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Virgin Mobile USA Experiencing Nationwide Outage

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Virgin Mobile USA has confirmed that its network is currently experiencing a national outage that is affecting both data and text in the United States. The carrier doesn’t say exactly what the issue is but it has said that its engineers are currently hard at work trying to resolve the outage that customers are currently dealing with. It’s unclear right now how many markets are affected but Virgin does say that its a national outage.

It appears that the network has been down for at least a couple of hours now and after doing a little digging, it appears that some customers have been without data and texting services all day long. Calling seems to have been unaffected.

Virgin Mobile’s outage comes shortly after Verizon’s 4G LTE network went down and also after MetroPCS’ 4G LTE network experienced some hiccups of its own.

Virgin Mobile USA Experiencing National Data and Text Outage

Of course, Virgin’s network is not a 4G LTE network and instead, operates on Sprint’s network.

The outage also comes at an interesting time for Virgin. The carrier plans to implement data throttling on March 23rd. Those consuming more than 2.5GB of data will see their data speeds slowed to a crawl.

A 256Kbps crawl.

The carrier will however allow you to restart your billing immediately if you don’t want to wait for the new month to start. A fairly nice concession for a policy that is surely going to be met with a chorus of boos.

In any event, those you have a Virgin Mobile device and you’re without text or data, hang tight because a fix should be on the way.

We’ll keep you updated as we hear more about the issue.

Anyone out there still without text and data?

11 Comments

11 Comments

  1. Justin Fleenor

    03/20/2012 at 5:18 pm

    Just started receiving txts that were sent throughout the day.  2 txts received so far, 15 mins apart; the first was sent by the sender at 11:30am, the second was sent at 12:11pm.

  2. anonamys

    03/20/2012 at 5:28 pm

    just got a text from earlier. hope it is back up soon
     

  3. MewMew

    03/20/2012 at 5:28 pm

    just got first 2 texts after appx 11 hours without. These 2were just sent a few minutes ago; don’t know if I will get prior messages. Maybe I had none ;-)

  4. Julia

    03/20/2012 at 5:34 pm

    Eleven hours later, still no texts coming in. I know I had some because I have twitter updates sent to my phone. Hopefully this will be fixed soon. I have way too much trouble with Virgin Mobile…

  5. Atrophiedthumbs

    03/20/2012 at 5:37 pm

    I had 12 pending messages according to Virgin.  Currently, I have only gotten 1 from earlier and nothing else.  I had been without the service for 11 hours.

  6. Jlundy94

    03/20/2012 at 6:59 pm

    I am beyond fed up with virgin. Not only have I not received messages since 10 am (12 hours ago) but as I’m waiting on hold for 25 min to call and complain…my signal is lost. Go figure. Vergin is terrible and I’m beyond angry because this happens to me often (2-3 times a week lately) they never usually last this long but I am sick of not receiving messages.!!! I pay for this every month and this is what I get?! Not to mention it’s difficult to get “Alex” to connect you to a real human..and when you finally do you can not understand a word they say. F*** virgin I will be signing up for Verizon after this month!!

  7. chicagonettech

    03/22/2012 at 3:59 am

    Sprint has been DOWN HARD in most places in Northern Illinois since Wednesday afternoon.

    No incoming or outgoing calls.  NO 3G service, – which is the most dependable service they have in Chicago because 4G RARELY works for Sprint customers – they give that to all their subsidiaries and partners.

    Here is an official memo from Sprint, which was probably not supposed to be posted in their forums at Sprint.com:

    Customers in the following area(s):
    Addison(IL),Algonquin(IL),Alsip(IL),Antioch(IL),Arlington
    Heights(IL),Aurora(IL),Bannockburn(IL),

    More..
    may experience diffculties with the following services : Voice.Customers in the following area(s):
    Addison(IL),Algonquin(IL),Alsip(IL),Antioch(IL),Arlington
    Heights(IL),Aurora(IL),Bannockburn(IL),
    More.. may experience diffculties with the following services :
    Voice. we experienced the following Problem(s) in the Chicago : Chicago Market:
    Voice (Dropped calls) SWITCH IS BLOCKING 7.2%. We are aware of
    this and we are currently working on getting this resolved as soon as possible.
    No ETR at this time.While they claim “dropped calls” it is actually no calls, no data.Still not working as of 06.00 hours on 22 March, 2012 in Chicago.

    More..
    may experience diffculties with the following services : Voice.Customers in the following area(s):
    Addison(IL),Algonquin(IL),Alsip(IL),Antioch(IL),Arlington
    Heights(IL),Aurora(IL),Bannockburn(IL),
    More.. may experience diffculties with the following services :
    Voice. we experienced the following Problem(s) in the Chicago : Chicago Market:
    Voice (Dropped calls) SWITCH IS BLOCKING 7.2%. We are aware of
    this and we are currently working on getting this resolved as soon as possible.
    No ETR at this time.While they claim “dropped calls” it is actually no calls, no data.Still not working as of 06.00 hours on 22 March, 2012 in Chicago.

  8. lucille dddd

    10/20/2012 at 11:54 pm

    1. In JUNE 2012, I could no longer download pics or send pics to my email OR MAKE CALLS OUT on Virgin Mobile. Called Sprint Executive Office – Vanessa Brown: 817-215-3602
    2. She had me call the Executive Office at Virgin: First person said “the towers” were down for 9 months and due back up IN NOVEMBER 2012. Next person at the Executive Office said the towers were down for ONE YEAR and were in the RED ZONE and HAD NO DATE TO RETURN. I was told Virgin Mobile are like Titanic bottom deckers: third rate piggybacking on Sprint.
    3. I aske what compensation would be given for this down service IN CHICAGO and was told NONE. I said, what if I just bought a new 499 phone and a top up card? No warning, no update, nothing. They said: NO COMPENSATION. “We don’t do not guarantee service.”
    4. De-activated the Virgin Mobiile phone. Got a new Virgin Mobile phone with a new number, new MEID. Could not make calls out. Returned phone to Best Buy.
    5. Got another Virgin Mobile phone. Got a new Virgin Mobile number, new MEID. October 3, 2012. THE PHONE DOES NOT RING. REPEAT: NO CALLS RING – THEY ALL GO TO VOICEMAIL *IF THEY GO TO VOICEMAIL* NO OUTGOING CALLS TO VIRGIN MOBILE OR SPRINT CUSTOMERS RING ON ANY CHICAGO PHONE.
    6. Call Customer Service on October 14, 2012: Called 9x. Told to take my “broken” phone back to Best Buy. However, that IS AFTER THE TECH DEPT HAD ME RE-PROGRAM MY PHONE 6x OVER 4 hours, put me on hold and never come back, tell me to get a new phone and be put on hold 32 minutes – 3x told that Virgin Mobile would NOT replace my phone because it was LESS THAN A MONTH OLD – I said Best Buy will not take the phone back as I threw out the original packaging – Virgin said, too bad.
    7. Virgin reps tried to call my phone. The phone never rang.
    8. Call 8 and 9 to Virgin: reps tell me THE TOWERS ARE DOWN in 50 zipcodes in Chicago from October 3 – October 22. (now why was I told to buy a new phone?)
    9. Monday, october 15, 2012: called Virgin Mobile Executive Office which “represents” the corporate CEO team. Steven Shoecraft who DID NOT LEAVE ON HIS VOICE MAIL THAT HE IS OUT OF THE OFFICE UNTIIL OCTOBER 17.
    10. Called back, talked to SUSAN EISENBERGER: 817-215-3681, who said she can see THE TOWERS TO 50 ZIPCODES ARE DOWN IN CHICAGO. She said to call her back in an hour: I CANNOT MAKE CALLS OUT TO SPRINT OR VIRGIN. DUH! She cannot call me back. We arrange for me to call her at 3:00pm. 3pm I stop all my activity, call Ms. Eisenberger and she says, “You did not think we would have service fixed in an hour, did you?” Call me back tomorrow, late, around 4:00pm. Then, she switched to: Call me back AT THE END OF THE WEEK. Is there compensation? “No, you are not guaranteed service.”
    11. Call Ms. Eisenberger’s boss: RICHARD LANG: 817-698-2405. He says he can’t see the tower situation any better than Ms. Eisenberger, but the zipcodes are all down for voice calls. He said he was surprised I could make outgoing calls. HE SAID WE WILL TALK ABOUT COMPENSATION MAYBE – a day for a day – who cares you were on the phone re-starting your phone 9x and told to buy a new phone over 4 hours – you can just eat that time, he didn’t say, you can eat that time, but you know what he did say: WE DO NOT GUARANTEE SERVICE. So maybe, maybe not IF THE SERVICE EVER WORKS, you may or may not get compensated.
    12. Call MINDY: 913-439-5441 on Tuesday, October 16, 2012: – tell her What RICHARD LANG SAID, she says she will go to HER BOSS who is OVER THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE. Minday calls RICHARD LANG.
    13. RICHARD LANG calls me and says: “YOU CALLED MINDY. How can I help you?” YOU CAN GET MY PHONE TO RING AND GET MY PHONE TO RING ANOTHER SPRINT OR VIRGIN PHONE LIKE I COMPLAINED ABOUT YESTERDAY.
    14. MINDY gets her boss MR. GUNDERSON to call me. HE SAYS HE IS GOING TO GORILLA CALL ME WITH RICHARD LANG, SUSAN EISENBERGER, MINDY, AND HIMSELF ON THE PHONE in a conference call. I said I REFUSE TO TALK TO ANYONE ELSE EXCEPT HIM – I DON’T NEED 4 VIRGIN MOBILE PEOPLE ON A CONFERENCE CALL WHO HAVE ALREADY DONE NOTHING FOR ME. MR. GUNDERSON says I MUST TALK TO ALL OF THEM, “THIS IS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN.” Sounds pretty ill. I say, no thank you. I say I have 2 concerns: 1. WHEN IS MY PHONE GOING TO RING, 2. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO COMPENSATE ME? MR. GUNDERSON says “WE ARE NOT GOING TO RESOLVE YOUR TWO CONCERNS IN THIS CONVERSATION.” I say I am hanging up the phone.
    14. Mindy calls me back and apologizes for the “team’s” behavior.
    15. I got out and buy a new phone with another carrier. Next to me at Best Buy is a guy buying a $499 SPRINT PHONE and second line for his family.
    GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  9. april

    11/11/2012 at 7:05 am

    i wasnt aware of the outage for virginmobile back in march my date service was working great till yesturday for some reason i can make an recieve calls i dont know about text message an i cant get on any of my apps i have the optimus elite for virginmobile

    • lucille dddd

      11/13/2012 at 3:36 pm

      switch as soon as you can. it’s only going to get worse. my phone did not ring and then rang 3 times in on day and never rang again if anyone called. it started with no picture uploads in may to no outgoing calls to no incoming calls. virgin mobile – after i had no service for $30 top up – literally offered me 75 free minutes. of course, the executive team offered nothing and said they would never ever give me any credit or consider sending smart phones instead of paylo plans because “your service area has a problem.”

  10. jeffery browm

    02/24/2013 at 1:30 pm

    i cant make phone calls or i cant text this is bull they should let people know how long its gonna be. My wife cant use the internet on her phone either or make calls to her family in ga. They should give us a month free to all the virgin mobile users. If anybody agrees with this comment

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