SunRocket Misfires Again

SunRocket Inc. is undergoing a "system-wide" service outage that began Thursday and had not been resolved at the time of this writing at 5:15 EST Friday (see SunRocket Smolders During Stall).

A SunRocket telephone support person told Light Reading Friday that because the outage is system-wide, it could be affecting all 25,000-plus SunRocket customers. The rep said he had received calls Friday from customers in every SunRocket market in the U.S.

SunRocket customers recieved an email Friday apologizing for the interruption. "SunRocket is currently experiencing a significant network disruption," the note reads. "This means that you may not be able to receive or make calls from your SunRocket phone until this issue is resolved." (See SunRocket Picks Telco Systems.)

Sources close to the company say the outage was caused by the combination of SunRocket's rapid subscriber growth and session border controllers that cannot handle the provider's growing traffic load (see Who Makes What: VOIP Infrastructure Equipment).

Members who called customer service were entertained with a recorded message saying the technicians are working on the problem; the message ends as follows: "There is no timeframe for a fix at this time. Thank You."

Numerous posters to online bulletin boards confirm the outage, and many complain of frequent outages beginning last spring.

The SunRocket telephone rep told Light Reading that the current outage was the third such problem in the last month, and that he had heard of others on his days off.

SunRocket is one of the most cost-friendly VOIP services available, at $25 per month for unlimited calling to the U.S. and Canada. The company also offers a $199-a-year plan.

SunRocket representatives did not return several calls for comment Friday afternoon (see Insider Sees VOIP Battle Royal).

— Mark Sullivan, Reporter, Light Reading