Verizon Communications’ U.S. wireless network remained down late Wednesday evening, leaving many customers without service and prompting several major cities to advise residents to use alternative carriers or landlines to reach emergency services, Reuters news report said.
The outage, which lasted more than seven hours, affected users across multiple states. Verizon said it was continuing efforts to restore service and added that there was no indication the disruption was caused by a cyberattack. The company did not disclose how many customers were impacted.
“Our teams remain fully deployed and are focused on the issue,” Verizon said in a statement, adding that it remains committed to resolving the problem as quickly as possible.
Data from Downdetector, which tracks service disruptions through user reports, showed more than 180,000 outage reports at the peak. Some media reports suggested that more than a million Verizon customers may have been affected nationwide.
Emergency services impacted in major cities
The outage raised serious concerns about public safety. New York City warned residents that some Verizon users might be unable to reach 911 and advised them to call using another carrier, a landline, or to visit a nearby police or fire station to report emergencies. The District of Columbia issued a similar advisory.
Social media platforms were flooded with messages from frustrated and anxious Verizon customers seeking updates on service restoration and sharing difficulties in making calls or accessing mobile data.
FCC to review Verizon outage
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr said that the agency would review the incident and take appropriate action.
Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said she plans to ask the FCC to open an investigation into the outage and its impact on consumers, particularly access to emergency services.
Verizon has faced similar scrutiny before. In late 2024, the carrier experienced a nationwide wireless outage that affected more than 100,000 users at its peak. That incident drew FCC attention after multiple services were disrupted and many iPhone users were left stuck in “SOS” mode.
