A cell outage on Monday could interfere with San Francisco residents’ ability to call 911.
The Department of Emergency Management wrote in a 12:21 p.m. post on X that “911 is still operational” after a “reported AT&T/Xfinity/Comcast cell outage.” The post goes on to advise residents to try Wi-Fi calling if they are unable to reach 911.
Jackie Thornhill, a spokesperson for the Department of Emergency Management, said the department has received preliminary reports that users of multiple cellular providers were either having their 911 calls disconnected or the calls were only going through with significant delays.
Reported AT&T/Xfinity/Comcast cell outage. 911 is still operational. If not able to call, enable wi-fi calling, connect with a friend to make calls, or use text to 911.
— San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (@SF_emergency) March 30, 2026
If your phone is still not able to make a 911 call, then try connecting to a Wi-Fi network and enable Wi-Fi… pic.twitter.com/yjhPGx1V0X
An internal San Francisco Police Department email sent shortly after told staff that “911 is not working properly at this time.” It advised that “stations may receive an influx of 911 calls.”
According to that email, there is not yet an estimated time for a fix.
Thornhill says that, in an emergency, callers can use WiFi calling, text 911 or dial (415) 553-8090 instead.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.