For many residents and visitors actively in the Topsail area (and especially those in Hampstead) this week has been marred by an unanticipated disruption: an ongoing AT&T Wireless service outage.
AT&T customers have reported single bars of service, the inability to make or receive calls, and alarmingly, phones displaying the distressing “SOS” in their service coverage menus.
This unexpected service outage has, understandably, caused a great deal of frustration and inconvenience for AT&T Wireless customers. Unfortunately, this disruption has turned these everyday conveniences into significant challenges.
Topsail Guide reached out to AT&T’s Wireless service support for clarification and was able to confirm that there is indeed an active service outage affecting the area. According to the service support agent we communicated with, technicians are currently working on the issue, with an estimated restoration of service planned for Friday, July 14th at 4:51PM Eastern Time.
Given the length of the expected outage, it’s important to remember that we have alternatives to assist us including Wi-Fi Calling on capable devices.
Wi-Fi calling is a feature that can turn an often-overlooked aspect of our smartphones into a lifeline during service outages. For those unfamiliar with this technology, Wi-Fi calling allows you to make and receive calls, as well as send and receive text messages, using a Wi-Fi connection rather than the traditional cellular network. Most modern smartphones have this feature and, in most cases, it’s as easy as going to your phone settings and toggling it on. (For iPhone users, go to Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling — and toggle that on if it is not already.)
In light of the ongoing service disruption, Topsail Guide encourages AT&T customers to make use of the Wi-Fi calling feature, if available on your device, until the cellular service is fully restored. It might not be the solution we’re used to, but it’s a reliable workaround in times of distress.