Following a widespread outage that affected AT&T customers, the carrier has announced that service has been restored.
Customers of numerous U.S. cell service providers reported outages and other service problems early Thursday morning, according to the website Downdetector.com, which tracks such reports. AT&T had the most by far, with tens of thousands of customers telling Downdetector they had no service.
Some T-Mobile, Verizon, UScellular, and Consumer Cellular customers experienced issues, though not as many. T-Mobile and Verizon stated that their networks were working, but some customers may face difficulties when contacting those on a different network.
According to Downdetector, the notifications about AT&T service disruptions began at approximately 4 a.m. EST. They then decreased for about two hours before increasing again and reaching a total of 60,000 notifications at 11 a.m. EST.
The issue has been resolved.
AT&T announced on its website that wireless service has been reinstated for all impacted customers. The company extends its sincerest apologies to these customers and emphasizes that maintaining their connectivity is of utmost importance. Measures are being implemented to prevent similar disruptions in the future.
The company explained that the outage on Thursday evening was caused by a software malfunction.
According to our preliminary examination, we are of the opinion that the recent service interruption was a result of an erroneous procedure being implemented during our network expansion, and not due to a cyber attack. Our team is currently evaluating the situation to ensure uninterrupted service for our valued customers.
Authorities: Do not use 911 to check your phone’s functionality.
Earlier today, certain officials advised against dialing 911 to check phone functionality.
“Numerous 911 centers in the state are receiving an excessive amount of calls from individuals attempting to test the functionality of 911 on their cell phones. It is requested that this action is avoided,” stated the Massachusetts State Police on their previous Twitter account.
Similarly, the Office of Emergency Management & Communications in Chicago advised residents to take the same approach. They stated that on X, individuals in need of calling 911 should use a landline or seek assistance from someone who does not use AT&T as their service provider.
Certain cities faced challenges with their 911 emergency response system.
The San Francisco Fire Department announced on X that there is a problem affecting AT&T wireless users, preventing them from making or receiving phone calls, including emergency calls to 911. We are actively addressing and monitoring this issue. The San Francisco 911 center is still functioning.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina reported at 3:15 a.m. EST that there was a widespread AT&T cellphone outage. This caused a brief inability for customers to reach 9-1-1. However, the call center is still able to receive emergency calls and service is expected to resume soon.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in Florida announced on X at 6:43 a.m. EST that they are now receiving texts to 911 from AT&T users who have been affected. If you are unable to make a phone call in case of an emergency, you can now send a text message to 911.
SEPTA, the transportation system for Philadelphia and its surrounding areas, announced on X that due to communication issues with AT&T, there may be delays on some trains. However, all trains are currently running on time or with minimal delays.
AT&T outage
As of Thursday at 8 a.m. ET, Downdetector received over 60,000 notifications of service disruptions from customers of AT&T. The majority of grievances were centered around issues with their mobile devices or wireless connection.
According to Downdetector, the cities with the most outages were Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Louisville, Miami, and San Antonio.
Verizon
Verizon reported to CBS News that their network is currently functioning without any problems. However, certain customers may have encountered difficulties earlier today when attempting to make calls or send texts to individuals with a different carrier. The company stated that they are actively monitoring the situation.
T-Mobile
According to a representative from T-Mobile, there were no reports of an outage and their network was functioning as usual.
The spokesperson stated that the issues reported on Downdetector were most likely due to difficulties our customers faced while trying to connect with users on different networks.
UScellular
UScellular stated to CBS News that their network was functioning normally.
“We have been made aware of a disturbance that may affect UScellular subscribers who are trying to use roaming or make calls to customers of a different carrier,” stated the company.
Instructions for activating Wi-Fi calling
AT&T suggests that their customers can still make phone calls by utilizing wireless internet, even if they do not have cellular service.
To activate Wi-Fi calling on an iPhone, navigate to “settings,” then “phone,” and select “Wi-Fi” calling. According to Apple, you may be prompted to verify or input your address for emergency services.
When viewing the control center, you will notice “Wi-Fi” displayed in the status bar. This indicates that your phone is utilizing the wireless internet connection available in your home or workplace to place calls.
According to Google, to enable Wi-Fi calling on Android devices, open the phone app and select “more settings.” Then, choose “calls” and select “Wi-Fi calling.” If this option is not available, it means your carrier does not offer it.
What is the meaning of SOS on my phone?
Several customers have stated that they have encountered an “SOS” alert on their iPhones.
According to Apple, this may occur when cellular service is not widely accessible. However, your phone is informing you that it will still function for emergency calls.
Source: cbsnews.com