Outage Surge and Affected Areas
Reports of the cellular outage surged on Thursday, with data from outage tracking website Downdetector.com indicating a sharp increase in outage reports, particularly around 2:00 pm (IST). AT&T, the prominent telecom provider, witnessed a significant spike in outage reports, reaching 31,931 around 4:30 am (ET), as reported by CBS.
Verizon users reported over 3,000 service outages, while T-Mobile and Boost Mobile faced more than 1,000 and 450 outages, respectively. Cricket Wireless, another major player, recorded a staggering 11,000 outages. The disruption affected key locations, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Brooklyn, and Houston.
Emergency Services Impacted
A concerning aspect of the outage is the reported inability to dial 911 for emergency services, exacerbating the crisis. Emergency responders, such as San Francisco’s fire department, took to social media to alert citizens about the issue affecting AT&T wireless customers. The disruption hindered people’s ability to make and receive phone calls, prompting authorities to advise AT&T customers to use alternative carriers or landlines for emergency calls.
Telecom Companies’ Responses
While the telecom companies acknowledged the issue, the exact cause of the disruption remains unclear. T-Mobile disputed claims of an outage, suggesting that challenges users faced may have been related to connecting with users on different networks. AT&T acknowledged the wireless service interruptions and urged customers to use Wi-Fi calling until the service is fully restored.
We are aware of an issue impacting AT&T wireless customers from making and receiving any phone calls (including to 911).
We are actively engaged and monitoring this.
The San Francisco 911 center is still operational.
If you are an AT&T customer and cannot get through to 911,… pic.twitter.com/TUIEBkqmkI
— SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) February 22, 2024
Verizon stated that its network was operating normally, attributing some customer issues to interactions with users on other carriers.
Nationwide Impact and Social Media Response
The outage extended its impact to various telecom providers, including UScellular, Cricket Wireless, and Boost Mobile, affecting users nationwide. Social media platforms became a venting ground for frustrated users, sharing memes and expressing their concerns hilariously. Amidst the disruption, some AT&T customers feared a disconnection due to missed payments, emphasizing the widespread impact and uncertainty.
Emergency Services’ Vigilant Response
As emergency services, particularly 911, faced disruptions, the San Francisco Fire Department actively addressed the issue, reassuring the public of their vigilance and commitment to mitigating the effects of the outage. The response aimed to keep citizens informed and provide a sense of security during this critical time.
FAQs:
What is the difference between AT&T and T-Mobile?
In terms of download speeds, T-Mobile outperforms AT&T on both 4G LTE and 5G networks. If you are using a 4G phone with T-Mobile, you can experience significantly faster average speeds compared to AT&T. Moreover, T-Mobile achieves 5G speeds that are, on average, more than twice as fast as those offered by AT&T.
Who is Verizon owned by?
Verizon Communications was established on June 30, 2000, through the merger of Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp., marking one of the most significant mergers in U.S. business history. The evolution and growth of GTE and Bell Atlantic occurred over several decades, involving numerous mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures.
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