Still having cellphone problems in Sacramento? Here’s the latest update on AT&T outage

Angela Rodriguez
·3 min read

Customers across the United States — including those in Northern California — experienced cellular phones issues due to outages by AT&T, according to data from Downdetector and the telecom giant.

Cellular companies including Cricket Wireless, Verizon, and T-Mobile have reported problems for users trying to place calls to AT&T subscribers.

AT&T users have reported the most significant problems and AT&T said Thursday it was working “quickly” to resolve the issues after it said it had restored service to the majority of its service’s mobile devices. Verizon and T-Mobile said that their networks were operating as normal.

The outages began at around 12:30 a.m. Pacific Time and peaked at around 6 a.m. with about 74,000 reported incidents, according to Downdetector.com. Around 9 a.m., AT&T had over 58,000 service disruptions.

At around 12 p.m., AT&T said the issue had been resolved.

In Sacramento, 28 customers had reported service on Downdetector.com at around 1 a.m. Reports peaked at 2 a.m. with over 450 outages reported, according to the website that tracks customer complaints. More significant outages were reported in San Francisco and Los Angeles, though cities like Houston, New York and Atlanta were also affected.

“We have restored wireless service to all our affected customers,” AT&T wrote in a statement to The Sacramento Bee on Thursday afternoon. “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.”

Law enforcement reports 911 problems

While normal cellphone service was affected by the outage, some services such as 911 calling remained in operation. This led to problems and confusion when some users decided to call 911 to “test” their phones or complain about the outage.

Law enforcement across the nation, including the capital region, asked users to keep 911 open and available for users who require emergency services.

“Do not call 911 to test if you can get through,” the Citrus Heights Police Department urged residents in a social media post Thursday morning. “Communication centers are being inundated with these calls. 911 should only be dialed in an actual emergency.”

“Don’t forget there is a text to 911 option as well,” they added.

Other law enforcement agencies reported that users were struggling to reach 911. In Nevada County, officials urged cellphone users to rely on text-to-911 services instead.

“Our Regional Dispatch Center has been notified that there is a present disruption to cellular phone service — this is impacting one’s ability to make 911 calls,” the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post. “Calls to 911 are not going through for some users. ... 911 texts are still coming through to our Dispatch Center.”

Just before 3 p.m., Nevada County officials said the disruption was resolved.

Which areas experienced service outages?

The locations with the most reported outages included:

  • Houston

  • Dallas

  • San Antonio

  • Austin, Texas

  • New York

  • Atlanta

  • Chicago

  • Miami

  • Indianapolis

These service outages come on the heels of AT&T’s request to withdraw landline services in California.

In a recent application to the California Public Utilities Commission, AT&T requested to be relieved of its responsibility as a carrier of last resort in California.

As part of its responsibility, AT&T is obligated to offer reliable and affordable telephone services, including emergency access, directory assistance, and special rates for eligible customers.

If approved, customers would no longer receive landline services.