AT&T, the largest telecommunications company in the U.S., reportedly suffered service failure again in about four months on the 4th (local time). AT&T was hacked in March this year, and its personal information including social security numbers was leaked. The failure occurred less than four months after a massive service failure occurred in February this year.
According to CNN Business, AT&T said on the same day that many customers are unable to make calls with customers from other telecommunication companies.
However, calls between AT&T users are possible, and there is no problem with mobile data use.
AT&T did not disclose how many customers experienced the problem, but digital service tracking site Down Detector showed a surge in reports of problems with service use starting at 1 p.m. ET.
The number of reports increased in the following hours, and from around 6 p.m., the number of reports began to decline.
The cities with the most problems are New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis.
Thousands of Verizon customers reported service failures to Downdetector as AT&T was unable to connect to other carriers.
At the time, AT&T’s service failures prevented tens of thousands of Americans from making calls, sending text messages, using emergency services, and accessing the Internet for about 12 hours. As a result, some local governments were confused, and public institutions such as police stations were unable to use phone calls or e-mails.
Communication plays an important role, but it has hurt many people because of the lack of connectivity. Companies and the government should make efforts to ensure that the affected people are not harmed.
EJ SONG
US ASIA JOURNAL
