GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — It’s been more than one week since Cellcom customers have had full cell phone service.
The ongoing outage was caused by a cyber incident. That’s the last update Cellcom has released.
Now, other area cell service providers say they’re seeing an influx in business, like Boost Mobile in Green Bay.
“We definitely have seen an influx in customers coming in pretty upset about them not being able to make calls,” Boost Mobile Store Lead Christina Love said.
Love said the store has gotten a minimum of five new customers each day since the Cellcom outage began. While some people are just using it as a short-term solution, others are looking for a permanent switch — but there’s a catch right now.
“They’ve been coming in getting temporary numbers, using their devices that they have, because unfortunately, they can’t port over and get their numbers,” Love said.
The inability to port numbers is part of the current Cellcom cyber incident. However, Love said once Cellcom releases those numbers, she expects a lot more new customers to make the switch from Cellcom to Boost Mobile.
“I really do feel bad for those customers, because some people can’t even afford to come and get a temporary number. It’s hard on everybody right now,” Love said.
It’s a problem that has left many without a lifeline.
“My parents are in Arizona right now. My dad had an emergency Sunday and the only way he could contact us was through the business line,” Cellcom customer Angela Dontje said.
Angela and Jeremy Dontje own a towing and auto repair center in Appleton. Recently, they switched their personal and business phones to a new carrier, but are waiting for their old phone numbers to be released by Cellcom.
“I just wish Cellcom will be more transparent in the future and say, ‘Hey, this is what’s really going on’ and let their customers know and don’t wait a week to let us know,” Dontje said.
Right now, Cellcom’s service is still showing inconsistencies. Some people are able to call and text normally again, while others can only call Cellcom-to-Cellcom and others are getting nothing.
