No connection: Some AT&T wireless service customers were met with connectivity difficulties Thursday morning. The largest mobile carrier in the US (and the fourth-largest telecom company in the world by revenue) acknowledged the issue and is actively working to restore connectivity.
An unspecified number of AT&T customers are currently experiencing a significant service problem with the company's mobile network. The outage began this morning, leading users to express their frustration on the company's official community forums, Reddit, and other social channels. The issue is widespread, affecting people across the US.
Users report that voice and data services over the mobile network are not functioning, and some are having difficulties reaching 911 emergency services. The situation prompted AT&T's official community service to acknowledge the problem, confirming that "some" of its customers were facing wireless service interruptions.
AT&T has acknowledged the importance of "staying connected with the network" and is working "urgently" to restore service to affected customers. The company's service outage information page contains a brief note about the ongoing connectivity issue, and users can check for problems in their local area through the "Find outage" box available on the page.
AT&T took its time to confirm the outage, posting a direct message on the official forums after several hours. While similar issues were initially reported for other wireless carriers, Verizon and T-Mobile later confirmed that their networks were operating as usual. The confusion may arise from the fact that customers of third-party carriers are having difficulties reaching people with AT&T, who are indeed affected by the actual outage.
Individuals working with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), an independent authority overseeing an interoperable public safety network built by AT&T, are also experiencing connectivity issues. This affects many healthcare workers, with some doctors unable to use the network to reach nurses or patients, and vice versa.
As highlighted by The Verge, network outages of this magnitude aren't so common anymore among major US carriers, but a connectivity issue preventing people from reaching emergency services is concerning. For the time being, AT&T is encouraging its affected customers to use Wi-Fi calling (when possible) if they need to reach someone over the network.