Thousands of AT&T customers face cell service and internet outages, affecting even emergency calls to 911

By Marlene Lenthang nbcnews

AT&T telephone company networks suffered a massive outage across the country Thursday morning, disrupting cell phone and Internet service, according to monitoring site DownDetector.

Some Verizon and T-Mobile customers also reported outages, although they appeared to have a less widespread impact than AT&T’s.

AT&T customers reported more than 32,000 power outages around 4 a.m. (East Coast time). Three hours later, after the drop, they had increased to more than 50,000, with most of the problems recorded in Houston and Dallas (Texas); Chicago, Illinois); Los Angeles, California); and Atlanta (Georgia), according to the website.

Number of deductions exceeded 71,000 Shortly before 8 a.m. Additionally, more than 1,100 T-Mobile outages and nearly 3,000 Verizon outages were reported as of 7 a.m. ET.

It is unclear what is causing these service interruptions. AT&T reported: “Some of our customers are experiencing disruptions in wireless service. Our network teams responded immediately and three-fourths of the network has been restored so far. “We are working as quickly as possible to restore service to remaining customers.”

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Verizon said Thursday morning that the outage does not impact its network, but is causing problems for customers wanting to communicate with other carriers. T-Mobile also said that its network has not experienced any outages and is operating normally, and that the number of reported outages is likely due to users trying to contact other carriers. represents the customers.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said it was in contact with AT&T, but did not say whether there were signs of a cyberattack. “CISA is aware of the reports and we are working closely with AT&T to understand the cause of the outage and its impacts, and we will offer any necessary assistance,” Eric Goldstein, the agency’s deputy executive director, said in an emailed statement. Are ready to do.” For cyber security.

The outages are especially worrisome because some people can’t call 911 in an emergency.

The San Francisco Fire Department reported on its social media account Landline. If this is not an option, please try contacting a friend or family member who is a subscriber to a different operator and ask them to call on your behalf.”

Chicago Office of Emergency Management, Prince William County Police Department (in Virginia), and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (in North Carolina) informed the public about the outage on social media, saying some customers were unable to contact 911.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement that the city is gathering information to help solve the problem. “Atlanta 911 can receive incoming and outgoing calls. “We have received calls from AT&T customers that their cell phones are in SOS mode,” Dickens said.