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(WWJ) - Cellular service customers in Metro Detroit are grappling with a major carrier outage affecting cities across the United States Thursday morning with users unable to make or receive phone calls.
According to DownDetector.com, a tracking website that reports service outages, a flood of complaints about AT&T service began coming in early Thursday morning with customers reporting issues with their cell phones having no signal.
While AT&T appears to be hit the hardest, customers with T-Mobile, Verizon and FirstNet 911 -- a first responder communication network used by law enforcement agencies, EMS and fire service nationwide -- are also reporting outages.
As reported from DownDetector, AT&T had more than 60,000 outages in locations including Houston, Atlanta, Detroit and Chicago while the website tracked more than 11,000 outages with Cricket Wireless.
Verizon had more than 3,000 outages and T-Mobile had more than 1,000 outages. Boost Mobile had more than 450 outages.
Customers explained that while the texting feature appears to be working, they are able to make or receive phone calls.
AT&T released a statement on the outages, writing "Some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning. We are working urgently to restore service to them. We encourage the use of Wi-Fi calling until service is restored."
Verizon stated that their network is operating normally, but some customers experienced issues when calling or texting customers served by another carrier.
"We are continuing to monitor the situation,” Verizon said.
T-Mobile said that they hadn't experienced an outage.
“Our network is operating normally. Down Detector is likely reflecting challenges our customers were having attempting to connect to users on other networks,” T-Mobile said.
So far, no reason has been given for the outages.
For iPhone users, Apple said their phones can still make emergency calls if “SOS” or “SOS only” can be seen in the upper right status bar next to the battery life indicator.
The Northville Township Department of Public Safety commented on social media about the outage, stating that they're aware of the problem and confirmed they use FirstNet 911.
Officials said they don't appear to be affected at this time, but AT&T customers can reach their dispatch number if they can't get through.
"If you have an emergency and cannot reach us, please call us at 248-349-9400. Thank you," the department added.
First Lt. Mike Shaw with the Michigan State Police's Second District told WWJ's Mike Campbell that they haven't had any issues so far, confirming their communication center is up and running for those who need to place an emergency call.
According to Campbell, the Detroit Police Department said while their officers are having some difficulty reaching each other, they're not experiencing issues with their 911 service.
Responses from other local law enforcement agencies include:
Canton Fire Department:
We are receiving reports of cell phone networks in our area being unable to call 9-1-1. If you are having an emergency in Canton, and are unable to call 9-1-1, the Canton Dispatch Center can be reached at 734/397-3350.
Farmington Hills Police Department:
Cell phone users may be experiencing intermittent service outages, including possible difficulty reaching 911. If you cannot get through to 911, please call 248-871-2600 (option to reach the dispatch center).
Macomb County Sheriff's Office:
AT&T wireless is currently experiencing a nationwide outage. You may have difficulty calling 911 if your cell carrier is AT&T or your provider uses the AT&T wireless network. You can reach emergency dispatch at 586-469-5502.
Midland County:
AT&T has reported AT&T wireless & Firstnet customers may be unable to make or receive calls including to 911.They are working to resolve.
Oakland County Sheriff's Office:
The outage is intermittent and is occurring on the cellular signal. In the event of an emergency, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office recommends cell users continue attempting to contact their local 911 center if they receive no signal or service on the first try.
Plymouth Township and Plymouth City 911:
UPDATED: Plymouth Twp / Plymouth City are NOT experiencing any 911 issues pertaining to the communications outage. Our 911 lines as well as our administrative lines are functioning properly.
If you find that you are experiencing issues making calls with your carrier, please reach out to your carrier directly.
For any emergencies, please call 911. Thank you
Woodhaven Police Department:
It appears that nationwide numerous cell service providers (AT&T / T Mobile, Verizon, US Cellular, and Consumer Cellular) are reporting outages. These outages can affect the ability to call 911.
How to reach 911 if you don't have cellphone signal:
When a cell site experiences interruption, any 911 call will automatically connect to an available network, regardless of your carrier, to complete the emergency call. You can also enable Wi-Fi calling on your phone if you have internet access.
If you are unable to get through to 911, you can try by connecting to your WiFi AND enabling your WiFi calling. To do this, go to your phone settings —> search WiFi at the top —> click on phone —> turn on WiFi calling.
You can also text 911 by using the numbers 9-1-1.
Please do not message this page or any other social media page if you have an emergency, as these are not monitored 24/7.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest updates as they become available. >>> LISTEN LIVE!