in my area?
Thankfully a less common outage, generally speaking, is BT phone services. Unfortunately, there’s no way to check mobile-specific issues on the BT website. However, Is the service down? breaks down user reports into particular categories, giving an overview of how widespread the problems are.
What is the BT customer service number?
If your BT phone or broadband service is down, you can call BT directly, though at peak times of outages remember waiting times will be lengthy. These lines are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
BT customer service phone numbers (broadband, mobile or phone line) problems
From the UK: 0800 800 150 (free from landlines, mobile costs may vary)
From abroad: +44 150 174 7714
Lines are open from 8am-9pm UK time on Monday-Friday, then 8am-8am UK time on weekends and UK bank holidays.
There are also a range of technical support services available on the BT website. These are broken down into the most popular categories, with separate ones for broadband, landline and mobile.