AT&T Upgrading System to Deal with Increased Smartphone Traffic

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Customers across the country are being told they could be facing issues with their cell phones. In Oklahoma, frustrated users are sounding off over their cell services or lack of at times.

Cell phone users have been getting everything from dropped calls to poor signal for weeks, and the cause could be the explosion of traffic over the AT&T network, especially with smartphone and iPhone customers.

"It's very frustrating," said iPhone user Sheila Berrigan.

For one metro mother of two, her cell phone is her lifeline and her connection to the rest of the world but lately she's feeling disconnected.

"Just been able to hear the other person but not able to hear you," Berrigan said. "You're paying your bills and you expect the service but then you can't talk to somebody because your phone keeps dying and you have to keep calling them back."

Sheila Berrigan is not alone. Spotty service, dropped calls, delayed texts and voicemails are problems AT&T cell phone users say they've been facing in recent weeks.

"It happens over and over again, like if you call me back, it's going to drop it again," said AT&T customer Kallie Dodson.

"I would apologize for any inconvenience that customers have had. We are working on it," said AT&T of Oklahoma City spokesperson Andy Morgan.

Morgan said the company is working on upgrading their cell towers and network equipments. The fast growing popularity of the iPhone and smartphones could also contribute to the cause.

"We've seen the wireless network go up about 350 percent year over year over the last 2 years. Part of that is the growth and popularity of smartphones like the iPhone, the Blackberry, the smartphone, so we're seeing a lot of data moved over that network," Morgan said.

While the AT&T network upgrades equipment, many customers will have to wait for improvements. There is no time frame on how long this problem will persist and for now they're asking customers to be patient.

If customers have an unusually high number of issues, call the main customer service number for AT&T for help: 1-800-331-0500.