A vast internet outage has left many across the US without access to their networks.
AT&T said it was working “urgently” to fix the problems, but that it could not say when they were back. While AT&T was the most widely affected, users of other providers including Verizon and T-Mobile reported issues with their phones.
Those companies however said that their network was acting as normal. The issues were probably the result of Verizon and T-Mobile customers trying to call those on AT&T, the company suggested.
Teaching website Down Detector also registered problems at other online services including Google and Apple Support. But that too was probably at least partly a result of Down Detector’s automated systems registering complaints about phone service.
The primary issues appeared to relate to phone calls. Emergency services urged customers to try through a landline if they were having problems, and AT&T suggested that people could try WiFi calling, which allows phone calls and texts to be sent over the internet.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, vast numbers of customers sent messages to AT&T pleading for their service to be restored – with some suggesting they should receive some credit back for the outage.
“We understand how critical it is to remain in touch,” AT&T told customers. “We regret to inform you that some of our customers are having trouble with their wireless service this morning.
“We are doing our best to get their service back up and running as soon as possible.”
On its website, AT&T also advised that the outage was leading to “long hold times” as customers called up to find out what was happening. “We apologize for this inconvenience and we are working to resolve this issue,” it said.