Major Verizon Outage Disrupts Calls, Texts, and Data Across US

A widespread outage hit Verizon's network on Monday, September 30th, 2024, leaving millions of customers across the U.S. struggling to make calls, send texts, and access mobile data.

Reports began around 10:00 AM ET, with users on social media platforms like Threads and Downdetector reporting issues placing calls and connecting to the network.

The outage map on Downdetector showed concentrated reports of problems in major metropolitan areas like New York City, Atlanta, Central Florida, and Detroit. Verizon acknowledged the issue in a statement, saying they were "aware of an issue impacting service for some customers." Details on the cause of the outage were initially scarce.

Network Frustration

The disruption caused significant inconvenience for many Verizon users, hindering their ability to communicate and access essential online services. Users reported being stuck in SOS mode, which typically indicates a lack of connection to the network.

While Wi-Fi calling could have served as a backup, some users reported disruptions to that service as well.

Recovery and Investigation

Verizon engineers worked diligently throughout the day to identify and fix the network issue. As the day progressed, reports of outages began to subside, with Verizon announcing service restoration around 6:15 PM ET. However, some customers continued to experience disruptions.

As of October 1st, 2024, the exact cause of the Verizon outage remains undetermined. The company's engineers continue to investigate the issue.

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is investigating the cause and extent of the Verizon outage. Hopefully, this investigation will shed light on the issue and help prevent similar disruptions in the future.