In a recent statement to ABC News, AT&T revealed that the temporary network disruption experienced by its U.S. customers on Thursday was attributed to a software update gone awry, dispelling initial concerns of a cyberattack.
The company clarified that the outage resulted from an incorrect process implemented during the network expansion.
“We are continuing our assessment of today’s outage to ensure we keep delivering the service that our customers deserve,” the statement emphasised.
Sources familiar with the situation confirmed to ABC News that the incident stemmed from a faulty software update, with no malicious intent involved.
AT&T assured affected customers to utilise Wi-Fi for calls during the disruption, with an eventual update confirming full restoration of wireless service later that afternoon.
Despite earlier speculations, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) reported no signs of malicious activity, affirming that the cause of the outage remained unknown.
Government agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, collaborated with tech industry stakeholders to investigate the incident further.
As authorities worked to unravel the root cause, police departments and municipalities across the nation issued warnings regarding the outage, urging residents to utilise alternative means for emergency communication.
While AT&T serves over 100 million customers across mobile and broadband services, Verizon and T-Mobile assured ABC News that their networks remained operational, though customers might encounter difficulties contacting individuals on affected networks.
The incident underscores the vulnerability of digital infrastructure to unforeseen technical glitches, prompting industry-wide efforts to prevent future disruptions.
