Verizon Responds to Massive Network Outages in Chicago and Across the Country

Chicago woke up to a widespread communication disruption on Monday, with thousands of Verizon outages reported across the city and nationwide. The total number of reported outages spiked to a staggering 105,000 according to the website Downdetector, which monitors the status of various services.

A Statement from Verizon

Responding to the widespread disruption, Verizon issued a formal statement, informing the public about its awareness of the issue and ensuring that its team is committed to resolving the matter as promptly as possible. “We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers,” the statement read. “Our engineers are engaged, and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue.”

The Outage Cycle

The first signs of a network issue appeared when website Downdetector began receiving numerous reports of Verizon outages in Chicago and beyond. At 9:30 a.m., more than 4,000 Verizon outages were reported in the Chicago area alone. However, by 10:30 a.m., the number of reports dropped to around 2,700. Around this time, the national tally reached more than 105,000 Verizon outages.

An outage map from Downdetector identified Chicago, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Omaha, Cincinnati, Denver, Seattle and Columbus as the most affected areas. Users reported their devices intermittently displaying the “SOS” signal discussed below, hampering their ability to receive or send texts and make calls.

What does Verizon say about “SOS Mode”?

Responding to user complaints about the SOS signal popping up on their screens, Verizon sought to provide explanations and was seen asking for more specific information to address the issue. According to Apple, the SOS signal shows up when the device cannot connect to its cellular network. However, despite this, users can still make emergency calls via other available networks. This SOS display is a warning and aid for individuals in the U.S., Australia, and Canada.

Apple further explains; “When SOS appears in your iPhone status bar, it means a cellular network is available for emergency calls. Users making calls with SOS are automatically directed to a local emergency number, and their location is shared with the emergency services. Users can set up their devices to notify their emergency contacts of their location after an emergency SOS call is made.”

This serious network issue comes as a significant setback to the communication giant – they assure customers that their engineers are hard at work to diagnose and repair the problem as soon as possible.