14 May, Tamil Nadu
Millions of Airtel users across Tamil Nadu faced a massive network outage on May 13, 2025, with widespread disruption in voice call services.
On the evening of May 13, 2025, Airtel users across Tamil Nadu experienced a major network outage, with many unable to make voice calls or use mobile services. Cities such as Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Thanjavur, and Tenkasi were particularly hit.
The inability to make or receive calls heightened widespread concern, especially among those relying on Airtel as their primary telecom source.
The disruption started at approximately 6:50 PM IST, with users experiencing a complete signal loss. Mobile data services were largely unaffected, but voice calling services were greatly impaired. Over 8,400 reports by 9:00 PM highlight the disruption’s widespread nature.
As per the platform, 63% of users complained about mobile network signal issues, while 34% complained about calling failures. The rest, 3%, complained about mobile internet issues, though this varied across locations.
Customers unleashed their frustrations across social media, tagging Airtel’s customer support handles. One user, based in Chennai, had tweeted, “No Airtel signal for over an hour in Ashok Nagar. Unable to make calls or even receive OTPs. This is abhorrent in 2025.”
Even amid the numerous complaints, Airtel did not make an official statement until long after 9:30 PM. Airtel issued a short post stating, “We are aware of the network issue in Tamil Nadu affecting some users.
Our technical teams are working to fix this as soon as possible. We regret the inconvenience.” They provided no reason or estimated time of repair at that point.
A Chennai-based user had tweeted, “No Airtel signal in Ashok Nagar for more than an hour now. Can’t make calls or even receive OTPs. This is horrific in 2025.” A user from Madurai said, “My entire family uses Airtel. All of us have a network for more than 90 minutes. Just imagine if somebody needed help in an emergency!
Even as there were so many complaints, Airtel made no official statement until very late in the evening, at around long past 9:30 PM. Airtel posted a short message stating, “We are aware of the network issue in Tamil Nadu hitting some users.
Our technical teams are working to resolve this ASAP. We apologize for the inconvenience.” They never stated any reason or estimated time of repair then.
By the early hours of May 14, services had mostly returned to normal in most affected regions, with a few scattered complaints still being reported. Downdetector indicates a steep drop in outage reports after midnight, suggesting that the problem was probably fixed by then.
This isn’t the first time Airtel has experienced a regional blackout. Such outages were reported in parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka last year, though on a smaller scale. The most recent disruption in Tamil Nadu is one of the largest network outages the company has experienced in recent years.
Airtel has not, as yet, made public a detailed report of what caused the failure or what they are doing to avoid similar future occurrences.
Consumer rights organizations called for the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to launch an inquiry and hold large telecom operators accountable for such extensive service outages.
In the meantime, concerned customers are recommended to inspect their network settings and reach out to Airtel support in case the problem persists. The company has guaranteed users that the services are being stabilized and monitored.
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