AT&T Service Restored Following Massive Nationwide Cell Outage
- Milton Quintanilla CrosswalkHeadlines Contributor
- Updated Feb 23, 2024
On Thursday, AT&T announced that cellular service has been restored following an outage affecting thousands of cell phone users across the United States.
"Some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning," AT&T said in a statement Thursday. "Our network teams took immediate action, and so far, three-quarters of our network has been restored. We are working as quickly as possible to restore service to remaining customers."
According to Fox News, multiple iPhones were stuck in Emergency SOS mode due to the outage, preventing users from making phone calls, sending text messages, and using cellular data. iPhone's SOS mode is activated when a cellular connection is lost, meaning that users can only make SOS calls or send text messages to emergency services.
As of Thursday night, the phone company announced that all service has been restored for affected users.
"We sincerely apologize to them. Keeping our customers connected remains our top priority, and we are taking steps to ensure our customers do not experience this again in the future."
In a follow-up update, AT&T explained that the outage was not caused by a cyber attack but rather "by the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network."
"We are continuing our assessment of today's outage to ensure we keep delivering the service that our customers deserve," the phone company added.
During the outage, Florida Senator Marco Rubio warned that the incident pales in comparison to what a potential Chinese cyber attack would look like.
"I don't know the cause of the AT&T outage," Rubio wrote on X. "But I do know it will be 100 times worse when #China launches a cyber attack on America on the eve of a #Taiwan invasion."
"And it won't be just cell service they hit, it will be your power, your water and your bank," he further warned.
During a gathering of leaders in Germany earlier this month, FBI director Christopher Wray cautioned that CCP cyber attacks against the United States and its allies are reaching a "fever pitch," Fox News reports.
"You might find your companies harassed and hacked, targeted by a web of corporate CCP proxies," Wray warned. "You might also find PRC [People's Republic of China] hackers lurking in your power stations, your phone companies, and other infrastructure, poised to take them down when they decide you stepped too far out of line, and that hurting your civilian population suits the CCP."
"China-sponsored hackers pre-positioned for potential cyberattacks against U.S. oil and natural gas companies way back in 2011, but these days, it's reached something closer to a fever pitch," he continued. "What we're seeing now is China's increasing build-out of offensive weapons within our critical infrastructure, poised to attack whenever Beijing decides the time is right."
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
