| Stuart |
02-22-2024 11:51 AM |
Millions of AT&T customers across the US are unable to make or receive calls, send texts, or access the internet because of a major outage that occurred this morning.
According to tracking site Downdetector, outages were first reported around 3:30 a.m. ET. Customers attempting to place a call are greeted with an error message saying "Cellular network not available."
AT&T is the largest telecommunications company in the United States, accounting for a 47% market share of wireless subscriptions, or 241.5 million customers.
While millions of customers are affected and can't text, call, or access 5G internet, some AT&T customers report having text access, but can't make calls.
AT&T has acknowledged the issue, issuing this statement: "Some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning. We are working urgently to restore service to them. We encourage the use of WiFi calling until service is restored."Enabling Wi-Fi calling reportedly fixes the problem as long as you're connected to Wi-Fi, but many users were greeted with a spinning wheel and an eventual error message when they tried to turn on this feature, leaving them disconnected still.
The biggest concern is of course 911 emergency services. If you have text access, 10 states, including Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and South Dakota do allow citizens to text 911 in an emergency.
Some Verizon and T-Mobile customers have also reported issues, but those companies say their networks are fine, and issues are most likely tied to customers attempting to reach someone on the AT&T network.
There's no word on the cause of the outage, or when service should be restored. At this time, there's no indication that the outage is the result of a cyberattack or hack.
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