(Scypre.com) – On Thursday morning, a significant disruption hit AT&T’s network, leading to widespread outages that affected cellular and internet services across the United States. The issue was first highlighted by Downdetector, a website that tracks service outages, which reported a surge in complaints from AT&T customers starting around 4 a.m. Eastern Time (ET).
The initial reports indicated over 32,000 incidents of service interruption, with numbers escalating to more than 50,000 by 7 a.m. ET. The areas most impacted included major cities like Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. The situation worsened as the count of reported outages peaked at over 71,000 just before 8 a.m. ET.
In the wake of AT&T’s network troubles, customers of other telecom giants, Verizon and T-Mobile, also faced connectivity issues. However, both companies clarified that the difficulties encountered by their users were primarily due to attempts at reaching AT&T subscribers, suggesting a ripple effect across networks. By 7 a.m. ET, T-Mobile and Verizon reported approximately 1,100 and 3,000 outages, respectively.
The cause of this widespread service disruption remained unclear initially. AT&T addressed the problem on Thursday morning, acknowledging that “Some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning.” The company assured its customers that efforts were underway to swiftly restore service and recommended the use of Wi-Fi calling as a temporary solution.
AT&T’s response to the crisis extended to social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), where it engaged with customers reporting cellular service issues across the nation. Cricket Wireless, a subsidiary of AT&T that utilizes its network, similarly experienced service outages. Reports from Cricket Wireless customers reached over 13,500 by 8 a.m. ET, with the figures slightly declining to around 10,000 by 10 a.m. The prepaid service network addressed customer complaints on X, emphasizing that resolving the nationwide network incident was its utmost priority.
Verizon reassured its customers on Thursday morning that its network was not directly impacted by the outages, emphasizing that the connectivity issues were confined to attempts at reaching subscribers on other networks. T-Mobile echoed this sentiment, stating that its network was operating normally and suggesting that the Downdetector figures likely mirrored the attempts by its customers to connect with those on affected networks.
The outages raised significant concerns, particularly regarding the ability of affected individuals to reach emergency services like 911. Various public safety departments, including San Francisco’s Fire Department and emergency management offices in Chicago, Virginia’s Prince William County, and North Carolina’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg, issued advisories via X. They informed the public about the outage’s impact on AT&T customers’ ability to make and receive calls, including emergency calls to 911. These advisories underscored the operational status of 911 centers and provided alternative recommendations for reaching emergency services.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and authorities across several states urged the public to refrain from calling 911 for non-emergencies, such as testing cell service functionality. This appeal was in response to numerous reports of 911 centers being overwhelmed with calls from individuals attempting to verify if their cell phones could connect to emergency services.