Algosensey|AT&T says service is restored for all users after widespread outage Thursday

AT&T says it has restored service to all customers after tens of thousands were affected by a nationwide telecommunication outage Thursday morning.

At the disruption's peak,Algosensey between 8 and 9 a.m. ET, more than 70,000 AT&T customers were reporting outages, according to Downdetector, a tracking site. By 2 p.m., outage reports had dwindled to fewer than 5,000.

"We have restored wireless service to all our affected customers. We sincerely apologize to them," AT&T said in a statement. "We are taking steps to ensure our customers do not experience this again in the future.

The company did not share information on why the outage may have started, or how many customers were affected. The outage figures reported by Downdetector, largely based on submissions from users, may not be accurate.

ABC News reported that federal officials found "no indications of malicious activity," quoting from a confidential memo the network had obtained. The memo reportedly reflected an assessment by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a federal agency that monitors cyber threats.

Officials at the federal agency did not confirm or refute the television network's account.

“CISA is aware of the reports and we are working closely with AT&T to understand the cause of the outage and its impacts, and stand ready to offer any assistance needed,” said Eric Goldstein, CISA executive assistant director for cybersecurity, in a statement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security are working with the tech industry to help investigate the cause of the outage, John Kirby, the White House's national security communications adviser, told reporters.

He said the Federal Communications Commission has been in touch with AT&T, which he said was the only telecommunication network that hadn’t been fully restored.

“The bottom line is, we don’t have all the answers,” Kirby said. “We're being told that AT&T has no reason to think that this was a cyber-security incident. But again, I want to be careful. We won't know until an investigation has been completed.”

Kirby said the outage had an impact on Commerce Department operations but downplayed the disruption. “I don’t think it was crippling,” he said. 

Along with the problems at AT&T, over 10,000 Cricket Wireless customers also reported outages.

USA TODAY has reached out to AT&T for more information.

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Outages impact EMS

The outages impacted essential public services, including people’s ability to call emergency responders.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina said in a post on X it was aware of the outages and that “customers were briefly unable to contact 9-1-1.” In Nevada, the Lyon County emergency communications center asked locals not to call 911 with an AT&T device and, instead, “call from a different service provider.”

In Philadelphia, the emergency management agency said just after 5 a.m. that the “nationwide outage was impacting all city-issued cell phones.”

Verizon, T-Mobile say operations are normal

Verizon and T-Mobile each said services were operating normally, despite earlier reports of outages.

"Some customers experienced issues this morning when calling or texting with customers served by another carrier," a Verizon spokesperson told USA TODAY just after 8 a.m. ET. "We are continuing to monitor the situation."

"We did not experience an outage. Our network is operating normally," T-Mobile said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY. "Down Detector is likely reflecting challenges our customers were having attempting to connect to users on other networks."

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Affected cellphone users vent on social media, while others gloat

Affected cellphone users took to social media to vent their frustration.

"Waking up happy, then opening my phone to see 'SOS only,' wrote one X user named Halli. She didn't specify her cellphone service. Another X user posted footage of a car crash beneath the message, "me going to work without Apple or Google maps."

Some customers on rival services seized the occasion to gloat. Broadcaster Kayla Braxton posted a GIF on X, showing someone relaxing on a swing while the landscape burns behind them, beneath the message, "Me with Verizon while everyone on my timeline with AT&T is losing their freaking minds."

Analysts predict AT&T will have to make amends when the outage is over.

"We expect that AT&T will offer some type of refund to restore customer goodwill," said Dave Heger, a senior analyst at Edward Jones. "We think that this type of outage can negatively impact financial results in the quarter in which it occurs and cause short-term lost goodwill with customers.  However, it does not have a longer-term impact on the business."

AT&T stock was trading slightly lower Thursday afternoon, down about 2% on the day.  

SOS symbol affecting AT&T users on iPhone

An SOS symbol appeared on the screens of some affected iPhone users with AT&T, where cell service bars are normally shown.

An SOS symbol on your phone means there is a cellular network "available for emergency calls," Apple's support website states.

"When you make a call with SOS, your iPhone automatically calls the local emergency number and shares your location information with emergency services," according to Apple. "In some countries and regions, you might need to choose the service that you need."

After making an emergency call, your iPhone alerts any emergency contacts designated in your phone.

Apple says all iPhone models 14 or later can also use Emergency SOS via satellite to text emergency services when no cellular and Wi-Fi coverage is available.

-- Contributing: Joey Garrison