AT&T Wireless Giving $5 to Those Affected by Network Outage

Telecommunications company AT&T has announced it will be extending a full day of service credit to customers impacted by a substantial outage that lasted over 10 hours on Thursday. This outage, which affected more than 70,000 users across the United States, prompted AT&T’s CEO John Stankey to assert that providing this credit was the “right thing to do.”

In a letter addressed to employees, Stankey emphasized the importance of balancing customer satisfaction with the company’s business objectives for 2024 and its financial guidance. Despite the setback, AT&T managed to restore service on its 5G network, which covers a significant portion of the U.S. population, late on Thursday.

An initial investigation into the outage revealed that it was caused by errors in the application and execution of a network expansion process, rather than a cyberattack, as initially feared. Acknowledging the significant impact such outages can have on subscribers, Stankey emphasized the importance of providing appropriate compensation, hence the decision to credit affected customers for a full day of service.

Specifically, each AT&T Wireless account will receive a $5 credit, according to the company’s website. The credit will be applied automatically for most customers, while prepaid users will have alternative options available to them. However, specific details regarding the number of customers eligible for the credit and its financial implications for AT&T remain undisclosed by the company.

In addition to addressing individual customer concerns, AT&T has also committed to working closely with Mid-Market and Enterprise clients to mitigate any disruptions caused by the outage. Meanwhile, both the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are actively investigating the incident in collaboration with AT&T to understand its root cause and prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Overall, AT&T’s proactive response to the outage reflects its commitment to customer satisfaction and underscores the complexities involved in maintaining reliable telecommunications services on such a vast scale.