Airtel users across India experienced significant disruptions in mobile and broadband services on the morning of December 26, with widespread complaints about network issues and loss of internet connectivity. The outage, which affected cities like New Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Surat, Nagpur, and Mumbai, left many customers unable to make calls or access the internet, prompting frustration on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter).
Widespread Disruptions and Complaints Surge
Reports from Downdetector, an outage tracker, indicate that user complaints started to rise significantly at approximately 10:30 AM, with the number of reports exceeding 1,900 by 10:25 AM. Reports indicate that the problems impacted both mobile and broadband services, with mobile internet outages making up 39% of the complaints, and a similar number of users experiencing total service interruptions. A further 22% of users reported experiencing signal loss, highlighting a technical failure that affected numerous cities nationwide.
Cities most impacted included New Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Surat, Nagpur, and Mumbai, where users reported their devices displaying “No Network” for extended periods. The extensive disruption affected everyday activities, rendering numerous individuals incapable of making vital calls, completing work tasks, or even enjoying streaming services.
Currently, Airtel has yet to release an official statement concerning the reason behind the outage or the timeline for its resolution. Nevertheless, the outage map from Downdetector indicated a significant drop in outage reports by late morning. In Noida, the network seemed to be operating smoothly, as users indicated no problems with voice calls or internet access.
Frustrated Airtel users took to social media, especially X, to vent their frustrations, with many humorously pointing out the irony of a tech-dependent world suddenly going offline. The recent outage caused significant challenges for businesses dependent on Airtel’s broadband services, leaving numerous employees working from home unable to participate in virtual meetings or access essential online resources.
As reports of outages seem to be on the decline, the service disruption has sparked worries among customers regarding the network’s reliability. The reaction from Airtel, or the absence of it, is expected to capture attention as impacted users persist in seeking clarity and a solution.
