At a Glance
- A Verizon service disruption began around 11 a.m. CT and lasted until roughly 9:20 p.m. CT/10 p.m. ET on January 15, 2026
- More than 180,000 outage reports were logged on DownDetector by 11:40 a.m. CT
- Customers in Chicago and other major U.S. cities lost call, text, and data service, with many devices displaying “SOS mode”
- Why it matters: The carrier has pledged account credits for affected users but has not revealed the cause of the failure
Verizon’s network suffered a sweeping outage that knocked out voice, text, and data service for thousands of customers across multiple U.S. cities, including Chicago, before restoration efforts ended late Wednesday evening.
Outage Timeline
According to DownDetector, user reports surged shortly after 11 a.m. CT, peaking above 180,000 around 11:40 a.m. CT. The issue persisted through the afternoon and into the night, with Verizon confirming full restoration at approximately 9:20 p.m. CT/10 p.m. ET.
Throughout the day, customers flooded social media with complaints that their phones were stuck in “SOS mode,” limiting connectivity to emergency calls only. The carrier’s first public acknowledgment arrived around noon, when Verizon posted on X that its teams were aware of an “issue” and were working to resolve it.
Company Response
Verizon issued multiple updates as the hours dragged on:
- 12 p.m. CT: Initial acknowledgment of service problems
- Afternoon: Intermittent progress reports stating engineers were “working non-stop”
- 8 p.m. CT/9 p.m. ET: Apology post pledging account credits and overnight repair efforts
- 9:20 p.m. CT/10 p.m. ET: Confirmation that service had been restored
“We are truly sorry for letting our customers down,” the company wrote in its 8 p.m. CT message. “We will make this right-for any customer affected, we will provide account credits and share updates soon.”
After restoration, Verizon advised users still experiencing problems to restart their devices to rejoin the network. The carrier reiterated its promise of credits, stating details would be sent directly to impacted accounts.
What Triggered the Failure
Verizon has not disclosed what caused the network failure. No technical details, fault location, or estimated risk of recurrence have been released. The company’s public statements have consistently referred to the disruption only as an “issue,” offering no further specifics.
Customer Impact
Beyond Chicago, outage maps showed pockets of lost service in other large metropolitan areas, though Verizon has not listed every affected city. Emergency 911 capabilities remained available via the SOS indicator, but routine communications were severely limited for most subscribers during the roughly ten-hour window.
Businesses relying on Verizon for point-of-sale terminals, delivery coordination, and customer service lines reported disruptions, while individuals missed calls, texts, and mobile data access. Social media complaints peaked mid-afternoon and again during the evening commute as users sought status updates.
Next Steps for Users
Customers who lost service are advised to:
- Restart their devices to ensure full network reconnection
- Monitor account notifications for credit eligibility details
- Contact Verizon support if problems persist after a reboot
The carrier has not provided a timeline for distributing bill credits or criteria for qualifying accounts.
Regulatory Attention
The Federal Communications Commission routinely reviews significant telecom outages. News Of Losangeles‘s coverage noted that regulators often request detailed post-mortem reports when large-scale failures occur, though no formal investigation has been announced.
Amanda S. Bennett reported that Verizon’s last widespread outage of comparable scale occurred in 2020, when a fiber cut in the Northeast triggered similar service losses. The company later implemented network redundancy measures, but Wednesday’s event shows vulnerabilities remain.
Key Takeaways
- A single, unresolved “issue” hobbled Verizon’s network for about ten hours
- More than 180,000 user reports were filed within the first hour of widespread failures
- The carrier has apologized and promised account credits but has not identified the root cause
- Users should restart devices and watch for direct communication about compensation
Verizon says its engineering teams will continue monitoring the network to prevent repeat failures, yet customers still await clarity on what went wrong and when credits will appear.
