In a significant portion of County Down, O2 mobile phone network users will experience service interruptions for nearly three weeks.
Due to network upgrade work being done on O2's network since Wednesday, many people have been unable to make calls, send texts, or use their mobile data.
The company stated that Annalong, Ballymartin, and Kilkeel are affected but added that the work would be finished by February 25.
Local politicians, however, have argued that the timeline is unacceptable.
After receiving several complaints from his constituents over the past few days, South Down assembly member Patrick Brown contacted O2 about the problem.
He added that 25 February "is far too long for people to wait" and expressed his displeasure with the company's response.
As a result of some of the people who contacted him, the Alliance MLA claimed he thought the disruption extended beyond Kilkeel, Ballymartin, and Annalong.
In order to make a call on his mobile phone, one businessman complained that he had to "drive from Kilkeel to Rostrevor," Mr. Brown said.
Diane Forsythe, a DUP MLA, has spoken with Ofcom, the communications watchdog, about the problem.
In the impacted areas, O2 announced to BBC News NI that the company was expanding its 4G capacity and deploying 5G services.
In a statement, the business stated that it was working to upgrade its network and improve connectivity for customers in Ballymartin, Annalong, and Kilkeel.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. "While we deliver these upgrades, some customers may experience disruption.
The company claims that the upgrade work has no impact on broadband services.
O2 claimed that it sent letters to affected customers on January 27 and that it also texts alerts to those who live in upgrade-affected areas.
The disruption "seems to have come as a shock" to many people in south Down, according to Mr. Brown.
The MLA continued, "I'm not convinced those texts were sent out to all the people in the affected areas.
On his Facebook page, he posted the following: "At the very least, customers should be given a refund for the time their service was down, but if you have been negatively impacted in other ways, particularly if you are a business customer, you can and should push for compensation as well.
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