Major Verizon Outage Hits US: Tens of Thousands Report SOS Mode, Disrupted Calls
Key Takeaways
- Widespread Disruption: A significant Verizon outage affected tens of thousands of users across the US, with over 70,000 reports at its peak.
- Core Issue: The problem was an interoperability fault, preventing Verizon users from calling or texting people on other networks like AT&T and T-Mobile.
- Resolution: Services were largely restored by late morning after Verizon engineers resolved the carrier connectivity issue.
A major service outage struck Verizon customers across the United States on Tuesday, disrupting mobile data and connectivity for tens of thousands. Users reported phones switching to ‘SOS’ mode, limiting them to emergency calls only.
Scale and Impact of the Outage
According to outage tracking site Downdetector, over 70,000 Verizon customers filed reports at the peak of the disruption. Issues began around 2:30 AM ET and were initially concentrated on the East Coast before spreading.
Verizon confirmed the problem, stating, “Some customers are experiencing issues this morning when calling or texting with customers on other carriers. Our network teams are currently working to resolve the issue.”
Nature of the Network Fault
The company clarified its core network was operational. The outage was specifically an interoperability issue between carriers. This meant Verizon subscribers could not connect with users on rival networks like AT&T and T-Mobile.
User Frustration and Social Media Reaction
Social media platforms were flooded with complaints. “My Verizon phone is in SOS mode. Anyone else having issues?” posted one user on X. Another wrote, “Can’t make any calls on Verizon. Just goes silent then fails.”
Service Restoration
By late morning, outage reports on Downdetector showed a significant decline, indicating restoration was underway. Verizon later announced resolution, stating, “The interoperability issue between carriers has been resolved. Voice and text services between carriers are operating normally.”
This incident follows a major AT&T outage in February that impacted tens of thousands, which was blamed on a software update error.
