This morning I tried to make a phone call and there was no signal on my iPhone 4. I thought uncharitable thoughts about Vodafone because only three months ago I transferred my phone contract from O2. Later, sitting in my favourite pub on the north bank of the river Thames, I couldn't get a Vodafone signal on my data dongle. More uncharitable thoughts.
However, thanks solely to Engadget I now know that a large chunk of Vodafone's network in southern England (at least) is down after some form of break in or damage at the company's Basingstoke exchange centre. Here I am at noon and still no signal on the iPhone, although I've resorted to using wifi for my data.
Unless I'm very much mistaken, this sort of disaster is unprecedented and it will be very interesting to read chapter and verse later today.