Utilizing the English language, the main focus keyphrase being “AT&T outage” and “cell service.”
AT&T Outage and Cell Service Disruption in 2021
In 2021, a notice was displayed in front of an AT&T retail store in San Rafael, Calif., signaling a disruption in cell service.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A sign is posted in front of an AT&T retail store in 2021 in San Rafael, Calif.
AT&T has confirmed the full restoration of cellphone service to numerous customers affected by the recent outage that caused signal loss overnight, leading to concerns about disruptions to 911 dispatches.
The FBI, in a statement on Thursday afternoon, mentioned being in communication with AT&T regarding the network outage. Any potential malicious activities will be addressed promptly.
Addressing reporters on Thursday, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby acknowledged the outage. The FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Communications Commission are actively investigating the situation.
“But the bottom line is we don’t have all the answers,” Kirby emphasized.
Reports from downdetector.com indicated a sudden surge in outages around 3:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, with numbers peaking at over 73,000 by 8:20 a.m. ET.
Apologies for the Inconvenience
By late afternoon Eastern time, AT&T confirmed the restoration of cell service to all affected customers.
“We sincerely apologize for the AT&T outage experienced by our customers,” expressed the company in an email to NPR. “Ensuring continuous connectivity for our customers is our utmost priority, and we are implementing measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.”
Kirby noted that the Department of Commerce encountered some disruptions due to the AT&T outage, although these were not deemed “crippling.”
Earlier, Downdetector highlighted that Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Chicago, Indianapolis, New York, Miami, and Charlotte had the highest number of AT&T outage reports. By approximately 8:30 a.m. ET, Houston had over 2,000 reports, while New York had around 1,300.
Nevertheless, the AT&T outage caused concern on Thursday morning beyond these locations, with the San Francisco Fire Department alerting on X, formerly Twitter, about an issue affecting AT&T wireless customers’ ability to make and receive phone calls, including to 911.
Dealing with AT&T Outage and Cell Service Disruptions
The San Francisco 911 center remains operational amidst the AT&T outage. If you’re an AT&T customer experiencing difficulty reaching 911, consider using a landline. Alternatively, reach out to a friend or family member with a different carrier to make the emergency call on your behalf. Avoid testing your phone service by calling or texting 911 unnecessarily, as advised by the department.
In 2022, a survey by the National Center for Health Statistics revealed that a significant percentage of adults (71%) and children (82%) resided in wireless-only households. Even during a cellular service disruption, individuals can still make emergency calls or texts using their cellphones. However, phones without active service do not transmit the caller’s location to the 911 center, hindering the center’s ability to call back for more information in case of disconnection.
Jared Juliano, the assistant director at the Prince William County Department of Public Safety Communications in Virginia, mentioned that despite the lack of location information from AT&T phones during the outage, dispatchers always verify the caller’s location through other means.
Police in North Carolina’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg area reported a brief inability for customers to contact 911 during the AT&T outage. However, the call center’s capacity to receive 911 calls remained unaffected, ensuring that service would be restored promptly.
