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US mobile carriers AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile suffered an outage that impacted travelers in Europe. Many vacationers have lost access to essential phone functions such as data, calls and messages.
Social media was buzzing with frustrated travellers from Britain to Turkey, unable to connect for 24 hours. The cause of the outage remains unclear, but appears to be related to an issue with a third-party provider used for international roaming.
Carriers have recognized the problem:
- AT&T says its network is operating normally, but some international customers may experience outages due to an external issue. They are working with a roaming partner to resolve the issue.
- Verizon informed customers on social media that their teams are working with local vendors to resolve the issue.
- T-Mobile also confirmed that it is affected by the third-party provider issue and is working on a solution.
Travelers had to face some inconveniences and worries:
- George Lagos, a tourist in Greece, was unable to contact his planned contacts for a day, but fortunately managed to get back in touch before any serious problems arose.
- Even more worryingly, Mr Lagos’ wife was unable to contact the caretaker due to the outage, highlighting the potential impact on critical communications.
There are alternative connection options:
- For phones with removable SIM cards, switching to a local SIM (available in prepaid plans) may restore service.
- Newer phones can use apps like Airalo to purchase affordable eSIM data plans for various destinations.
- If available, you can also use public Wi-Fi networks.
The disruption appears to be improving, but these tips offer helpful solutions for travelers who face similar issues in the future.
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