Adrian Johnson
TLDR
- AT&T outage caused by technical error, not a cyberattack
- AT&T restored service to all affected customers by 3:10 p.m. ET
Thousands of AT&T customers experienced a nationwide cell outage lasting from early morning until 3 p.m. ET, leading to disruptions in cellphone service. AT&T confirmed the outage was not due to a cyberattack but rather a technical error in the network expansion process. The company, along with federal organizations, is investigating the incident to prevent future occurrences.
Key Elements of the AT&T Outage Cause
The initial review by AT&T revealed that the outage was a result of an incorrect process deployed during network expansion. This technical error led to disruptions in cellular service for thousands of customers.
Despite concerns of a cyberattack, AT&T clarified that the network outage was not the result of malicious activity. The company, along with the FBI and DHS, are conducting investigations to determine the exact cause of the disruption.
Customers started reporting service disruptions early in the morning, with over 70,000 AT&T users experiencing outages. By 3:10 p.m. ET, AT&T confirmed that service had been restored to all affected customers.
Overall, the AT&T outage was attributed to a technical mistake during network expansion and was not a cyberattack. AT&T has since resolved the issue and continues to investigate to prevent similar incidents in the future.
