Widespread AT&T Cell Outage Impacts Users Nationwide
On Thursday morning, a significant cellphone outage impacted customers across the United States, with AT&T users experiencing the most extensive disruption. The issue, which began after 3 a.m. ET, resulted in about 74,000 AT&T customers reporting service interruptions at its peak. Reports on Downdetector indicated that the number of complaints had decreased to approximately 40,000 by noon ET, with most issues related to mobile phones or wireless service.
Other major carriers, including Verizon and T-Mobile, also faced service issues, although they were less affected. The outages caused particular concern for emergency services, with disruptions reported at 911 centers and law enforcement officials advising against calling 911 for phone tests.
The underlying cause of the network outages remains unidentified, leaving room for speculation and concern among public figures. Senator Marco Rubio cited the event as a minor precursor to potential larger-scale threats, such as a cyber attack, which could target critical infrastructure. FBI Director Christopher Wray had previously issued warnings about such threats to U.S. infrastructure. Despite the challenges posed by the outage, service providers have been working to restore connectivity, and by late morning, many customers saw improvements in their service.
