AT&T has revealed plans to compensate users affected by an extensive network outage that transpired for nearly 12 hours on Thursday. The telecommunications behemoth is set to issue a $5 credit to AT&T Wireless customers deemed "potentially impacted," a gesture intended to cover the perceived "average cost of a full day of service."
The company, acknowledging the widespread frustration among users, particularly those unable to connect with family, friends, and small business owners reliant on seamless network operations, released a statement on Saturday expressing regret for the inconvenience caused.
It's important to note that the compensation won't be universal. Customers under AT&T's Business or Prepaid plans, along with Cricket Wireless account holders—acquired by AT&T in 2014 for approximately $1.2 billion—will not be eligible for reimbursement.
The network disruption, initially reported at 3:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, affected tens of thousands of subscribers across the United States, disrupting calls, texts, internet services, and even emergency services, CNN reported. Notably, the lead-up to the outage saw sporadic disruptions, including a temporary 911 outage in specific southeastern regions.
Nationwide outages of such magnitude prompted the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch an investigation into the incident. Concurrently, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has collaborated closely with AT&T, expressing readiness to provide any necessary assistance.
Several hours after service restoration, AT&T released an update attributing the outage to an internal issue rather than a cybersecurity threat. The company asserted that, following their preliminary assessment, the disruption resulted from the application of an incorrect process during the expansion of their network.
In an effort to assuage concerns and prevent future network discrepancies, AT&T restated on Saturday its commitment to taking proactive measures. However, specific details regarding the preventive strategies were not disclosed.
