The large-scale network issue began shortly after midday and continued for more than seven hours before the company confirmed that services had been fully restored late Wednesday night.
What Happened?
According to real-time outage tracking data from Downdetector, reports increased sharply throughout the afternoon and crossed the 1.5 million mark.
The disruption affected voice calls, mobile data, and text messaging services, leaving many users with “SOS only” or “No Service” messages on their mobile devices.
The Verizon outage impacted customers nationwide, with the highest number of reports coming from major cities including New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, and parts of New Jersey and California.
Emergency Services Affected
As the outage intensified, several city governments issued public advisories warning residents that some emergency calls may not connect properly.
Officials advised people to use alternative carriers, landlines, or visit nearby police and fire stations if they were unable to reach 911 using Verizon devices.
Verizon’s Response
In a statement shared on social media, Verizon acknowledged the disruption and apologized to affected customers.
“Today, we let many of our customers down, and for that, we are truly sorry. Our teams worked urgently to restore service, and the issue has now been resolved.”
The company stated that there was no indication of a cyberattack related to the Verizon outage.
Customers who continued to experience connectivity issues were advised to restart their devices. Verizon also confirmed that account credits will be provided to impacted users, with details to be shared directly.
How Big Was This Outage?
Industry experts described the Verizon outage as one of the most significant U.S. connectivity disruptions in recent years.
While Verizon operates more than 146 million wireless connections nationwide, the volume of outage reports exceeded most previous Verizon-related incidents.
For comparison, outage-reporting levels rivaled some of the largest digital service failures seen in 2025, highlighting the scale and severity of the disruption.
Impact on Events and Ticketing
The outage caused unexpected difficulties for customers attempting to access digital tickets for concerts and sporting events.
Several organizations advised attendees to download tickets in advance using Wi-Fi to avoid delays at venues.
Fans attempting to purchase tickets for the upcoming Bruno Mars world tour also reported issues, as presale activity coincided with the peak hours of the Verizon outage.
Apps That Helped Users Stay Connected
Customers with access to Wi-Fi were still able to communicate using internet-based platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, FaceTime, and Google Voice.
These services allowed messaging and calling even while cellular connectivity was unavailable.
Government Review
Federal regulators confirmed they will review the Verizon outage to determine its cause and assess whether further action is required.
Other Carriers React
As Verizon worked to restore service, competing wireless providers reported that their networks were operating normally.
However, some users experienced difficulty contacting Verizon customers during the outage.
Service Now Restored
By late evening, outage reports dropped sharply, signaling widespread recovery across the network.
Verizon reiterated its commitment to strengthening network reliability and restoring customer trust following the disruption.
The Verizon outage highlighted how dependent daily life has become on uninterrupted mobile connectivity—and how quickly a large-scale network failure can impact emergency services, live events, and everyday communication.
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