Some customers of mobile network provider giffgaff, which is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) on O2’s UK platform, appear to be experiencing a mix of two problems, including delays to new SIM activations and delays to transfers (ports) of mobile numbers – both in to or out of their network.
In terms of the delays to new SIM activations, the operator’s technical team recently confirmed (here) that SIMs ordered on or after the 21st of October have been impacted by the activation issue, with some having delays or being unable to activate. But other customers report that the issue has been going on since around late September 2024 and have become frustrated with the limited support they’ve received (or not received, in other cases).
Customers have also been complaining, for the past few weeks, about delays to transfers (ports) of mobile numbers (here), which a spokesperson for giffgaff said occurred following “an essential system upgrade to improve the overall network services“. The operator is trying to resolve this and has said they’re “automatically compensating” members impacted by the delays via credit to their account.
A spokesperson for giffgaff told ISPreview:
“Following an essential system upgrade, a small number of members have experienced issues. We’re working hard to resolve them as soon as possible and apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.”
Some of giffgaff’s responses to customers suggest that many of these issues relate to third-party systems, such as those run by O2, as well as the system that Ofcom makes all of the mobile operators use for things like Porting Authorisation Code (PAC) requests, number transfers, SIM swaps and so forth. As a result, giffgaff has had to wait for some of the other parties involved to resolve their issues first.
The mobile operator’s community forum is filled with many hundreds of related complaints about these issues.