U.S. wireless providers are experiencing outages this Thursday morning, as reported by DownDetector. The website shows complaints from AT&T, Cricket, Verizon, and T-Mobile subscribers about service disruptions. Even AT&T’s FirstNet service for first responders has been affected. Some areas still have access to 911 services via cellphones. The outages all began just before 5 am ET (2 am PT).
Smaller MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) that rely on services from major carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile are also down. While there is concern about a possible cyberattack, there is no evidence yet to support this theory.
The number of complaints on DownDetector from AT&T subscribers skyrocketed from 11 at 3:18 am ET to over 32,000 by 4:33 am. The complaints included issues with mobile phone service (56%), lack of signal (35%), and inability to access mobile internet (8%). The outages have been reported in various cities including Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, and San Francisco.
T-Mobile subscribers also reported problems with signal and internet access in several cities including Los Angeles, Houston, New York City, and Miami.
Similarly, Verizon subscribers experienced difficulties with their mobile phones and home internet service in locations such as Chicago and New York City.
If you’re unable to send a text message through your wireless provider in the U.S., make sure your phone is connected to Wi-Fi that is not associated with a wireless carrier. If your recipient is also connected to non-carrier Wi-Fi, you should be able to communicate.
A user on “X” summed up the feelings of many Americans without wireless service at the moment: “This is crazy it’s a whole #outage going on in the US and a lot of people can’t text or call anybody only number you can call is 911 .. this is unusual and scary.”
This story is still developing and will be updated as more information becomes available. Keep checking back for the latest updates.
