Final Update 4:30am ET: According to CNN, AT&T has now resolved the “software issue” that caused outages across the country on Tuesday.
AT&T claims the outages were not nationwide, however, we here at The Mobile Report received numerous reports from customers in California, North Carolina, Texas, and elsewhere. It’s possible that what AT&T means by “nationwide” is “all customers”, in which case that may be true. However, a number of various (but not all) customers in multiple states all over the US were impacted.
There’s no clear answer as to what, specifically, the “software issue” that caused the outage was. We initially reported that a failure at a switching center was the root cause of the issue, but AT&T has since denied that claim.
All customers on AT&T should now be fully up and running once again.
Update 10pm ET: We’ve received the following statement from AT&T:
We are working to address a software issue that may affect the ability of a limited number of our customers to connect to our wireless network. Keeping our customers connected is our highest priority, so we appreciate their patience as we work to resolve this issue.
Update 9:45pm ET: According to sources, AT&T has upgraded the issue to “nationwide” and not just the southeast.
If you’ve glanced at your iPhone today and noticed the dreaded “SOS” or a Satellite icon in the top-right corner, you’re not alone. Thousands of AT&T subscribers across the country are experiencing widespread network outages, with many unable to make calls, send texts, or access data.
The outage, which has sparked a surge of reports on platforms like DownDetector, appears to be one of the most significant disruptions AT&T has faced in recent memory.
The Cause
Previously, sources claimed that internally the root cause of the issue stemmed from a critical failure at one of their switching centers, resulting in a cascade of problems including service delays, the inability to provision new SIM cards, and, for many, a complete loss of network connectivity. However, AT&T has denied these claims to us via email, and says the issue was a software issue that they are working to resolve.
We are working to address a software issue that may affect the ability of a limited number of our customers to connect to our wireless network. Keeping our customers connected is our highest priority, so we appreciate their patience as we work to resolve this issue.
The issue appears to primarily affect iPhones with both eSIM and physical SIM cards, though some users with other devices on eSIM are also reporting issues.
The sudden loss of service has left countless customers frustrated and disconnected, staring at their devices in confusion and concern. Over on Twitter, users are growing more and more frustrated, including with AT&T support, where users are saying everything, even automated bots, are timing out due to the influx of issues.
When customers are able to get through, AT&T has acknowledged the outage but offered little reassurance to its customers. Currently, there is no known workaround for the issue, and the company has not provided an estimated time for resolution.
Adding to the frustration, most of AT&T’s senior technical support staff finished their shifts at 5 PM, leaving the issue unresolved as leadership awaits critical updates. As a result, customers attempting to contact support are met with automated messages advising them to hang up if their call concerns the outage. Those who choose to stay on the line face wait times exceeding an hour.
The timing isn’t great
This outage couldn’t come at a worse time for AT&T. On the same day this crisis unfolded, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that AT&T would pay a $950,000 fine for failing to notify 911 call centers about a service outage that occurred in 2023. The previous outage, which affected Illinois, Kansas, Texas, and Wisconsin, led to AT&T being penalized for both failing to deliver 911 calls and for not notifying call centers in a timely manner.
The timing of this current outage, coinciding with the FCC’s announcement, only adds to the mounting scrutiny the company faces regarding its reliability and emergency communication protocols.
As the situation unfolds, it’s hoped that AT&T will expedite a solution to restore service to its millions of affected users. Until then, customers are left in the dark, awaiting a fix for this unprecedented disruption.
This is a developing story, and we’ll be sure to update when we know more.
