Verizon Outages: Millions of Customers Affected by Voice and Data Services, What's the Current Status?

Verizon service outages hit the US on January 14, 2026, leaving millions of customers without voice and data access. What caused it and how was it addressed?

Verizon Outages: Millions of Customers Affected by Voice and Data Services, What's the Current Status?
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Verizon service outages hit the US on January 14, 2026, leaving millions of customers without voice and data access. What caused it and how was it addressed? (Unsplash/Bruno Cervera)

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, millions of Verizon customers across the United States experienced widespread service disruptions, resulting in the loss of access to cellular voice and data services.

These Verizon outages began to be reported around noon Eastern Time (ET) and quickly impacted daily operations and critical communications for many individuals and businesses, like inability to make calls to difficulties accessing the internet over cellular networks.

Early reports of the outages began to emerge around 12:00 PM ET, with some users reporting issues as early as 1:00 PM ET.

Verizon customers using iPhones frequently saw an "SOS" icon, indicating no cellular service, while Android users encountered crossed-out or blank network icons.

Not only cellular service, but Verizon's home internet service was also affected by these widespread Verizon outages.

Despite this, text messaging services continued to function over Wi-Fi for Google Messages RCS and Apple iMessage users, offering some solution amid the disruption.

Scale and Impact of the Verizon Outage

According to Downdetector, an outage tracking website, Verizon issue reports spiked sharply around noon on Wednesday, peaking at around 169,000 to over 180,000 user reports around 12:51 p.m. ET.

Locations with the most reported outages included major cities like New York City, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, and Houston.

Outage reports also came from Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Northeastern regions like New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Some reports also mentioned impacts in other states like Alaska, Mississippi, Maryland, Virginia, and New Hampshire, underscoring the nationwide reach of the Verizon outages.

While text services over Wi-Fi were still functioning, the loss of the ability to make calls and use cellular data significantly disrupted daily activities.

Company Response and Emergency Services

In response to the widespread Verizon outages, Verizon immediately confirmed an issue affecting wireless voice and data services for some customers.

The company stated that its engineering teams had been deployed and were working intensively to quickly identify and resolve the issue.

Around 9 p.m. ET, Verizon issued a new statement apologizing for the outage and promising to "get it fixed."

They also emphasized that their teams would continue working throughout the night until service was fully restored for all affected customers.

The outages also raised serious concerns about access to emergency services, particularly 911.

The Office of Unified Communications (OUC) in Washington, D.C. The outage stated that it "may impact some users attempting to call 911."

The New York alert advised residents to try using a landline or device from another carrier, or to visit a local police or fire department in case of an emergency, highlighting the potential public safety risks posed by the Verizon outages.

Resolution and Compensation for Affected Customers

By the end of the day on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, Verizon stated that the outages had been resolved, by recommending customers who still experiencing issues to restart their devices to reconnect to the network.

While the exact cause of the outages has not been specifically confirmed by Verizon, there is no evidence to suggest that the incident was caused by a cyberattack.

As a form of compensation for the inconvenience caused by the Verizon outages, Verizon also announced it would provide account credits to affected customers.

Details regarding how these credits will be distributed will be shared directly with customers.

Another impact of the outage unexpectedly affected sporting events, such as New Jersey Devils games, where fans were encouraged to download their e-tickets to a digital wallet before arriving at the arena.

Additionally, New York State Assemblyman Anil Beephan sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking the agency to investigate the Verizon network outage.

Interestingly, Verizon's MVNO carriers like Visible appeared unaffected at first, despite a surge in reports on Downdetector.

Some AT&T and T-Mobile users also reported network issues, but not on the same scale, and T-Mobile directly confirmed that its network was not experiencing any issues.