Cell Service Outages Reported Across Multiple Providers

Early Thursday morning, customers of several major U.S. cell service providers began reporting outages, as indicated by reports on the website Downdetector.com, a platform dedicated to tracking such incidents. Among the affected providers, AT&T stood out with a significant number of complaints, with tens of thousands of customers indicating that they were experiencing service disruptions.

AT&T Most Affected, Thousands Report No Service

Primarily, AT&T users reported widespread service issues, with an escalating number of customers indicating service disruptions on Downdetector.com. The reports began surfacing around 4 a.m. EST, and although they seemed to subside momentarily after a couple of hours, they surged again, surpassing 60,000 complaints by 7:30 a.m. EST.

Cell phone outages today amongst multiple companies

Other Providers Also Impacted, but to a Lesser Extent

While AT&T bore the brunt of the reported outages, customers of other major carriers like T-Mobile, Verizon, UScellular, and Consumer Cellular also noted issues, albeit significantly fewer in number compared to AT&T.

Concerns Over Emergency Services

The outage not only affected regular communication but also posed concerns regarding emergency services. Some municipalities, such as the San Francisco area, reported difficulties with their 911 service. The San Francisco Fire Department acknowledged the issue in a post on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting the impact on AT&T wireless customers’ ability to make and receive phone calls, including calls to 911. Despite the challenges, emergency services assured the public that they were actively monitoring the situation, with 911 centers remaining operational amid the disruptions.