Is Verizon down? Over 1.5 Million Users Report Nationwide Outage
Journey Tribune – A widespread Verizon Wireless network outage that disrupted mobile voice, data, and messaging services for more than seven hours was fully resolved late Wednesday evening, following an incident that affected millions of customers across the United States. According to outage monitoring service Downdetector, more than 1.5 million reports were logged during the disruption, making it one of the most significant nationwide connectivity interruptions in recent years.
Verizon confirmed that service restoration was completed at approximately 10:20 p.m. Eastern Time on January 14, 2026. In a public statement, the company acknowledged the severity of the outage and issued an apology to its customers. “Today, we let many of our customers down, and for that, we are truly sorry,” Verizon said, adding that its engineering teams worked continuously throughout the day and night to restore full network functionality.
Although Verizon did not disclose the precise technical cause of the outage or the total number of customers affected, the company emphasized that there was no evidence suggesting the incident resulted from a cyberattack. Verizon also announced plans to provide account credits to impacted customers, noting that additional details would be communicated directly to users in the coming days.
The outage began around 12:30 p.m. ET and quickly escalated, with reports flooding Downdetector throughout the afternoon. Major metropolitan areas appeared to be among the hardest hit, including New York City, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and parts of Southern New Jersey. Verizon is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, with more than 146 million wireless connections, suggesting that the actual number of affected users may have been significantly higher than the number of reported complaints.
The disruption had far-reaching consequences beyond routine mobile inconvenience. Several city governments, including New York City and Washington, D.C., issued emergency alerts warning residents that some Verizon customers may experience difficulty contacting 911. Authorities advised individuals to use alternative carriers, landlines, or visit police or fire stations directly in the event of an emergency.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr confirmed that the agency would review the outage and “take appropriate action” following an initial assessment. The incident has raised renewed concerns regarding the resilience of U.S. telecommunications infrastructure and the potential public safety risks posed by large-scale network failures.
The outage also interfered with major consumer activities and events. On social media, numerous customers reported difficulties purchasing presale tickets for Bruno Mars’ upcoming 2026 “The Romantic Tour,” which went on sale the same day through Ticketmaster. The tour, Mars’ first since 2017, generated significant demand, and many fans expressed frustration that the network disruption prevented them from completing purchases.
Sports and entertainment venues also issued warnings to attendees. The NHL’s New Jersey Devils and George Washington University both advised fans to download digital tickets to their Apple or Google wallets before leaving home, citing potential connectivity issues at venues.
Throughout the day, Verizon customers took to social media to express anger, disbelief, and humor in response to the outage. Some likened the experience to a return to a pre-digital era, while others criticized the carrier for what they perceived as insufficient redundancy in its network systems. Meanwhile, competitors seized the moment to underscore their own network stability. T-Mobile, in a statement posted on X, confirmed that its network was operating normally and suggested that its customers might encounter difficulty reaching Verizon subscribers during the outage.
While Verizon was the most severely impacted carrier, Downdetector also recorded smaller spikes in outage reports from users of AT&T and T-Mobile, indicating that the disruption may have had secondary effects across interconnected networks.
Technology analysts noted the scale of the incident was exceptional. Cisco ThousandEyes described the outage as “one of the most significant nationwide connectivity interruptions in recent memory.” Downdetector data showed that the volume of reports surpassed those from a major Verizon outage in August 2025 and approached the scale of the largest U.S. outages recorded in recent years.
As service gradually returned, reports on Downdetector declined sharply by early evening. Verizon advised customers still experiencing connectivity issues to restart their devices. By late Wednesday night, many users confirmed that normal service had resumed.
In an unusual response to the disruption, Krispy Kreme announced it would offer free Original Glazed doughnuts during a two-hour window on Wednesday evening, framing the giveaway as a lighthearted gesture to customers affected by the “frustrating service outage.”
The Verizon outage serves as a stark reminder of society’s reliance on mobile connectivity and the cascading effects that network failures can have on public safety, commerce, and daily life. As federal regulators review the incident, questions are likely to persist regarding infrastructure resilience, transparency, and the safeguards needed to prevent similar disruptions in the future.
