T-Mobile US blames network issues on severe weather being experienced across the country, especially in Texas.
DownDetector received a large spike in problem reports yesterday which tapered off for a while but picked back up again in recent hours:
The majority (53%) of reported problems related to lack of access to mobile data, followed by difficulties making calls (28%) and no signal (18%) entirely.
In a tweet, T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray acknowledged the issues:
As noted by Ray, it seems customers in Texas are having the most difficulties:
A deadly winter storm is causing havoc across many parts of the South and mid-section of the country but Texas has faced some of the worst of it. Over 4.1 million Texans have woke up without power as record low temperatures caused an energy demand spike the state’s electric grid was unable to keep up with.
The folks manning T-Mobile’s support Twitter account are having to do overtime at the moment:
For those affected, T-Mobile recommends the following:
- If you have home broadband and power but no mobile service, try Wi-Fi calling, which allows T-Mobile and Sprint customers with capable devices to text and make and receive voice calls via any capable Wi-Fi connection. IMPORTANT: If you have to call 911 using Wi-Fi, be sure to give your address to the operator.
- If your mobile service is working, please try to keep calls to a minimum and as short as possible. This helps reduce the load on our network so others can get through.
- Send a text instead of making a call. Text messages get through easier during times of congestion.
Naturally, people are turning to their mobile devices during the blackout for both help and entertainment during the blackout. However, it seems T-Mobile is struggling with the weather conditions and extra demand.
(Image Credit: Dan Koeck/AP Images for T‑Mobile)
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