Verizon Wireless to offer credits after widespread outage

Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Verizon Wireless said it will offer credits to customers and that workers were addressing the causes of a widespread outage that disrupted mobile communications.

Verizon officials said Wednesday night they were working to fully restore all services.

"Today, we let many of our customers down, and for that, we are sorry," Verizon News posted on X.

Verizon officials said their wireless customers "expect more from us" and their staff is "working non-stop and making progress" toward fully restoring all wireless services.

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"Our teams will continue to work through the night until service is restored for all impacted customers," they said.

"We will make this right -- for any customer affected, we will provide account credits and share updates soon."

The outage started at about noon EST on Wednesday, and many subscribers reported their mobile devices were stuck in SOS mode.

When in SOS mode, mobile phones can place emergency calls by using alternative networks, but they cannot access the intended wireless network.

Verizon officials acknowledged the issue soon after it was reported but did not identify a cause.

The problem was limited to Verizon and not any of its competitors, such as AT&T and T-Mobile.

While the problem persists, many emergency alert agencies advise affected locals to use phones subscribed to competing service providers when possible or to go to the nearest police and fire department locations to report emergencies.

Officials with New York City's emergency management team said they were cooperating with their local partners to assess the extent of the problem there and its impact on essential services and city agencies.