AT&T Experiences Widespread Outage, Impacting Tens of Thousands of Customers Across the U.S.

On Thursday morning, tens of thousands of AT&T customers reported widespread problems with their cell phone services, prompting concerns and inconveniences across the United States. The outage, reflected on a map, displayed the extent of its impact as customers from different regions experienced disruptions.

Additionally, customers from other networks also reported encountering issues. However, AT&T's rival carriers - Verizon, T-Mobile, and UScellular - confirmed that their networks remained operational. They suggested that the difficulties experienced by their users were likely related to reaching individuals on AT&T's network. By 11 a.m. ET, AT&T announced significant progress in the restoration of its network, with approximately three-quarters of its services operating as usual. The company reassured customers that they were working diligently to resolve the remaining service disruptions.

Root Cause of the Outage

By noon ET, reports from AT&T customers on Downdetector had decreased to around 40,000, down from a peak of over 70,000 reports. The majority of complaints centered around mobile phone and wireless service problems. The impact of the outages was particularly acute in cities such as Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Chicago, New York, Miami, Dallas, Atlanta, and Indianapolis, as indicated by data from Downdetector.

AT&T has not disclosed the specific cause behind the widespread service interruption. The outage, however, has had serious ramifications, including disruptions to 911 emergency services. Law enforcement officials noted instances where individuals were testing their phones by calling the emergency number, inundating 911 centers and impeding their ability to respond to genuine emergencies. Authorities urged the public to refrain from testing their phone's functionality in this manner.

Impact on Emergency Services

The impact of the outage on 911 centers has been significant, with reports of inundation from people attempting to verify the functionality of their cell phones. Massachusetts State Police emphasized the gravity of the situation, urging individuals not to overwhelm 911 centers with unnecessary test calls.