Nationwide outage affects AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile customers. What to know in KY
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A cellular service outage affecting multiple carriers and tens of thousands of customers across the country, including those of AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, hasn’t spared Lexington, with local customers reporting service outages.
Of the three carriers, local AT&T customers seemed to be the most affected, according to online tracker Downdetector, with reports peaking at 8:09 a.m. Thursday. At that time, more than 400 Lexington-area AT&T customers reported outages. The website also showed T-Mobile and Verizon customers were also affected by the outage.
The local issues come amid reports of cellular service outages across the country, with Downdector reporting more than 73,000 AT&T service disruptions Thursday morning.
Reached Thursday morning, a Lexington Police Department spokesperson said residents should either use the city’s e-911 line at 859-280-8200 or a landline, as those don’t seem to be affected.
LPD spokesperson Sgt. R. Guy Miller shared a statement from the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security when reached via email Thursday morning.
“Around 5 a.m. Eastern Time this morning, KOHS was made aware of cellular service issues in Kentucky. We have since learned that this is a nationwide issue, with cellular phone service outages being reported across the country. It is important to note that while outages have been reported in several areas of the US, the country is not experiencing a system wide failure.
“The problem is being reported across all three major carriers, with AT&T experiencing most of the issues,” the statement continued. “This may impact your ability to reach 9-1-1. In the event of an emergency, if you are unable to reach 9-1-1, please use a landline as those services don’t seem to be impacted. KOHS has received reports as of 7:00 a.m. that AT&T service is being restored.”
The extent of the service outage across Kentucky wasn’t immediately clear Thursday morning.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.