A wave of disruption swept across mobile networks this afternoon, leaving many Verizon customers suddenly stranded with phones displaying a stark "SOS" message. The issue, now officially confirmed by Verizon, isn't isolated – it's a nationwide outage impacting voice and data services.
The sudden shift to SOS mode isn't a sign of personal emergency, but rather an indicator that your phone can only connect to networks capable of handling 911 calls. It signifies a complete or near-complete loss of regular cellular signal, leaving users unable to make typical calls or access mobile data.
Reports began flooding in around noon, peaking at over 170,000 on service tracking platforms. While the number of reported issues has decreased, over 60,000 users were still experiencing problems as of late afternoon. Major cities like New York City, Brooklyn, Charlotte, Houston, and Atlanta are experiencing significant disruptions.
The core of the problem appears to be a widespread signal loss, accounting for 35% of reported issues, with the majority of the remaining reports citing general mobile phone problems. A smaller percentage, around 4%, are experiencing difficulties with mobile internet access.
While Verizon is bearing the brunt of the complaints, T-Mobile and AT&T are also seeing a rise in outage reports. T-Mobile has stated its network is operating normally, but acknowledged potential issues for customers attempting to reach Verizon users. AT&T echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the issue seems to be impacting calls *to* Verizon customers.
City governments are responding to the outage, issuing guidance to residents. Washington D.C. officials advised those unable to connect via Verizon to use alternative carriers, landlines, or physically visit emergency services. However, it’s crucial to remember that phones will attempt to connect to *any* available network for emergency calls.
New York City is taking a more cautious approach, monitoring the situation and coordinating with partners to assess the impact. The city’s Office of Emergency Management is actively working to understand the scope of the disruption.
For those affected, the immediate solution is patience while Verizon engineers work to restore service. Connecting to Wi-Fi and enabling Wi-Fi calling can provide a temporary workaround for calls and texts, utilizing an internet connection instead of the cellular network.
The outage primarily impacts those relying on cellular data, meaning users connected to a Wi-Fi router should experience fewer disruptions. This widespread event underscores the critical reliance on mobile connectivity in modern life and the potential consequences when that connection falters.
