AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile users affected by service outage in Europe

The disruption primarily affected visitors using AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon services, cutting them off from data networks across the continent for 24 hours or more.

Many travelers from the United States have lost a crucial tool for viewing maps, making reservations, using ride-sharing apps and more in due to a cellular data outage that began affecting AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon users on Wednesday.

Affected travelers, primarily in Europe, have posted on social media, seeking answers about the cause of the outage and how long it would last. Some reported being unable to make phone calls, send text messages or use online services without Wi-Fi for 24 hours. It's unclear what caused the outage, which appears to extend from Britain to Turkey.

If you're in Europe and your phone data is not working, Verizon cannot help you. according to their tech support it's up to Syniverse to fix it, so don't spend hours asking Verizon to try to fix it. Verizon read me a syniverse statement but I don't see any mention online https://t.co/3FJsMQ531L

— Chase ✈️ ᵀʷⁱᵗᶜʰᶜᵒⁿ ᴱᵁ (@ChasejustChase) June 27, 2024

An AT&T spokeswoman said the carrier's network was operating normally, but some customers traveling abroad may experience service interruptions due to a problem outside of AT&T's network. The company said it was working with one of its roaming connectivity providers to resolve the issue.

Verizon told some of its customers on social media that she was also aware of the problem. and that its teams were working with local providers to resolve the issue.

A T-Mobile representative said the carrier was one of “several affected providers by the problem of a third party supplier. "this intermittently affects some international roaming services" and was also working to resolve the issue.

George Lagos, a 70-year-old property developer from Dunedin, England Florida, who is visiting the Greek island of Crete with her family, noticed Wednesday that the data on her T-Mobile cell phone wasn't working. For about 24 hours, he said, he couldn't reach the people he had made plans with, although fortunately they had already gone over the details together.

“You know it's an inconvenience, but it wasn't a disaster,” said Mr. Lagos, whose service appeared to be restored Thursday evening. “I didn’t miss any flights. I didn't have a taxi to pick me up or anything. »

But there was a more serious concern: his wife's mother was ill and Mr. Lagos's wife could not reach the person who was helping him take care of her.

“It was probably the worst thing,” Mr. Lagos said.

Major US carriers all offer some version of an all-inclusive international data plan that lets travelers use their phones as much as they would in the US.

Although the current disruptions appear to be easing, travelers affected by such outages have other options for getting online. Swapping out a physical SIM card (for phones that still have one) can allow you to connect to a local network. (These are usually offered as prepaid or prepaid plans.) For newer phones, apps like Airalo offer relatively cheap e-SIM card plans in many international destinations. And of course, you can always look for a secure Wi-Fi network.