Widespread blackouts of cell service have been reported across the country from multiple carriers, provoking fears of a major cyberattack.
The website Down Detector is recording a surge in outage reports from users of AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Consumer Cellular, Boost Mobile, US Cellular, and Straight Talk.
The outage reports from across America started pouring in around 0345 ET.
Geographically, a vast number of the outages have been reported across some major U.S. cities.
Users of Down Detector began reporting AT&T outages around 0345 ET.
Downdetector users say AT&T outages are widespread across the southern part of the country.
Users of Down Detector began reporting Verizon outages around 0400 ET.
Verizon outages are concentrated in major Northeast metro areas.
Users of Down Detector began reporting T-Mobile outages around 0350 ET.
A cluster of Down Detector users report outages in New York City.
🚨🇺🇸UPDATE: WIDESPREAD CELL OUTAGE HITS THE U.S
In what could possibly be a cyber attack on the U.S, outages are being reported across multiple service providers including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and US Cellular.
Source: Downdetector https://t.co/TWZSnugiMF pic.twitter.com/irNlrOU5TC
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 22, 2024
In a statement, AT&T said: “Some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning.
“We are working urgently to restore service to them.
“We encourage the use of Wi-Fi calling until service is restored.”
The issue has left AT&T iPhone users stuck in SOS mode, meaning that users can only make calls to emergency services.
Cricket, which is also part of AT&T, reported having 11,000 users down, while 2,800 Verizon customers are experiencing outages, with a further 1,000 T-Mobile users reportedly also being affected.
However, the numbers provided by Down Detector are only based on users who have reported an outage to the site.
Some users on X have suggested that their entire cities are without service.
Service disruptions have been reported in New York, Boston, Washington, Montreal, Honolulu, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco.
The carrier has more than 240 million subscribers, the country’s largest.
On its website, AT&T has also said the company is “experiencing long hold times” and apologized for the inconvenience.
ATT cell customers have the highest number of no service but other carriers such as Cricket, Verizon, and TMobile are reporting lower number of outages. You can track the outages at https://t.co/5NRH26baXJ pic.twitter.com/l9tFNroHRq
— Jeff Oechslein (@JeffWTOV9) February 22, 2024
Nationwide, 911 operators have warned that the outage has impacted their ability to take calls.
San Francisco Fire Department issued a statement saying they had been made aware of the issue and urged citizens to try calling from a landline.
The department added: “If that is not an option then please try to get ahold of a friend or family member who is a customer of a different carrier and ask them to call 911 on your behalf.”
BREAKING: @CBSNewsTexas following reports of a widespread @ATT outage. Currently impacting cell phone users who are unable to make calls. Most reporting an "SOS" symbol on home screen. Phones need to be connected to WIFI in order to send/receive iMessages. pic.twitter.com/7Pfr3h3xdT
— Madison Sawyer (@MadisonSawyerTV) February 22, 2024
While Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said they had been unable to receive calls, text messages to 911 were being picked up.
The major cellphone companies have yet to make any statement regarding the outages.
It’s not clear what the cause of the problem is.
Despite this, AT&T agents have been responding to tweets from angered users over their lack of connectivity.
Other smaller providers including Boost Mobile, Consumer Cellular, and Straight Talk also reported similar outages.
WSB-TV in Atlanta reports that this is the second time in a week that the region’s Verizon customers have experienced an outage.
In Orlando, the city’s Fox affiliate confirmed that its reporters in the field were having trouble making contact.
While in Tampa, some users told WFLA that their phone service went out as early as 2 am.
Customers in New Orleans reported that while calling was impossible, texting appeared to be working.
On social media, customers raged at the company over the lack of service.
🚨🇺🇸NO COMMENT FROM AT&T ON CAUSE OF OUTAGE
People throughout the U.S continue to report problems with cell service across all three major networks, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
San Francisco Dept. of Emergency Management said they're aware of an issue preventing people from… https://t.co/ID6WGEKY0k pic.twitter.com/iUf5eSgjHe
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 22, 2024
Surprisingly, however, some networks are denying there is a problem.
A spokesperson for T-Mobile issued a statement saying:
“We did not experience an outage.
“Our network is operating normally.
“Down Detector is likely reflecting challenges our customers were having attempting to connect to users on other networks.”
Meanwhile, a Verizon spokesperson 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.”
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