AT&T experienced a widespread network outage, leaving many customers across the United States without phone service, text messaging, or internet access.
Driving the news: While Verizon and T-Mobile customers also reported some network outages, they appeared to be less extensive. T-Mobile and Verizon stated that their networks were unaffected by AT&T’s outage and suggested that customers may have had difficulty reaching AT&T users.
- Over 74,000 AT&T customers reported outages on the digital-service tracking site DownDetector, with disruptions starting around 4 am ET. By late morning, about 25,000 customers were still reporting outages.
- AT&T acknowledged the widespread outage but did not provide a reason for the system failure. The company stated that they were working urgently to restore service and encouraged the use of Wi-Fi calling in the meantime.
- AT&T’s network issues have also affected local governments, disrupting emergency services such as 911 calls in several areas.
- The exact cause of the outage was not officially disclosed, although an industry source suggested it might be related to how cellular services handle call handoffs between networks.
- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is likely to investigate the incident, as carriers are required to report information about network disruptions. Fines may be possible, especially if there were 911 outages involved.
