If you’ve been having trouble reaching certain people on your T-Mobile phone, here’s what you need to know: your service isn’t the problem. T-Mobile’s network is up and running normally, but a major outage at competitor Verizon is creating a domino effect that’s affecting how your calls and texts reach their destinations.

A T-Mobile spokesperson confirmed that the company’s network is operating exactly as it should be. The real issue is what happens when T-Mobile customers try to contact someone on Verizon’s network. Since Verizon is currently down, those calls and text messages can’t get through, leaving T-Mobile users wondering if something is wrong with their own service.

According to PhoneArena, Verizon has been dealing with an outage that started around 11:30 AM ET and has impacted both phone calls and data services for its customers. The spillover effect has been noticeable, with about 1,572 complaints from T-Mobile customers reported to outage-tracking website Downdetector, though nearly half of those experiencing issues are having trouble specifically because they’re trying to reach Verizon customers.

While AT&T is also experiencing similar issues, T-Mobile’s situation is different. The company has clarified that it’s not experiencing its own network problems. Instead, customers who report having no signal are likely experiencing the frustration of being unable to connect to people on the Verizon network. It’s a bit like trying to send a letter through the mail when the post office on the receiving end is closed—your mailbox works fine, but the message can’t be delivered.

T-Mobile’s spokesperson put it clearly: “T-Mobile’s network is keeping our customers connected, and we’ve confirmed that our network is operating normally and as expected. However, due to Verizon’s reported outage, our customers may not be able to reach someone with Verizon service at this time.”

The good news is that T-Mobile customers can still make calls and send messages to other T-Mobile users without any problem. The temporary inconvenience only affects connections to Verizon’s network while their outage continues. Verizon has acknowledged the issue and says it’s working to restore service, though a timeline for the fix hasn’t been announced yet. 

This situation highlights how interconnected these major networks are; when one goes down, it can affect how customers on other networks communicate with each other.

Source: PhoneArena