Verizon Customers Experience Disruptions Across the US

Verizon’s nationwide network outage left millions of customers stranded in SOS mode, sparking frustration and an FCC investigation.

At a Glance

Verizon experienced a significant outage on September 30, affecting customers across the U.S.
Many users reported their phones were stuck in SOS mode, unable to make or receive calls.
The issue began around 9:00 a.m. ET, and Verizon reported it solved the problem hours later. Some complaints of outages persisted on October 1, however.
The FCC is investigating the cause and extent of the outage.
Verizon engineers are looking into the cause of the issue.

Widespread Disruption Hits Verizon Network

On September 30, Verizon, one of America’s largest telecommunications providers, faced a significant challenge as its network experienced a widespread outage. The disruption left countless customers across the nation unable to use their mobile phones for basic services, with many devices stuck in SOS mode. This mode, typically reserved for emergency situations, allows users to reach emergency services via satellite when normal network connections are unavailable.

The outage began around 9:00 a.m. ET, with reports of service interruptions quickly spreading from coast to coast. Downdetector, a website that tracks service outages, recorded over 100,000 outages by around 10:11 a.m. ET. At around 6:00 p.m. ET on the same day, Tom’s Guide reported that the tracker recorded around 1.6 million service disruptions, with some AT&T and T-Mobile users also being affected.

We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers. Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue.

— Verizon News (@VerizonNews) September 30, 2024

Impact on Customers and Verizon’s Response

The outage’s impact was felt across major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and many others. Customers found themselves unable to make calls, send texts, or access mobile data. This disruption extended beyond personal communications, affecting businesses and even compromising some users’ ability to use two-factor authentication for logging into accounts.

“It’s been over two hours and we don’t even know why this is happening. We all pay a pretty penny for our Verizon bill, this time should be compensated until the issue is fully resolved,” one user wrote to Verizon customer support on social media.

Verizon, acknowledging the severity of the situation, issued a statement on Monday: “Verizon engineers are making progress on our network issue and service has started to be restored. We know how much people rely on Verizon and apologize for any inconvenience some of our customers experienced today. We continue to work around the clock to fully resolve this.”

Despite Verizon’s assurances that the issue was being addressed, some customers reportedly continued to complain about problems well into October 1.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken notice of the situation and launched an investigation into the cause and extent of the outage. This move underscores the seriousness of the disruption and its potential implications for national telecommunications reliability.

Looking Ahead: Lessons and Precautions

This outage serves as a stark reminder of our dependence on mobile networks. It highlights the need for robust backup systems and alternative communication methods during such disruptions. Some experts suggest using Wi-Fi calling or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services like Google Voice as backup options during network outages.