U.S Citizens Grapple With Sudden Nationwide Cellular Service Outage

By Thea Felicity

Feb 22, 2024 12:26 PM EST

(Photo : Photo by CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)
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A wave of cellular service disruptions has swept across the United States, impacting subscribers of major providers such as AT&T, Cricket Wireless, Verizon, T-Mobile, and others. 

According to the US News, the service interruption came from data compiled from Downdetector. From there, it was found that many Americans find themselves grappling with connectivity issues, raising concerns about the reliability of the nation's telecommunications infrastructure.

The disruptions began surfacing around 3:30 a.m. ET, has manifested in various regions, including Houston, Atlanta, and Chicago, among others. 

AT&T, the largest carrier in the country with over 240 million subscribers, reported more than 64,000 outages as of this morning. These interruptions have prompted AT&T to issue advisories urging affected users to utilize Wi-Fi calling as an interim measure until regular service is restored.

Similarly, Cricket Wireless, a subsidiary of AT&T, noted over 13,000 outages. Meanwhile, Verizon and T-Mobile, two other major players in the US telecom market, reported thousands of outages as well. Boost Mobile also recorded approximately 700 disruptions.

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Despite the prevalence of reported issues, responses from the affected carriers have varied. Verizon assured users that its network remains operational and attributed reported issues to difficulties connecting with customers on other carrier networks. 

On the other hand, T-Mobile asserted that its network continues to function without interruptions, suggesting that challenges in connectivity may be associated with cross-network interactions.

As the disruptions persist, speculation abounds regarding the underlying causes. Thus far, no definitive explanations have been provided, leaving subscribers and industry observers alike uncertain regarding the duration and scope of the outages. 

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