AT&T has successfully restored access to its mobile phone services after facing widespread outages on Thursday, Feb. 22, affecting tens of thousands of users across the United States.
Downdetector.com, a platform that tracks service interruptions, recorded reports of no service or signal from AT&T users starting from 04:00 EST (09:00 GMT).
In a statement, AT&T apologized to its customers for the inconvenience caused and confirmed that services were fully operational again by early afternoon. The company assured customers that steps are being taken to prevent similar incidents in the future, although the cause of the outage is still under investigation.
While AT&T experienced disruptions, other carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile reported normal operations. However, both companies acknowledged that some of their customers may have encountered service issues when attempting to communicate with AT&T users.
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According to Downdetector, AT&T received over 74,000 customer complaints at the peak of the outage, with the most affected regions being in the southern and eastern parts of the country. Additionally, small carriers such as Cricket Wireless, UScellular, and Consumer Cellular also reported service interruptions.
Complaints ranged from difficulties with calls, texts, and internet access, with many users experiencing complete loss of service or signal. Major population centers including Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta were among the areas with the highest number of reported outages.
In some instances, users also encountered challenges with accessing emergency services like 911. Officials recommended using landlines, social media, or cell phones from different carriers during emergencies.
The US government expressed concern over the widespread outage, with the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the US National Security Council actively investigating the incident. However, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency stated that there were no indications of malicious activity based on a confidential memo from earlier in the day. Eric Goldstein, the agency’s executive assistant director for cybersecurity, emphasized their readiness to assist AT&T in understanding the cause and impact of the outage.
