Tens of thousands of AT&T customers woke up to disrupted services this morning, with reports flooding in for home phone, internet, and mobile phone outages, according to data from Downdetector.
The issues began surfacing just before 3:30 a.m. ET, as depicted on Downdetector’s outage tracking graph. A significant portion of affected users, 54%, highlighted problems with mobile phone services. Among them, more than a third reported a complete lack of signal, while 8% noted mobile internet downtime.
Expressing frustration, one user on Downdetector remarked, “Should get a stimulus check for this,” while another shared, “I lost my cell service at 5:56 a.m. EST! I was in the middle of working when I lost it.”
In response to inquiries, AT&T acknowledged the disruptions, 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,” in a statement to Fox Business.
By 9:30 a.m. ET, over 74,000 AT&T users had registered complaints with Downdetector, with most affected locations concentrated in the southern and southeastern United States.
Coinciding with the AT&T outage, Downdetector also recorded a spike in reported T-Mobile outages around 4 a.m. ET. However, T-Mobile refuted experiencing an outage, attributing the reported challenges to connectivity issues across networks.
Verizon, on the other hand, clarified that its network was operating normally but acknowledged that some customers encountered difficulties when trying to reach AT&T subscribers.
In a subsequent update, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in Florida informed the public that affected AT&T users were now able to send texts to 911, offering an alternative in case of emergencies.
The widespread disruption underscores the vulnerability of modern communication networks, prompting affected users to seek alternative means of connectivity and communication until services are fully restored.
