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Virgin Media broadband offline in London again

Getty Images A Virgin Media technician works on the cabling in a roadside cabinetGetty Images

A network problem at Virgin Media left many customers in London without internet access on Thursday morning.

Thousands of customers reported issues on the Down Detector website, and complained on social media that they could not work from home.

Virgin Media said the issue only affected broadband customers in some areas of London.

It said the problem had been fixed on Thursday afternoon and apologised for the situation.

"We're pleased to say the London broadband issue is now fixed. We're sorry once again and we realise this was a frustrating situation for those affected," it said.

Customers in Clapham, Ealing, Putney and Stanmore were among those complaining on Twitter.

Virgin Media experienced a similar problem in April, when its network was unavailable in parts of London for several hours.

"At a time when people are especially reliant on their home broadband for work and keeping in contact with friends and family, connectivity problems will be frustrating to thousands of Virgin Media customers," said Ernest Doku from the broadband comparison website Uswitch.

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How to set up a mobile wi-fi hotspot

If you have an "unlimited data" mobile phone plan, you can set up a mobile wi-fi hotspot to connect your computer to the internet via your smartphone.

On Android

  1. Swipe down from the top of the screen twice and tap the Settings icon
  2. Tap Network and Internet
  3. Tap Hotspot and tethering
  4. Tap Wi-Fi hotspot
  5. Follow the instructions on screen to name your hotspot, give it a password, and activate it

Remember: the data used by devices you connect to your hotspot will eat into your monthly mobile data allowance, as set by your mobile network. Setting up a mobile hotspot is not recommended if you have a capped monthly data limit.

On iOS

  1. On the home screen, tap the Settings icon
  2. Tap Personal Hotspot
  3. Switch on Allow Others to Join to activate your hotspot

The instructions on the screen will tell you the name of the wi-fi hotspot.

Remember: the data used by devices you connect to your hotspot will eat into your monthly mobile data allowance, as set by your mobile network. Setting up a mobile hotspot is not recommended if you have a capped monthly data limit.