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T-Mobile's Outage Yesterday Was So Big That Even Ajit Pai Is Mad (arstechnica.com) 103

Posted by BeauHD from the empty-threats dept.
T-Mobile's network suffered an outage across the U.S. yesterday, and the Federal Communications Commission is investigating. "The T-Mobile network outage is unacceptable. The @FCC is launching an investigation. We're demanding answers -- and so are American consumers," tweeted FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. Ars Technica reports: No matter what the investigation finds, Pai may be unlikely to punish T-Mobile or impose any enforceable commitments. For example, an FCC investigation last year into mobile carriers' response to Hurricane Michael in Florida found that carriers failed to follow their own previous voluntary roaming commitments, unnecessarily prolonging outages. Pai himself called the carriers' response to the hurricane "completely unacceptable," just like he did with yesterday's T-Mobile outage. But Pai's FCC imposed no punishment related to the bad hurricane response and continued to rely on voluntary measures to prevent recurrences. T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert confirmed the outage in a blog post. "Starting just after 12pm ET and continuing throughout the day, T-Mobile has been experiencing a voice and text issue that has intermittently impacted customers in markets across the US," Sievert wrote. Sievert reported that the "issues are now resolved" just after 1am ET, about 13 hours after the outage began.

The outage may have been self-inflicted when T-Mobile was making network configuration changes. Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince last night tweeted that T-Mobile was "making some changes to their network configurations today. Unfortunately, it went badly. The result has been for around the last 6 hours a series of cascading failures for their users, impacting both their voice and data networks." The T-Mobile problem was "almost certainly entirely of their own team's making," he also wrote. [...] The T-Mobile outage was so large that it apparently caused some people to think other carriers and websites were down, too.
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T-Mobile's Outage Yesterday Was So Big That Even Ajit Pai Is Mad More

T-Mobile's Outage Yesterday Was So Big That Even Ajit Pai Is Mad

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  • When you combine them, you add their profits and multiply their fuck-ups.

    • Why is the cloudflare CEO even commenting on T-mobile's problems, he isn't their CEO.

      • Because he's commenting on everything. Because he thinks he and his company is a moral leader.

        Don't underestimate the amount of sites that run through cloudflare though. :)

      • Cloudflare knows ddos, handles xx% of all traffic (Score:4, Informative)

        by raymorris ( 2726007 ) on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @07:14PM (#60190862) Journal

        Some people theorized that it was a huge ddos - maybe the biggest one ever. Cloudflare knows about ddos. That's their original business.

        The other side of their business, to monetize their terabits of bandwidth in the opposite direction, is that they deliver possibly most of the content on the web in the US. I don't know the exact percentage, but at least 20% of the traffic on the internet, certainly in the US. If something major is going on that affects the internet across the US, Cloudflare knows about it. They have instrumentation in every significant internet exchange in the country.

        • Some people theorized that it was a huge ddos

          Two other options: 1. A certificate expired somewhere, the standard self-inflicted DoS, or 2. Two already-incompetent companies merging their incompetence to double the chances of a fuckup.

      • Because he's a customer, using T-Mobile's "every-other-word" plan.

      • Why is the cloudflare CEO even commenting on T-mobile's problems, he isn't their CEO.

        They quoted the Cloudflare CEO, they could just as easily have quoted any number of other sources. I had already read about the causes of this outage at least 5 hours before this story was posted. The configuration change was something to do with the introduction of 5G networks although my news source did not specify in which country - yes, it was not just the US which was affected and T-Mobile is a major player where I am as well.

      • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • You must have a dual sim phone one sim for t-mobile one for sprint.

      • The FEMA should suggest the intergation of FRS and MURS radios into cellphones at least you could meet back up with family members at the mall or state fair if cell service is down. Ham radio operators can buy equipment from RFinder.net. They are called android radios, combo cellphone and vhf or uhf amateur radio tranceivers.

        • Cancel service and you still have walkie talkies.

        • Sprint, when they still operated the legacy Nextel iDen network already had something like this. Several of their phone of the time could be switched into an off cellular "walkie talkie" mode. No I am not talking about direct connect. This mode was called direct talk. The phones use 900mhz ISM FHSS, the mode is digital and can be encrypted if configured properly, how strong that encryption is. i do not know, but considering how few people know about the mode, I'm sure there are very few actively looking for
          • If you want to play with this, go google nextel direct talk. There are several sites out there that cover this feature. The phones can be easily found on ebay. Make sure you purchase a phone that already has a nextel sim in it though, or have some other means of obtaining one. It doesn't have to be an ever activated one, you just need a sim in the phone to get past the "please insert sim" screen. While the SIMs are physically similar, this will not work with a GSM or LTE sim, Make sure you can get a nextel
            • You MAY need a previously activated SIM for the encrypted mode. The previously activated SIM would still have the old number stored in it. No this doesn't use cellular service, but I believe the encryption basically uses the phone number as the encryption key. When you want to do an encrypted call, you key in the recipient phone's number before you key up the PPT button. Only the phone with that number will decode the radio call. As I said previous this is completely off network. It still works today even

  • It's not so much that I was bothered by the outage (Score:5, Informative)

    by Atrox Canis ( 1266568 ) on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @06:49PM (#60190778)

    But I was very much bothered by the fact that T-Mobil implied the outage was A) Not their fault, B) Affecting other carriers, and C) maybe a DDoS and that it was hitting other services, not just communications systems.

    The lack of communication that resulted in the rumor mill ramping up was bad enough. But they could easily have come out and said, Hey, it's our bad, we're working on it and we'll let you know when it's fixed. This would have gone a long way toward reducing some or most of the bad taste this has left in everyone's mouth.

    • Bring back John Legere! ... not that it would've changed anything, but his tweets would've contained some entertaining swear words.

      • Bring back John Legere! ... not that it would've changed anything

        John Legere is like the Chuck Norris of Telcos, had he still been there he would have routed call packets by hand while cooking up a mean batch of chili in the slow-cooker.

    • Bullshit T-Mo never said or implied anything like that that was idiots online spreading crap.

      Go back and look at my posts from yesterday I ended up being 90% correct.

  • Kickbacks (Score:3)

    by Nidi62 ( 1525137 ) on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @06:51PM (#60190786)

    he's probably mad because it interfered with getting his regular kickback check from Tmobile

  • You would not have done anything, it this hadn't affected you personally and you if you were not such an easily triggered brown Trump.

    Keep your private problems separate from the fate of an institution that exists to serve all Americans. (I'm an idealist who hasn't given up, OK?)

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by OMBad ( 6965950 )
      Yeah! Orange Man bad! Drink!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by cusco ( 717999 )

      Yes, he saw the prospective value of the stock T-Mobile will give him as a board member after he finished his term of "public service" drop. No wonder he's annoyed.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by kenh ( 9056 )
        He's annoyed about changes in the stock price today of a stock he will potentially hold in the future? That makes no sense - the way to profit from stocks is in the delta, the change from buy price to sell price. That a stock dropped 50% 6 months before you bought it has no impact on the value of your stock. Apparently you've never owned stock...

  • Mod suicide (Score:3)

    by BringsApples ( 3418089 ) on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @06:58PM (#60190804)

    Please excuse my referene to reality here, but this mentality (where the Big Company gets blasted by the head of the agency appointed to police these things, but nothing happens) is what some have chosen to refer to as "White Privilege". Just sayin. Despite what you may or may not think, there is merit to it. I, myself, refer to it as "Class Privilege". But I'm only of average intelligence, if not, lower.

  • Shocked, I say! (Score:2, Informative)

    by hdyoung ( 5182939 )
    Let's put a few things in perspective. The average person in the Trump administration lasts around 36 hours. The only people who last any longer are the ones who literally nod yes to him and do absolutely nothing more. Oh, they also have to be good looking and suited for the job.

    Pai has been around for far, FAR longer than most. This should tell you a LOT about what he does, and doesn't do. This guy has basically let telecoms do whatever the hell they want, whenever the hell they want. No regulation, n

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by OMBad ( 6965950 )
      Yeah! Orange Man Bad!

      • Re: (Score:1, Troll)

        by hdyoung ( 5182939 )
        That tagline would have been funny and ironic 36 months ago. At this point, it's just a statement of fact. Yes, orange man bad. He really is. It's that simple.

        I get why Republicans and conservatives couldn't bring themselves to vote for a Clinton. I understand why 2016 happened and I'm not sore about it. But at this point we've got 4 years of data showing this one is an absolute loser. My god, he couldn't even manage to get a coherent "we're all in this together" in response to a frikkin VIRUS attack. T

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by cusco ( 717999 )

          Sadly it's looking more and more like that's about all Biden is going to be competent to do, he's already less coherent than Reagan was in his 6th year in the White House. Unfortunately what we need is a Clinton now, someone who can kick ass and get shit done in spite of outrageous opposition. (Honestly, I couldn't stand the bastard or most of his policies, but he did get most of his agenda through except for privatizing Social Security.)

    • Re:Shocked, I say! (Score:4, Funny)

      by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 ) on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @07:28PM (#60190908)

      Oh, they also have to be good looking and suited for the job.

      Not sure what your evidence is regarding that last point...

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by thomst ( 1640045 )

        Speaking of Donald Trump's Cabinet appointees, hdyoung posited:

        Oh, they also have to be good looking and suited for the job.

        Prompting 93 Escort Wagon to respond:

        Not sure what your evidence is regarding that last point...

        Mod +1 Funny, please ... !

      • *ironically* suited for the job. FTFY
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by Dunbal ( 464142 ) *
        When a government takes away your rights and then sells them back to you we call that "licensing".

      • Can you point to any of the 18 enumerated powers of Congress in the US Constitution that authorize the Federal Government to regulate telecommunications in the United States?

        Article 1, Section 8, Clauses 3, 7, and 18 all seem to apply. The Commerce Clause is a no-brainer for anybody who understands Constitutional law. The Postal Clause could be argued, given that it clearly envisions setting up a national communications network.

      • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Zak3056 ( 69287 )

      Let's put a few things in perspective. The average person in the Trump administration lasts around 36 hours. The only people who last any longer are the ones who literally nod yes to him and do absolutely nothing more. Oh, they also have to be good looking and suited for the job.

      Pai has been around for far, FAR longer than most. This should tell you a LOT about what he does, and doesn't do.

      Or it could be that FCC commissioners are appointed for terms of five years, rather than serving at the pleasure of the president, as most other political appointees. But don't let facts get in the way of a good rant (which, FWIW, is otherwise true enough--anyone working for Trump long term is probably a sycophant).

  • T-mobile worked for me last night, but again having problems today Tue afternoon. 'Not Registered on Network' unable to make or receive calls.

  • Am I the only one who feels really bad for the techs that fâ(TM)d this up? Or the gang that has to put Humpty Dumpty back together again? Iâ(TM)ve planned changes that could (and have!) send the whole shithouse up in flames. I ask the backups I invite to bring marshmallows in case it does.

    • >"Am I the only one who feels really bad for the techs that fÃ(TM)d this up? Or the gang that has to put Humpty Dumpty back together again? IÃ(TM)ve planned changes that could (and have!) send the whole shithouse up in flames. "

      I can sympathize. It is amazing how fragile some networks and systems can be. It is also amazing stuff like this doesn't happen more often. Some heads will roll, no doubt. This major outage is a HUGELY negative PR event, and at a sensitive time....

      I have never, ever

      • Imagine what it will do to Sprint. It's already pretty bad. You would think mixing a reasonably good company with a not so good one will improve things. Maybe make the combination worse.

    • A few posts down notes that they had a layoff yesterday, 400 people. Wonder if some of those folks had something to do with this. I've seen coincidences like this in the past, never could prove anything. I'm sure there will be a thorough investigation.

      • I was thinking something less sinister; like if they suddenly lost the one guy who knew how that one thing worked. Add in the chaos of a mass layoff where you are trying to keep privileged people out of the loop, and it's a recipe for disaster.

  • lol (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    If the banks can get away with destroying the financial systems and ruining the average American's lives, why would you expect the same government to punish a telecom company for a cell phone outage? (unless said telecom doesn't have any decent team of lobbyists with deep pockets).

  • Crocodile Tears, Anyone? (Score:3)

    by divide overflow ( 599608 ) on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @08:27PM (#60191034)
    Regarding Ajit Pai's pathetic little hissy fit, reeking of false bravado and contrived remonstrance...William Shakespeare had something useful to say in his regard:

    It is a tale
    Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
    Signifying nothing.

    Pai has been shilling for the telecom industry for years now, fashioning the FCC into a near-perfect textbook example of the term "regulatory capture."
    Screw him and the sorry-ass mule he rode in on.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by cusco ( 717999 )

      He's just carrying the same torch that Michael Powell lit.

      • He's just carrying the same torch that Michael Powell lit.

        Right...Colin Powell's son, appointed to the FCC panel by Bill Clinton on Nov 3, 1997, promoted to Chairman of the FCC by President George W. Bush on January 22, 2001. He was a bad appointment as a member of the panel and a terrible appointment as Chairman of the FCC. He took the revolving door journey from his government role into a seat on the board of directors of RAND Corp, then completed the journey when he became a lobbyist the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA).

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by cusco ( 717999 )

          Prior to all that he worked in the Antitrust division, if you can believe it.

          • Sadly, that is all too common...the long, slow descent into the heart of darkness. Many are corrupted, sometimes by opportunity, often by aspiration.

            • Re: (Score:3)

              by Dunbal ( 464142 ) *
              Power doesn't corrupt. Power attracts the corruptible...
              • Power incentivizes corruption. Many people will toe the line when they think they will be punished or shamed for poor behavior. But when those same people feel there will be no consequences to their corruption...they lose their inhibition.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by neurojab ( 15737 )

      T mobile is a Verizon competitor and Ajiit Pai works for Verizon. (yes I said it).

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Did he wield his huge Reese's coffee cup? (Score:3)

    by kriston ( 7886 ) on Wednesday June 17, 2020 @12:40AM (#60191588) Homepage Journal

    More importantly, did he threateningly wield his offensively huge Reese's coffee cup?

  • I'm fed up! (Score:3)

    by jtgd ( 807477 ) on Wednesday June 17, 2020 @01:14AM (#60191638)
    I will express my displeasure by moving my business from T-Mobile to their competitor... Sprint!

  • The more they stay the same [mit.edu]...

    On January 15, 1990, AT&T's long-distance telephone switching system crashed.
    This was a strange, dire, huge event. Sixty thousand people lost their telephone service completely. During the nine long hours of frantic effort that it took to restore service, some seventy million telephone calls went uncompleted.

    Losses of service, known as "outages" in the telco trade, are a known and accepted hazard of the telephone business. Hurricanes hit, and phone cables get snapped by the

  • Armageddon must be near. Aziraphale!! Help!
  • No doubt the result of actions to integrate Sprint with T-Mobile tech.
  • Perhaps Pai is on the T-Mobile network, and suffered from the outage.
    If so, I am happy to see that. Pai needs to know first hand what getting screwed feels like.
    Perhaps now is a good time to poke the Net Neutrality thing back at him again!

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