A massive network outage affecting the Play provider disrupted mobile and internet services for millions of Polish users across the country on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.
Downdetector Reports Surge in Complaints
Wednesday morning, May 6, 2026, brought significant problems for Play network users. Reports of signal loss and drastic internet speed drops began flowing in early in the day.
The scale of the outage quickly became visible on Downdetector, where the number of reports grew minute by minute.
Widespread Connectivity and Speed Issues
Data indicates that 31% of reports concerned cellular coverage, while 30% related to broadband and 28% to mobile internet. This wide-ranging failure simultaneously impacted various services across the network.
Users Compare Experience to the Early 2000s
Internet users quickly shared their experiences on social media, complaining about unstable connections and very low speeds. One customer in Szczecin reported receiving 40 Mb/s instead of 600 Mb/s, summarizing the frustration by saying, “Return to the 2000s.”
Disruption of Remote Work and Streaming
The network problems translated into real difficulties for daily life. Users reported struggles with remote work, communication tools, streaming services, and making phone calls.
Status of Service Restoration
P4, the operator behind Play, serves over 13.3 million mobile customers and more than 2 million home service users. Currently, no official cause for the problems or an exact time for their resolution has been provided.
