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Many T-Mobile subscribers are having difficulty activating SIM

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By Anam Hamid

Published: Nov 17, 2024, 9:45 AM

Many T-Mobile customers are unable to activate SIMs. An apparent glitch with the company's system is causing the issue.

According to posts on social media websites X and Reddit, many customers are having issues setting up SIMs on their devices. The problem seems to affect both physical SIM cards and eSIMs.

I just went to a different TMobile store and was immediately told that TMobile is having a nationwide issue with eSims that were activated today. It happened right around 1pm PST -- the same time that I bought my phone. The employee assured me that the issue should, hopefully, be resolved by tonight or tomorrow...

0_0ctopus, Reddit user, November 2024

T-Mobile hasn't officially acknowledged the issue but according to a couple of folks who claim to be employees at the company this is a nationwide problem and will either be fixed by tonight or tomorrow.

Retail and support employees were allegedly alerted by T-Mobile about the problem at around 1 AM ET. This indicates that a significant number of customers are experiencing the issue, suggesting this is a widespread operational hiccup.

This essentially means that many T-Mobile customers are without service right now and it could be more than 24 hours before they get cellular signals. This makes the glitch as bad as a network outage, as it prevents T-Mobile customers from making or receiving calls or sending or getting text messages.

Same thing trying to migrate my SIMs to a new Pixel. Spent an hour and a half on the phone with TMobile, then got sent to the store where they told me it's a known issue and couldn't do anything. Not "known" to call center people apparently! I currently have no working phone lol. Hopefully resolves soon.Update: my eSIM just started working suddenly at 9:35 PT. pSIM still down.

nnnope1, Reddit user, November 2024

Judging by the number of complaints posted online, it looks like only a small percentage of users have been impacted by the problem.

Regardless, this is a serious issue and comes on the heels of another problem with prepaid services on Friday. Prepaid backend services reportedly went down for 12 hours after botched maintenance work. During that time, prepaid customers were unable to activate their SIM cards.

Problems were reported with T-Mobile's prepaid services on Friday. | Image Credit - Reditt

Prior to that, less than a week ago, there was a service blackout for many customers in Utah due to a "brief mechanical issue."

T-Mobile has yet to say anything about the problem but it appears to be currently working on a fix, given eSIM has started working for a user who was previously having difficulties.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.

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