On Thursday morning, AT&T experienced widespread outages across the country, leaving many customers without cellular service and internet access. According to the tracking site Downdetector, over 32,000 AT&T outages were reported by customers around 4 a.m. ET, with the number spiking to more than 50,000 by 7 a.m. ET and surging to over 71,000 just before 8 a.m. ET.
Reports of outages also surfaced from some Verizon and T-Mobile customers, although both companies clarified that the issues primarily affected those trying to contact AT&T users. Downdetector indicated over 1,100 T-Mobile outages and approximately 3,000 Verizon outages as of 7 a.m. Thursday.
The cause of the service disruption remains unclear, but AT&T acknowledged the issue, stating, “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 Wi-Fi calling until service is restored.”
Concerns were raised about the potential impact on emergency services, as some individuals reported difficulty reaching 911. San Francisco’s Fire Department and other emergency response agencies advised affected AT&T customers to use landlines or contact someone on a different carrier if they were unable to reach emergency services.
In response to the outage, various government agencies and officials, including the Massachusetts State Police, urged the public not to test their phone service by placing unnecessary 911 calls, as it could overwhelm emergency call centers.
Verizon and T-Mobile stated that their networks were operating normally and that the outages reported by some customers were likely due to difficulties reaching AT&T users.
While AT&T’s FirstNet network, which serves first responders, remained operational throughout the outage, the company did not provide a timeline for when its commercial network would be fully restored.
The incident highlights the importance of maintaining reliable communication infrastructure and the potential challenges of transitioning away from traditional landline services. As AT&T and other carriers work to upgrade their networks, ensuring uninterrupted service for consumers and emergency responders remains a critical priority.