Possible refunds to AT&T customers

CHICAGO -- AT&T Wireless customers who didn't have data service with their smart phones and laptops Thursday could get compensation for the lost time by calling their customer care number, a company spokeswoman said. The Edge and 3G networks were out nearly all day in the Southeast and Central regions, including Illinois, and the company continued to investigate why it happened. AT&T had about 70 million wireless customers as of December, according to federal filings. The spokeswoman declined to break out the number of affected customers.