Across Durham, a chunk of wireless life has gone missing, as AT&T customers report being unable to make or receive calls or texts and are now stuck waiting for answers. Eyewitness News has reported the disruption could last a couple of days, while AT&T says the cause is still under investigation. With no clear end in sight, residents and businesses are scrambling for backup ways to reach family, coworkers and emergency services.
As reported by ABC11 Raleigh-Durham, an update published Saturday said AT&T acknowledged the problem and confirmed technicians are working to track it down. ABC11 noted that Eyewitness News learned the outage “could last for a couple of days,” but there is still no firm estimate on when full service will be restored.
Where to check for updates
AT&T is directing customers to its service outage page and the Smart Home Manager app for localized status checks and troubleshooting, although address-level details require signing in to an account. Per AT&T, anyone who still has internet access can also try online chat support or account tools for the latest notices on their specific line.
How to stay connected right now
If your phone supports Wi-Fi Calling, turning it on in your settings can let calls and texts ride over a home or public Wi-Fi network instead of the cell towers. Apple explains step-by-step how to enable the feature on iPhones. Coverage of past AT&T disruptions has also advised using Wi-Fi calling, switching to a landline, or asking someone on another carrier to place urgent calls when mobile service is out, according to The Associated Press.
Why this matters
Telecom outages are more than an inconvenience for people who cannot scroll social media. Reporting on a February 2024 AT&T failure found the incident blocked millions of calls and disrupted 911 routing, which triggered an FCC review. As The Washington Post summarized from the FCC report, regulators pointed to procedural and testing failures that stretched out the recovery time…