Why O2 customers in Nelson have lost mobile phone coverage

O2 customers in Nelson have faced connectivity issues following the removal of a mast in the area, with some reporting that they have been unable to make or receive calls for up to four days.

One resident said: "I have been waiting on an important call from school to do with a high school application only to find out I cannot even receive calls via the O2 network."

Another said: "Lost my signal completely in Nelson town centre and at work. Hit and miss at home also. It has been three days now."

Others described feeling "completely helpless" due to the outage.

O2 has confirmed that the disruption is due to a decommissioned mast, following a 'notice to quit' served by the site landlord to Vodafone, O2’s infrastructure partner. The location of the mast was not confirmed.

A spokesperson for O2 said: "We’re aware that some customers in the Nelson area may be experiencing intermittent issues with their mobile service.

"This is due to a mast in the region that was recently decommissioned after the landlord served a notice to quit.

"We’re actively working with our infrastructure partner to install a replacement site and restore service as quickly as possible for our customers."

The company explained that the landowner asked the equipment to be removed, which led to the loss of the mast and subsequent connectivity problems.

It is understood that Vodafone is currently working on plans for a replacement site.

A temporary site has already been identified to restore network coverage in the meantime, O2 confirmed.

A spokesperson for O2 said the temporary site should hopefully be live within the next week or so, and that they are working closely with Vodafone to bring it into service as quickly as possible.

A message sent to some O2 users read: "Sorry, a phone mast close to you has been taken down.

"We've upgraded other masts nearby to help boost the network, but we're sorry if you're still having signal issues.

"We'll update you by Tuesday 6th October 2026."

O2 has apologised to customers for the disruption and thanked them for their patience while the issue is resolved.

A spokesperson for Vodafone said: “We’re aware of a disruption to mobile coverage in the Nelson area. The local mast serving the area is currently unavailable, as the building hosting the site is due to be demolished. We’re very sorry to customers who are affected.

"Our engineers are working hard to restore coverage to the area through the deployment of a temporary site. Longer term, we’re working on options to restore full service to the area as quickly as possible.”