22 February 2024 , 20:32
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Beleaguered network AT&T have managed to restore service after a day of outages hitting customers.
An update from the provider at 2:10 pm CT (8.10pm GMT) assured frustrated users that service had been restored. They also apologised to tthose affected.
It read: "We have restored wireless service to all our affected customers. We sincerely apologize to them. Keeping our customers connected remains our top priority, and we are taking steps to ensure our customers do not experience this again in the future."
The outages with AT&T peaked at more than 58,000 outages at around 11am CT (5pm GMT), in locations including Houston, Atlanta and Chicago. The outages, which began at approximately 2:30 a.m. ET (8.30am GMT), peaked at around 73,000 reported incidents. The carrier has more than 240 million subscribers, the country’s largest.
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AT&T wasn't the only network hit (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Some AT&T iPhone customers saw SOS messages displayed in the status bar on their cellphones. The message indicates that the device is having trouble connecting to their cellular provider’s network, but it can make emergency calls through other carrier networks, according to Apple Support.
It wasn't just AT&T affected but Cricket Wireless, Verizon, T-Mobile and other service providers were also hit, according to data from Downdetector.
“Verizon’s network is operating normally. Some customers experienced issues this morning when calling or texting with customers served by another carrier. We are continuing to monitor the situation,” Verizon said.
T-Mobile said that it did not experience an outage.
AT&T is one of the most used in the US (Getty Images)“Our network is operating normally. Down Detector is likely reflecting challenges our customers were having attempting to connect to users on other networks,” T-Mobile said.
Some iPhone users have seen SOS messages displayed in the status bar on their cellphones. The message indicates that the device is having trouble connecting to their cellular provider’s network, but it can make emergency calls through other carrier networks, according to Apple Support.
So far, no reason has been given for the outages. But Lee McKnight, an associate professor in the iSchool at Syracuse University, believes the most likely cause of the outage is a cloud misconfiguration, or human error.
“A possible but far less likely outcome is an intentional malicious hack of ATT’s network, but the diffuse pattern of outages across the country suggests something more fundamental,” McKnight said in an emailed statement.