A nationwide outage hit millions of Verizon customers without mobile connectivity for nearly 10 hours on January 14. It was one of the telecom giant's most sweeping disruptions in recent memory, taking down service for more than 1.5 million users across several states, including Florida, with many phones displaying “SOS Only” and losing the ability to make calls or send and receive text messages.
Verizon announced late Wednesday night, at about 10:30 p.m., that everything had been fully restored.
What Verizon said during the disruption
Throughout the day, Verizon issued periodic updates on X, assuring customers that teams were working continuously to resolve the issue. In a post, they wrote, “We are working non-stop and making progress.”
Later, again in a message, Verizon apologised to customers, saying, “We know this is a huge inconvenience, and our top priority is to get you back online and connected as fast as possible.” “Our teams will continue to work through the night until service is restored for all impacted customers. We will make this right for any customer affected,” they further wrote.
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The company again took to X, writing, “Today, we let many of our customers down, and for that, we are truly sorry. They expect more from us.”
Was the outage a cyberattack?
The company did not disclose a specific root cause but emphasised there were no indications of a cyberattack. Cisco ThousandEyes, an internet monitoring firm, called the outage " one of the most significant nationwide connectivity interruptions in recent memory," USA TODAY reported.
The disruption comes after a similar Verizon outage occurred in August of 2025, less than one year prior.
FCC to review the incident
The outage has also garnered the attention of government regulators. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr told Reuters that the FCC will investigate this issue “and take appropriate action.” Anna Gomez, a Democratic Commissioner of the FCC, plans to call for an investigation as well.
Will customers receive credits?
Verizon has already announced that customers who experienced the January 14 outage will get credit on their accounts, though they have not released any information on the amount or a method to credit it. “The outage has been resolved. If customers are still having an issue, we encourage them to restart their devices to reconnect to the network. For those affected, we will provide account credits. Details will be shared directly with customers. We sincerely apologise for the disruption,” they posted on X.
As for the group still experiencing connection issues, they were instructed to turn off and turn on their devices again in order for the connection with the network to be restored.
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What does ‘SOS Only’ mean on phones?
When a cell connection is lost, messages displayed on iPhones may include "No Service," "Searching," or "SOS Only." Although voice and text communication are unavailable, users are still allowed to make emergency calls via the feature known as "Emergency SOS."
Brands react online
Rival carrier AT&T took a lighthearted jab at Verizon during the outage. Taking to X, they wrote, “Our network? Solid. If you’re experiencing issues, it’s not us .... it’s the other guys. Some things are just out of our hands! - BUT if you're interested in giving us a try.”
Meanwhile, Krispy Kreme offered customers a free Original Glazed doughnut for a limited window. They wrote, “We can hear you now, and we’re serving up. Swing by today, 1/14, from 5–7 pm for a FREE Original Glazed doughnut because some days need a sweet backup plan you can rely on.”
