“AT&T Outage in US Resulted from Software Update, Confirms Company”
A widespread cellular outage that struck the United States on February 22, affecting major carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, has left thousands of Americans without network connectivity for over 13 hours. The disruption, lasting from 4:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., prompted speculation about a possible cyber attack as conspiracy theories circulated across the country.
A widespread cellular outage that struck the United States on February 22, affecting major carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, has left thousands of Americans without network connectivity for over 13 hours. The disruption, lasting from 4:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., prompted speculation about a possible cyber attack as conspiracy theories circulated across the country.
The magnitude of the outage was significant, with Downdetector recording nearly 32,000 reports of issues on AT&T alone around 4:30 a.m. T-Mobile and Verizon also experienced over 800 service outages each, albeit some of Verizon’s reported problems were attributed to users trying to connect with other services. The impact extended beyond major carriers, affecting smaller ones like Boost Mobile, Consumer Cellular, Straight Talk Wireless, and Cricket Wireless.
The outage had far-reaching consequences, hindering some police departments’ ability to receive 911 calls and prompting warnings from multiple police stations about potential difficulties in reporting emergencies. AT&T users, in particular, found themselves in “SOS Mode,” limiting their calls to emergency services.
AT&T, the most affected carrier, advised users to rely on Wi-Fi calling as they urgently worked to resolve the disruption. By 11:30 a.m., three-quarters of their network had been restored, with full service recovery achieved by 2:15 p.m. Despite AT&T’s efforts, frustrations mounted among users experiencing the outage, with criticisms over the lack of timely updates.
Amidst the outage, conspiracy theories began circulating, with some suggesting a cyber attack. In response, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency launched investigations into the incident, working closely with AT&T to determine the root cause.
However, White House spokesman John Kirby ruled out the cyber attack theory, stating that investigations by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security found no evidence linking the outage to malicious cyber activity. Instead, AT&T attributed the disruption to an incorrect process execution during a network expansion, emphasizing that it was a result of system overwhelm rather than external interference.
The incident underscored the vulnerability of the nation’s communication infrastructure and raised questions about the resilience of major carriers in the face of unexpected challenges. As investigations continue, stakeholders await further updates and measures to prevent similar disruptions in the future.
Sources By Agencies
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