AT&T outage, flights interrupted by Nashville explosion

Earlier in the day, AT&T confirmed that the company was “in touch with law enforcement and was working as quickly and safely as possible to restore service.”

When a network hub is interrupted, some Internet traffic can be resumed, usually, but not all, by a hurricane or other natural disaster.

This is why customers in Nashville and other parts of Tennessee reported losing wireless phone service and other connectivity.

Network hubs rely on commercial power with battery and generator backup. The loss of facility has affected these systems and can impair service day after day on Friday.

AT&T is deploying portable cell towers in Nashville to support law enforcement and improve wireless service. CNN’s parent company, WarnerMedia, is owned by AT&T.

The disruption of the downtown network hub had widespread effects at the airport and elsewhere.

Nashville International Airport said telecommunications issues related to the explosion caused the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily stop flight from Nashville.

The FAA said the ground was stalled after about an hour. “The pilots never lost touch with air traffic control,” the agency said in a statement.

The FAA website states that a ground stop was issued due to a ZM frequency outage.

ZME Memphis has an FAA air traffic control facility responsible for controlling aircraft in the field at high altitudes.

Flight service at Nashville International Airport “continues to be affected by telecommunications issues,” an airport tweet said at 3:30 pm CT.

On Friday evening, the airport said in a tweet that “most flights are resuming, but there may be some delays.”