VERIZON, AT&T MOBILE USERS FACE PROBLEMS CONNECTING OVERSEAS

(Bloomberg) -- Customers of major US telecommunications companies including AT&T Inc., T Mobile US Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. are reporting issues connecting to their networks while outside of the country. 

Verizon confirmed in a statement on Thursday that a “third-party communications provider” is having issues making voice and data connections with US-based customers traveling overseas. Verizon is “actively working” with its roaming provider to resolve the issue, and 70% of calls and data connections are going through, spokesman Richard Young said. 

A spokesperson for T-Mobile confirmed it was one of several operators impacted by the issue and that it’s working to resolve it. AT&T said that while its network is functioning normally, some customers traveling internationally may be experiencing disruptions. 

“We’re working with one of our roaming connectivity providers to resolve the issue,” the company said in a statement.

The third-party provider is Syniverse Technologies, according to two people familiar with the issue who asked to not be identified because the information isn’t yet public. 

In a statement, Syniverse said the company began experiencing intermittent connectivity issues on the morning of June 26. It is working closely with its network partners to resolve the issue. 

“We understand the inconvenience this has caused and appreciate your patience as we navigate this challenge,” the company said.

On June 20, Syniverse said mobile operators need to reach agreements with roaming partners and fully test new software to ensure it works with older networks. A representative for Carlyle Group Inc., an investor in Syniverse since 2011, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mobile phone customers including actor Patrick Schwarzenegger and Nikhil Goel, Archer Aviation Inc.’s chief commercial officer, took to social media platform X to voice concerns. Schwarzenegger is in Thailand filming the third season of the TV series White Lotus and is still without service.

Nick Ponton, a 38-year-old producer from New York, said he and his mother were stranded in Seaham, a seaside town on the east coast of the UK, after their phones stopped working around 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday. The Verizon customer  — unable to use a ride-hailing app — walked along a highway before hailing an off-duty taxi.

Bridget Arnold, a Maryland resident whose daughter is studying abroad in Munich, said she couldn’t call and was only able to speak with her through WhatsApp when her daughter had a Wi-Fi connection. Arnold said she’s disappointed that her carrier, Verizon, hasn’t told those impacted about the issue.

“They could send out an email to their customers, and at least let people know that they’re aware,” she said in an interview. “I actually test software, and one of the things we do, when something is going wrong, we let our customers know.”

(Updates with Syniverse comment starting in sixth paragraph.)

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2024-06-27T10:29:24Z dg43tfdfdgfd