Phonecustomers with the three major US carriers – AT&T,Verizon, and T-Mobile – are finding themselves unable to use international roaming, even to make simple calls, according toThe Verge. As of June 27 the issue has been ongoing for over a day, with complaints reportedly spreading across social media. The carriers were initially slow to respond as well, but two of them are now blaming an issue with a third-party vendor.
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“The AT&T network is operating normally. Some customers traveling internationally may be experiencing service disruptions due to an issue outside the AT&T network. We’re working with one of our roaming connectivity providers to resolve the issue,” AT&T spokesperson Keoni Holoman tells The Verge. T-Mobile’s VP of corporate communications, Tara Darrow, says that the carrier is “one of several providers impacted by a third-party vendor’s issue that is intermittently affecting some international roaming service,” and that it’s working to solve the problem.
The identity of the vendor hasn’t been made public. There’s also no sign yet of when the problem might be completely fixed. For affected travelers, meanwhile, the only alternatives for using their phones may be Wi-Fi hotspots, a local SIM card, or downloading aneSIMif their phone supports it. Some carriers offer short-term plans with travelers in mind.
How does international roaming work?
Large carriers frequently offer international roaming as a perk, making it possible to use your phone in other countries without excessive fees for calls, texts, and/or data. The exact details tend to differ based on the carriers, plans, and countries involved, but a common factor is those carriers partnering with foreign networks. When you arrive abroad, your phone is picked up by the appropriate network and subject only to any roaming fees from your domestic provider.
It could be that the vendor blamed by AT&T and T-Mobile is one of those foreign carriers, some of which operate across multiple countries. Another possibility however is a middleman company, handling infrastructure normally invisible to the public. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
