Orange data users turning red as data dries up

Updated Orange's data network is heading titsup across the UK, with both cellular and broadband networks affected and little in the way of explanation.

The problems appeared this morning with mobile users unable to check mail on the way in to work. The mobile data problems are said to be affecting users countrywide.

We're now getting reports that Orange broadband has either gone down or at least slowed to the point of uselessness.

The problem isn't affecting every user: some report connections are working fine, and users are being advised by Orange to reset equipment in the hope of getting a better connection next time.

One told us he was staring at two BlackBerry devices on his desk, one of which could connect, while the other was dead as dodo.

In a statement the company told us: "We are aware that some UK customers may be experiencing difficulty accessing our internet services at present. We are investigating the source of the problem as a matter of priority and would like to apologise to those affected for any inconvenience this issue may cause them", so at least they are aware of it.

In a separate statement, sent to complaining users, the company admits that half of its mobile users can't get internet access at the moment. The statement seemed to be pointing the finger at the BlackBerry network, and suggests customers might like to use SMS instead.

That's a nice idea, but we suspect that where possible users will turn to alternative sources of connectivity, especially as there's no indication of how long the problem is going to last.