AT&T will give customers a $5 credit for this week's extended outage

A few days ago, on Thursday, February 22, the AT&T wireless network in the US experienced a widespread outage that began early that morning. Many AT&T customers were concerned that they may not be able to reach anyone in case of an emergency. Indeed, some people tried to call the 911 emergency number to make sure it worked, but emergency service operators warned them not to call just to check if it worked.

By early evening on February 22, AT&T stated that full wireless network support had been restored. Late on Saturday, the company attempted to make up for what happened with the promise of a small credit for AT&T wireless cellular phone account owners.

In a post on the company's website labeled "Making it right," AT&T formally apologized for the events of February 22. It added:

We recognize the frustration this outage has caused and know we let many of our customers down. We understand this may have impacted their ability to connect with family, friends, and others. Small business owners may have been impacted, potentially disrupting an essential way they connect with customers.

The company will issue a $5 credit on a future bill for all AT&T customers. The bill credit will be applied within 2 upcoming billing cycles. This credit will only be available for post-paid AT&T users. People who have an account with AT&T Business, AT&T Prepaid or Cricket will not receive any compensation.

In Saturday's statement, AT&T also said it will be "taking steps to prevent this from happening again in the future." On Thursday, the company offered up a pretty general explanation for what led to the outage, stating that it was "caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network." AT&T also noted the issue was not caused by an outside cyberattack.