AT&T's EDGE network goes dark for some

Computerworld - IPhone users reported that AT&T Inc.'s data network was down and out for approximately six hours today, but by early evening the network was again accepting connections.

AT&T called the problem "minor" and "isolated," and said it had been resolved by around 7 p.m. EDT.

The outage began around 1 p.m. EDT, according to postings by scores of users on multiple online forums, including Apple Inc.'s own support boards. Users reported that while voice service worked, it was impossible to reach any Web site with the iPhone's integrated Safari browser. Instead, the iPhone offered up the message "Could not Activate EDGE: You are not subscribed to EDGE."

Users claimed that service was down in all or parts of Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington. Some reported that AT&T customer service representatives told them that 80 metro markets were offline. AT&T subscribers along the East Coast, however, including those in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, said that EDGE was working and that speeds were better than usual.

Although some iPhone users were adamant that it was an iPhone-only problem, others with non-Apple handsets also reported the outage. "The outage is NOT just on iPhones," said a user identified as "lahermen" on HowardForums. "We have Cingular 3125 and 8125 phones that show EDGE connectivity, but cannot browse or sync with Exchange."

IPhone owners had many theories, but settled on one that fingered the sudden appearance of several hundred thousand iPhones -- virtually all sold with a data plan -- brought the network to its knees. AT&T, however, dismissed the idea. "It had absolutely nothing to do with the iPhone," said Mark Siegel, a spokesman for the company.

"Wireless and Internet access were out in areas of the West and Midwest," said Siegel, "but voice and text messaging remained available."

IPhone users have been critical of AT&T since the phone's launch Friday over problems activating new phones.

Read more about mobile and wireless in Computerworld's Mobile and Wireless Knowledge Center.