Verizon users across the country reported service outages Monday morning after the network experienced “an issue,” according to an article by the New York Post.
Downdetector.com – which provides real-time updates on Internet and phone services – experienced a spike in reports of Verizon outages around 10 a.m and more than 100,000 reported incidents at 11 a.m.
The outages were mostly affecting users on the East Coast, including New York, as well as the Midwest, according to the article.
A Verizon spokesperson told The Post in a statement, “We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers.” “Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue.”
Those experiencing problems turned to social media to report that their phones were stuck in SOS mode.
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The feature was launched with the iPhone 14 to allow customers to make emergency calls when they are not connected to cellular service.
The SOS mode permits calls solely to a local emergency number and automatically turns off upon cellular service being restored. - Previously, users had the alternative of activating Wi-Fi calling manually, which allows for calls and text messages exclusively when the device is connected to a Wi-Fi network.
The introduction of the feature in the iPhone 14 enables customers to place emergency calls even without cellular service.
In February, rival AT&T faced nationwide wireless outages that lasted over 12 hours and impacted more than 70,000 customers.
The Federal Communications Commission is investigating the AT&T outage that blocked over 92 million voice calls and prevented more than 25,000 attempts to reach 911, the agency announced.
Sources say news of the Verizon outage comes hours after the company announced a deal to give infrastructure firm Vertical Bridge rights to lease, operate, and manage 6,339 mobile towers across the U.S. for $3.3 billion.