Lumen Technologies reported that a third-party company caused an outage when they accidentally cut a fiber optic cable during the installation of a light pole. This outage impacted 9-1-1 services across several states. Some agencies reported the problem stemmed from issues with wireless carriers. In Nebraska, Sarpy County 911 indicated that some wireless carriers could not connect to 9-1-1 services, though the issue was resolved a few hours later.

In Texas, the Del Rio Police clarified that the outage was due to a carrier issue and not a problem with their own 9-1-1 systems. Initially, it appeared T-Mobile’s service was primarily affected. A spokesperson for AT&T stated their network was functioning normally and the problem likely resided with another carrier. AT&T also confirmed it was not an issue with FirstNet, the government-commissioned public safety network.

A retired FCC official highlighted that the US 9-1-1 system is not nationwide, but rather a collection of thousands of jurisdictions with varying equipment and budgets. This decentralized structure can make the system less resilient to widespread outages, as there are often not enough redundant backups in place across multiple levels.

Widespread 911 Outages Are Reported in Four States including Texas

Residents in South Dakota, Nebraska, Texas and Nevada were unable to call 9-1-1 the emergency number, officials said.

A large-scale outage is affecting residents’ ability to call the #911 emergency number in Las Vegas and southern Nevada, parts of Nebraska and Texas, and the entire state of South Dakota, according to local authorities.

Update: Las Vegas and South Dakota have been restored:

In Las Vegas, calls to 911 on landline phones and mobile phones were not connecting, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department released on social media earlier. However, dispatchers could see attempts to make calls from mobile phones and would call residents back, the police said, adding that texts to 911 were still going through. Multiple cities in Texas also had outages, including Del Rio and Kilgore.

Calls to the Las Vegas police’s non-emergency phone line were also impacted, the department said, adding that it was unclear when services would be restored.

The outage was also affecting southern Nevada, the Nevada State Police said.

Outages were also reported by the local police departments of Dundy County, Neb., Kearney County, Neb., Howard County, Neb., Fremont, Neb., and Del Rio, Texas.

Possible Causes of 9-1-1 outages:

• Technical failures: These are the most common. Equipment malfunctions, software glitches, or power outages can affect any stage of the 9-1-1 call process from dialing to routing the call to the right emergency center.
• Overloads: During major disasters or events, call volumes can spike, overwhelming the systems and leading to dropped calls or long wait times.
• Cyberattacks: While less common, intentional cyberattacks aimed at disrupting critical infrastructure like 9-1-1 systems are a growing concern.
• Human Error: Accidental misconfigurations, improper procedures, or simple mistakes can sometimes lead to outages.
• Weather and natural disasters: Severe storms, floods, etc., can physically damage phone lines, cell towers, or dispatch centers, leading to outages.

Who could bring down 9-1-1 systems:

• Hackers or cybercriminals: These entities might attack 9-1-1 systems for ransom, to cause disruption, or as part of larger cyber warfare operations.
• Nation-states: In extreme cases, a hostile foreign government could target 9-1-1 systems to disrupt a country during a crisis.

Landlines down, cellular working:

This scenario likely points to an issue with the landline telephone provider or within the 9-1-1 center itself that specifically affects the handling of landline calls.

Cooperation of 9-1-1 Networks:

• Regionalization: Many areas have consolidated 9-1-1 dispatch centers (also known as Public Safety Answering Points or PSAPs) to cover larger regions. This improves efficiency and allows better resource sharing and call routing.
• Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1): NG9-1-1 is the ongoing upgrade of the 9-1-1 system in the US to a more robust, multimedia capable network. This will allow better data integration, communication between centers, and alternative ways to contact 9-1-1 (like texting or sending photos/videos).

Understanding 9-1-1 Outages: Causes, Concerns, and How Systems Work

9-1-1 outages can be a major cause for concern. However, most of the time these outages stem from technical failures, system overloads, or natural disasters rather than malicious intent. It’s helpful to understand why these outages might occur. A technical glitch, software bug, or equipment failure can interrupt calls at any point. Additionally, spikes in call volume during major events can put a strain on systems. While less common, cyberattacks are a rising concern as hackers become more sophisticated.

Sometimes, a strange situation might occur where cell phones seem to work but landlines don’t when trying to reach 9-1-1. This usually indicates a problem within the landline provider’s system or at the 9-1-1 center itself.

To improve efficiency and coverage, many areas operate on regional 9-1-1 systems where multiple dispatch centers work together. There’s also the ongoing upgrade to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1). This will transform systems with multimedia capabilities and improve how authorities respond to emergencies. It’s important to remember that while cyberattacks are a valid concern, most 9-1-1 outages are accidental in nature.

Stay tuned for updates on this unfolding story…