“Service for some customers in Nashville and surrounding areas may be affected by damage to our facilities due to the explosion this morning. We are in contact with law enforcement and we work from the the fastest and safest way possible to restore service, ”said AT&T spokesman Jim Greer. .
Greer told CNN that a network hub was damaged.
When a network hub is disrupted, usually by a hurricane or other natural disaster, some Internet traffic may be redirected, but not all.
That’s why customers in Nashville and other parts of Tennessee reported that they had lost their wireless service and other connectivity.
Network hubs depend on commercial power with backups of batteries and generators. Damage to the facility may have affected these systems and caused service degradation later on Friday.
The disruption in the center of the downtown network had cascading effects at the airport and elsewhere.
AT&T is deploying portable cell towers in Nashville to support police and improve wireless service. CNN’s parent company, WarnerMedia, is owned by AT&T.
Nashville International Airport said the telecommunications problems associated with the blast caused the Federal Aviation Administration to briefly stop flights from Nashville.
The FAA said the ground stop was lifted after about an hour. “The pilots never lost contact with air traffic control,” the agency said in a statement.
The FAA website shows that the ground stop was issued due to a ZME frequency cut.
ZME is an FAA air traffic control facility in Memphis that is responsible for controlling aircraft in the area at higher altitudes.
Flight service to Nashville International Airport “continues to be affected by telecommunications issues,” an airport tweet said around 3:30 p.m. CT.
“Some flight corridors have been restored, while others remain closed,” the tweet said.