Cellular Outage Receives Mixed Reactions From Tulsans Impacted

Sending a text in the morning or scrolling through social media to see what you may have missed overnight, they're simple joys and for tens of thousands of people across the US who have AT&T as their provider, they weren't an option.

"At first I just thought it was my phone," Sarah Teague said.

Related Story: AT&T Says Its Cellphone Network Restored After A Widespread Outage Hit Users Across The US

So, we asked people on Tulsa streets the question of the day, got cell service?

"Hey, don't be alarmed. You're probably not going to be able to make or receive calls. If you have internet, we can text, but other than that have a great day," Teague told her friends and family before disconnecting from the Wi-Fi on her phone.

She was one of those affected by AT&T's nationwide cellular outage.

"It actually hasn't been too bad," Teague said. While it may not be too bad for her, others couldn't say the same.

"I had a meeting set up and they had changed buildings. I was waiting at the wrong building and then finally he got Wi-Fi service and was able to text me and be like 'Oh, hey yeah we're over here now," Mich Tilford said.

Tilford owns a business, and the outage made it difficult to reach his team.

"I've got like four crews and it's like how do I make sure everybody is at the right spot and communicate," he said.

Although the morning started with an extra hurdle, Tilford and Teague were still excited to enjoy this throwback Thursday.

"Enjoy putting your phone down and not being able to scroll on Twitter or TikTok or whatever your crutch is, just enjoy having to talk to people more," Tilford said.

They rediscovered simple joys without a screen.

"I literally grew up with no cell phone until I was like 16 so, it's going to be fine, it's going to be fine people," said Teague.

AT&T said all service was restored to its customers, and the FCC said it is actively investigating what caused the outage.