Many Verizon customers experienced widespread power outages on Wednesday, knocking out calls and other cellular services across the United States
carrier admit There are “issues affecting wireless voice and data services.” Verizon did not specify the cause of the outage but said renew shared on social media that it has deployed its engineering team.
“We understand the impact this has on your day and remain committed to resolving this issue as quickly as possible,” the New York-based company wrote.
Outage tracker DownDetector shows that Verizon customers began reporting issues with their service around noon ET. Reports show that the number of users appeared to have peaked at over 175,000 by 12:30 PM ET, but remained elevated by late afternoon, with the number of users approaching 57,000 as of 3:30 PM ET.
Affected users reported that their phones were in “SOS” mode or had other no-signal messages. In cities such as New York, alerts have been issued warning that outages could disrupt 911 calls, urging residents to try using other carriers’ landlines and equipment if available, or go to local police or fire stations in person in the event of an emergency.
Other major hubs affected by the Verizon outage include Washington, D.C., Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, DownDetector reported. But consumers across the country say they are experiencing disruption.
There were reports of outages from some other carriers on Wednesday, but companies like T-Mobile AT&T quickly confirmed online that their service was operating normally. However, both said their customers may have problems contacting someone with Verizon service.
When cellular networks are down, some phone companies are also urging consumers to try connecting to Wi-Fi and Use Internet phone. If Wi-Fi is still not available, there are limited other options, including sending messages via satellite on newer iPhones.