By Staff Reporter
January 14, 2026 — Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest mobile carrier, experienced a widespread outage on Wednesday, leaving tens of thousands of customers unable to make calls, send texts, or access mobile data. The disruption, which began around noon Eastern Time, prompted emergency alerts in major cities and sparked frustration across social media as users reported their phones switching to “SOS” mode.
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The outage was first noted shortly before 12:30 p.m. ET, with reports spiking on Downdetector, a popular outage tracking website. By early afternoon, more than 170,000 users had logged complaints, peaking at around 178,000 before beginning to decline slightly to about 110,000 by 2 p.m. ET.
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Verizon, which serves over 146 million wireless connections, confirmed the issue in statements to multiple news outlets, saying, “We are aware of an issue impacting wireless voice and data services for some customers. Our engineers are engaged and are working to identify and solve the issue quickly.”
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Customers from coast to coast reported problems, with heavy concentrations on the East Coast but also significant issues in the West, including cities like Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.
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In New York City and Washington, D.C., the outage triggered emergency alerts, highlighting potential risks to public safety communications.
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iPhone users frequently saw an “SOS” icon, allowing emergency calls but blocking regular service, while Android devices displayed crossed-out network icons or “network unavailable” messages.
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Social media platforms buzzed with user complaints, with many turning to X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit to vent. “No service at all—stuck in SOS mode,” one user posted, echoing thousands of similar reports.
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Some customers of rival carriers T-Mobile and AT&T also reported intermittent issues, though it’s unclear if these were directly related or spillover effects from Verizon’s problems.
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Verizon has not disclosed the cause of the outage or provided a timeline for full restoration, but company representatives emphasized their commitment to resolving it swiftly. “We understand how important reliable service is for customers,” a Verizon spokesperson added in a statement.
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As of 1 p.m. ET, outage reports had begun to taper off, suggesting progress in repairs, but many users remained affected.
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This incident comes amid growing concerns over the reliability of U.S. telecommunications infrastructure, following similar outages at other providers in recent years. Verizon, headquartered in New York, apologized for the inconvenience and urged customers to check its website or app for updates—though access to those services may be limited during the disruption.
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Customers experiencing issues are advised to use Wi-Fi calling if available or connect to alternative networks for urgent communications. The Federal Communications Commission has not yet commented on the outage, but experts say such events underscore the need for robust backup systems in critical infrastructure.
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