Based on the analyzed Downdetector® data from Q1-Q3 2024, users of social media, internet providers, and gaming sites and services suffered the most disruptions this year.
Facebook had the largest outage on March 5, with over 11.1 million people across the world reporting issues with the popular social media site.
The second largest global outage was the CrowdStrike-Microsoft fiasco on July 9. Nearly 5 million reports were recorded, including emergency services, airlines, and ride sharing apps when a routine software update failed.
People in the Asia-Pacific region were also affected by local outages, with over 76,000 users reporting issues with Japan’s PayPay payment system in May, and 65,000 users in India reported issues with Jio during a September service disruption.
WhatsApp faced Europe’s second-largest outage in early April, with over 1.1 million users reporting disruptions.
Alarming Telecom Outages
Another blow for the telecom industry, AT&T suffered the third largest outage in the world, according to Downdetector data, when an equipment configuration error caused customers across the entire United States to lose network access for over 12 hours.
In Europe, over 209,000 reported issues with Deutsche Telekom when the company experienced service disruptions in late May. Bait, a Mexican Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) owned by Walmart, also experienced an outage on April 2, where almost 99,000 users reported issues to Downdetector.
The third largest outage in the Middle East and Africa region was with South African telecommunications provider Telkom where in almost 55,000 users across Africa reported issues to Downdetector when Telkom experienced an outage on May 13.
MTN, Vodacom, and du are other telecom providers that made the list of top outages in the region during Q1-Q3 2024.
Conclusion
Downdetector® data from Q1–Q3 2024 paints a clear picture of the growing challenges in maintaining reliable digital infrastructure. These significant outages highlight the urgent need for enhanced system resilience and faster response mechanisms across industries, from social media to telecommunications. As digital services become indispensable, ensuring seamless connectivity has never been more critical for businesses and users worldwide.
Previously: Were You Affected by the Largest Internet Outages During H1 2023?
