AT&T experienced a network outage affecting numerous customers across the United States on Thursday morning, rendering them unable to make calls, send texts, or access the internet. While Verizon and T-Mobile customers also reported some network issues, they seemed less extensive. Both T-Mobile and Verizon asserted that their networks were not impacted by AT&T's service disruption, suggesting that customers reporting outages may have encountered difficulties connecting with those using AT&T.
AT&T has acknowledged a widespread outage but has not disclosed the cause of the system failure. In a statement, AT&T mentioned, "Some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning. We are working urgently to restore service to them," and encouraged the use of Wi-Fi calling until full service is reinstated. While certain parts of the network are starting to recover, AT&T has not provided a specific timeframe for the complete restoration of its system. The company is actively addressing customer complaints online and has requested users to send direct messages to customer service for assistance.
Why AT&T Experienced an Outage
AT&T has faced intermittent outages in recent days, including a temporary 911 outage in certain parts of the southeastern United States. Although occasional outages are not uncommon, nationwide and prolonged disruptions are extremely rare.
While AT&T has not officially disclosed the cause of the outage, an industry source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, suggests that the issue may be related to the process of how cellular services transfer calls between networks, known as peering.
There is no indication that Thursday's outage resulted from a cyberattack or other malicious activities, as mentioned by the industry source.
Verizon indicates that the nationwide outage affecting AT&T customers is close to resolution, according to Richard Young, a Verizon spokesman.
Carriers typically remain tight-lipped about the reasons behind network outages. Previous instances include construction accidents leading to cut fiberoptic cables, incidents of sabotage, or network updates with bugs that prove challenging to revert.
Local governments have reported disruptions due to the AT&T outage. San Francisco's Department of Emergency Management stated that its 911 center remained operational, but many AT&T customers were unable to reach the emergency line. Similar reports were made by various other local authorities, advising alternative methods for contacting emergency services.
New York Police Department officials mentioned difficulties in making calls or using emails on AT&T phones without Wi-Fi connectivity. The Massachusetts State Police cautioned against testing phone service by placing unnecessary 911 calls.
An AT&T spokesman noted that the company's FirstNet network, designed for first responders, remained operational. This network is promoted as more robust than the commercial network and serves police, fire departments, and first responders during natural disasters.
Verizon and T-Mobile reported about 1,000 outages, but both companies stated that their networks were operating normally. T-Mobile suggested that reports of an outage were likely challenges faced by its customers in connecting to users on other networks.
Downdetector, a website offering real-time status information for various services worldwide, played a role in tracking and reporting these outages.
This is an ongoing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. Contributions to this report were made by CNN's Caroll Alvarado and John Miller.
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