AT&T, one of the largest wireless carriers in the U.S., has announced that it will offer a $5 credit to customers who were affected by a nationwide network outage last week. The outage, which lasted for several hours on Thursday, left many users without cellphone service and unable to make calls, send texts, or access the internet.

What caused the outage?

According to AT&T, the outage was caused by an error in coding that affected its core network. The company said that the error was not the result of a cyberattack or any external interference. AT&T apologized for the inconvenience and said that it has fixed the issue and taken steps to prevent it from happening again.

The outage affected thousands of AT&T customers across the U.S., including major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta. Some customers reported that they were able to use Wi-Fi calling or other apps to communicate, while others were completely cut off from any communication.

How Will Customers Get the Credit?

AT&T said that customers who were impacted by the outage will receive a $5 credit on their account within two billing cycles. The credit will apply to both postpaid and prepaid customers, except for those who use AT&T Business, Cricket, or other low-cost wireless services. AT&T said that prepaid customers will have other options available to them but did not specify what those options are.

Customers do not need to do anything to get the credit, as AT&T will automatically apply it to their accounts. However, some customers may not be satisfied with the amount of compensation, as they may have incurred additional costs or lost business opportunities due to the outage. Some customers also expressed frustration with the lack of communication from AT&T during the outage, as they were unable to get any updates or information from the company’s website or social media accounts.

How does this compare to other outages?

AT&T is not the only wireless carrier that has experienced network outages in recent years. In December 2020, T-Mobile suffered a nationwide outage that affected voice and data services for several hours. T-Mobile blamed the outage on a third-party fiber provider that had a configuration error. T-Mobile did not offer any compensation to its customers for the outage.

In October 2020, Verizon also had a network outage that affected several states, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Verizon said that the outage was caused by a cut fiber optic cable. Verizon did not disclose how many customers were affected or whether it offered any compensation to them.

Network outages can have serious consequences for customers, especially in emergencies or during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people rely on their cell phones for work, education, health, and entertainment. Wireless carriers are expected to provide reliable and consistent service to their customers and to respond quickly and effectively to any disruptions or issues.