A massive network outage is disrupting wireless service for Verizon customers nationwide on Wednesday, knocking countless phones into SOS mode and leaving users unable to make calls, send text messages, or access mobile data.

The disruption began shortly after 9 a.m. Eastern time and remained unresolved as of Wednesday afternoon. Outage-tracking site Downdetector logged more than 113,000 reports at its peak, with complaints pouring in from coast to coast and continuing hours later.

Customers in major metropolitan areas — including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and Washington, D.C. — reported total signal loss, failed calls, and dead data connections. Many affected devices displayed “SOS” or emergency-only mode, indicating they were unable to connect to Verizon’s network.

Verizon acknowledged the ongoing disruption in a brief statement, saying engineers were still working to diagnose and resolve the issue.

“We are aware of an issue impacting wireless voice and data services for some customers,” a company spokesperson said. “Our engineers are engaged and are working to identify and solve the issue quickly. We understand how important reliable connectivity is and apologize for the inconvenience.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, Verizon had not disclosed the cause of the outage, how many customers were affected, or when full service would be restored.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)