On February 22, 2024, a massive AT&T outage affected millions of devices and blocked over 92 million voice calls along with 25,000 attempts to reach 911 call centers. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently released a report on the incident, shedding light on its cause and impact.
AT&T initially attributed the outage to an incorrect process used during network expansion, ruling out a cyberattack. The FCC’s report highlighted key findings and recommendations to prevent similar outages in the future. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel emphasized the importance of reliable wireless service, especially during emergencies.
Key points from the report include:
– The outage impacted users across all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
– Voice and 5G data services were unavailable for AT&T customers as well as users from other wireless providers roaming on AT&T’s network.
– It took AT&T approximately 12 hours to fully restore service after implementing a network change error.
– Public safety personnel using the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) were affected by the outage.
– The incident was caused by a network change with an equipment configuration error.
The report underscores the importance of adhering to internal procedures and industry best practices when implementing network changes. Network operators must have sufficient controls in place to prevent errors from escalating and disrupting operations.
The FCC has referred this matter to the Enforcement Bureau for potential violations of FCC rules. Additionally, they are investigating a recent consumer data breach at AT&T in collaboration with law enforcement agencies.
In summary, a network update led to the widespread outage that affected millions of users nationwide. Stay tuned for more updates on how companies like AT&T are working to prevent similar incidents in the future.
