(Image credit: DownDetector)
As of 12:59PM EST, about 10,000 people were reporting an AT&T service disruption on DownDetector, which backs up AT&T’s statement that the company had restored a substantial portion of its network by the early afternoon on the east coast.
2024-02-22T18:09:40.052Z
AT&T just issued a new statement on the widespread network outage that has taken down tens of thousands of customers’ wireless service, as reported to DownDetector and other monitoring sites.
At 11:15AM EST, an update was posted on AT&T’s website that says: “Some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning. Our network teams took immediate action and so far three-quarters of our network has been restored. We are working as quickly as possible to restore service to remaining customers.”
AT&T’s site for network help is… down
(Image credit: AT&T)
Somewhat fittingly, the website that AT&T is now pointing affected customers towards for updates is now down – most likely from a surge of clicks.
On X (formerly Twitter), AT&T is telling customers looking for more info on today’s cellphone issues to go to: http://go.att.com/networkupdate
Unfortunately, this is giving us an error message, but hopefully it’ll be back soon.
2024-02-22T16:37:36.055Z
Will AT&T customers be compensated?
(Image credit: AT&T)
If you’re one of the many unfortunate people to be hit by AT&T’s outages today, you may be wondering if (and how) you’ll be able to get compensated for the lack of service.
Well, the company’s social media team (below) has stated that “AT&T will be making the necessary adjustments for the missing service due to this inconvenience once the issue is totally fixed.”
What isn’t yet clear is if this process will be automatic or if you’ll need to report the issues. We’re confirming that with AT&T, but for now you can find the company’s customer care numbers on its Wireless Support page and also check for known outages on AT&T’s outages page .
The issues have been big enough for AT&T to post the banner above clarifying that it’s trying to fix them.
2024-02-22T16:02:06.137Z
(Image credit: Downdetector)
Are the problems easing?
The number of outages reported on Downdetector for AT&T, Cricket Wireless and other networks are all trending downwards right now, which could be a cause for cautious optimism. Richard Young, a Verizon spokesperson, has also said that the AT&T-related issues are “close to being resolved”.
But we did also see signs of recovery earlier before another spike in reports, and Downdetector does also only track self-reported issues – which means it’s a useful, but not comprehensive, overview of what’s happening.
Still, let’s hope the outages have peaked, and we look forward to seeing a more positive statement from AT&T that goes beyond stating that it’s “working urgently to restore service” (which is still it’s last official word on the problems).
What’s causing the outages?
AT&T’s official statement to us below doesn’t contain any information about the “nationwide network incident” that its social media team posted about on X (formerly Twitter). What could that be referring to?
Some wilder speculation has pointed to possible interference from recent solar flares, one of which peaked today at 1:32am ET according to NASA . But a more likely explanation is more humdrum network problems.
Lee McKnight, associate professor in the iSchool at Syracuse University , told us: “The most likely cause is a cloud misconfiguration. Which is a fancy word for saying human error. I was reviewing this exact issue in class yesterday” he said.
Meanwhile, an anonymous industry source similarly told CNN that the issue is likely down to peering, which is how cellphone services hand off calls from one network to the next. Still, right now, this is all just speculation until we get an official explanation from AT&T and others.
2024-02-22T15:28:16.574Z
AT&T admits there’s a “nationwide network incident”
(Image credit: X)
AT&T has gone a bit further than its previously conservative social media posts on the X (formerly Twitter) post above.
It states that there’s “a nationwide network incident impacting multiple services”, with Cricket Wireless (which is owned by AT&T) hoping to “restore service to full capacity as quickly and safely as possible”.
While no official theories have been offered by AT&T on what’s causing the issues, a “nationwide network incident” gives us an idea.
Meanwhile, AT&T has now told us that “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.”
2024-02-22T15:07:32.358Z
(Image credit: Future)
ATT knows there’s a problem
While ATT has yet to issue a formal statement on its growing network problem, it’s finally responding to customer complaints on X (formerly Twitter).
When ATT customer “It’s_Kahleaa” posted on X “I just want to text my mom @ATT”, the service quickly replied with an apology and added, “some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning. We are working urgently to restore service to them.”
It also recommended she use Wi-Fi calling until service is restored. That last bit of advice is useful. Many people forget that their providers often support Wi-Fi calling. They could also use FaceTime or a similar Internet-based video service to make a connection.
2024-02-22T14:58:25.744Z
(Image credit: Future)
Verizon: Verizon’s network is operating normally
When reached for comment by TechRadar, a Verizon representative gave us this statement:
“Verizon’s network is operating normally. Some customers experienced issues this morning when calling or texting with customers served by another carrier. We are continuing to monitor the situation.”
That comment does indicate that there were issues but not how widespread, nor the cause. Worth noting, though, that they are monitoring the situation. And as we noted earlier, Verizon is responding to customer complaints on social media.
2024-02-22T14:52:43.196Z
(Image credit: Future)
Verizon is talking to customers
No doubt the level of Verizon issues is far less than those being reported by ATT customers, but even if Verizon is not speaking publicly about these nationwide outages, it is hearing from its customers, and starting to respond.
Verizon customers on X (formerly Twitter) are now complaining their service is out and that some phones are reporting “SOS,” which means there’s no network.
Verizon’s replies are pretty lighthearted at the moment, with no indication that there are any larger issues. In one case, a Verizon representative named Andi wrote: “We know that dealing with service issues can be frustrating, but we are here to help. Can you share more with us about what you are experiencing?”
This was similar to another response where the Verizon rep asked the customer to describe what they were experiencing. We could help: They’re experiencing an outage and want to know what’s up.
2024-02-22T13:55:24.807Z
AT&T technicians working “round the clock”
As #attdown starts to trend on X (formerly Twitter), AT&T’s inundated social media crew are starting becoming a little forthcoming in their replies to frustrated customers (see below).
While the previous guidance was to direct message the AT&T account on X, some replies are now acknowledging that “there’s an outage in your area” and that “technicians are working round the clock to get this fixed”.
The problems started over five hours ago now, so let’s hope that doesn’t mean it’ll take another five hours to fix them.
2024-02-22T13:39:57.758Z
The latest graph on DownDetector (above) shows over 70,000 reports of issues from AT&T customers, with 41% saying “no signal”. But has that spike now peaked? Let’s hope so. (Image credit: DownDetector)
The networks start to respond
AT&T has now acknowledged the issue, according to CNN . An AT&T spokesperson said in a 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 Wi-Fi calling until service is restored.”
Meanwhile, Verizon and T-Mobile have apparently denied that they have any issues, despite reports to the contrary on Downdetector. A T-Mobile statement, again given to CNN, claimed “we did not experience an outage”, while Verizon said that “Verizon’s network is operating normally”.
Apparently, Verizon’s issues have mainly be reported when customers had issues calling or texting friends on “another carrier”. It’s fairly obvious that this other carrier is AT&T, though on Downdetector Verizon and T-Mobile both still have around 4,000 and 2,000 customer reports respectively of issues, some of which say they’re getting “no signal”.
2024-02-22T13:11:59.647Z
(Image credit: @teddysf)
A recap of the network outage
Just woken up to find your cell phone service looking something like the above? Here’s what we know so far.
The biggest hit network appears to be AT&T, with reports of issues starting at around 3.30am ET on Downdetector – this number has now gone over 64,000 reports, with the hotspots being Houston, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta (see map below). Cricket Wireless, which is owned by AT&T, has also just hit over 12,000 reports of outages .
While customers on those two networks are undoubtedly the worst hit, Verizon and T-Mobile are also showing spikes in reports of ‘no signal’ and ‘mobile internet’ issues. These problems all started at around the same time (3.30am ET) and in similar cities, with Houston, Chicago and Dallas again being the source of complaints on Verizon and T-Mobile.
We’re expecting to get some official comment from AT&T and other networks soon, as these issues don’t appear to be going away.
(Image credit: Downdetector)
2024-02-22T12:50:36.828Z
Emergency services post about the outages
The AT&T outages are so widespread that some emergency services have started posting guidance in some of the worst-hit areas. The San Francisco Fire Department published the below on X (formerly Twitter), stating that its 911 center is still operational and that it’s monitoring the situation.
Meanwhile, an official Facebook page for Powell County in Kentucky has stated that it’s currently juggling a power outage and the AT&T cellphone issues, which are preventing customers from calling 911. Let’s hope both of those get sorted soon.
2024-02-22T12:36:41.809Z
No official comment from AT&T – yet
So far, we haven’t had any official comment from AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile about the network outages that are continuing to hit many customers, but we’ll continue to chase them up.
On social media, AT&T are acknowledging individual complaints (below) but asking customers to DM them for a resolution. Hopefully we’ll get a broader official update soon about what’s causing the problems and an estimate of timescales.
Because the issues appear to be getting worse, according to Downdetector , particularly on AT&T, which has now peaked at over 50,000 complaints.
2024-02-22T12:25:42.769Z
The reports of outages keep coming
Our US Editor-in-chief Lance Ulanoff has posted about the outages on X (below) and is getting some more live info on where the main hotspots are.
Again, it’s AT&T customers that appear to be the worst hit, with the network seemingly still down in Austin, Western Connecticut, Florida and Texas. There are some anecdotal signs of recovery on T-Mobile, but its DownDetector graph of reported issues is still on the rise.
2024-02-22T12:12:09.281Z
(Image credit: DownDetector)
AT&T the hardest hit
Welcome to this liveblog on the major cell phone network outage that’s mainly hitting AT&T, but also Verizon, T-Mobile and some of their related MVNOs (mobile virtual network operator) like Cricket Wireless and FirstNet.
As you can see above from DownDetector, this biggest hit appears to be AT&T – with the number of reported outages from frustrated customers spiraling upwards towards 40,000. The problems started at around 3.38am ET and are mainly hitting Chicago, Houston, Dallas and Atlanta, though many more cities are also affected.
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