AT&T Network Troubles Cause Widespread Phone and Internet Outages in U.S.
At least five states across the country have reported problems, and thousands of consumers have reported their services are down.
AT&T's network has experienced massive outages across the United States this morning, leading to widespread outages for cell phone and internet services around the country. More than 73,000 AT&T customers reported outages on DownDetector, a website that allows users to report various services and website outages, but obviously that isn't comprehensive, since it requires internet access to be able to report your outage. There are also around 1,000 people on Verizon and T-Mobile who have apparently reported issues, but those companies say they aren't impacted by the AT&T outage. It seems likely the outages are either coincidental, or come from people who would ordinarily be "roaming" on the AT&T network, or trying to connect to someone using AT&T.
According to CNN, emergency services officials in at least five states reported either experiencing or receiving reports of outages, including AT&T customers who were unable to contact 911. At present, the recommendation is to either use a land line, or find someone to help you who doesn't use AT&T.
"Some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning. We are working urgently to restore service to them," AT&T said in a statement. "We encourage the use of Wi-Fi calling until service is restored."
A source told CNN that the outage appears to be related to how the network is (mis)handling a process called "peering," which relates to how the network transfers calls. CNN's source said it did not appear to be the result of a cyber attack or any other intentional event, although they otherwise declined to provide details or theories.
In their statement, Verizon said, "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." T-Mobile mirrored this sentiment, suggesting that users reporting T-Mobile outages to DownDetector and on social media were likely trying to connect with other users or services hosted on an affected [AT&T] network.