US: Verizon experiencing a major cellular disruption

WEB DESK: Telecommunications company Verizon is currently experiencing a major disruption in its mobile services across the United States (US), with several users reporting issues.

Many users took to social media to voice their concerns, stating that their devices were displaying SOS mode – a total loss of cellular connectivity.

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The date form outage monitoring site “Downdetector” revealed that over 100,000 service-related complaints were recorded on Monday.

Although  the figure decreased as the day progressed, nearly 48,000 users stated they were still facing difficulties.

Complaints cover the entire breadth of the US, with reports received from Brookland to Washington, Dover to Benton and Cape Coral.

Despite the increasing number of complaints, Verizon’s support account on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has not properly announced or acknowledged the outage.

Instead, the company chose to respond to individual queries only. No timeline for service restoration was also provided.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also acknowledged the outage, although it did not release specific reason regarding the issue.

Many Verizon customers, particularly Apple (iPhone) users, reported seeing SOS messages on their devices.

Many users connected to Wi-Fi devices as an alternative. Many smartphones, including Android devices, possess Wi-FI calling features that can be activated in the phone’s settings.

The outage comes on the heels of Verizon’s recent decision to increase prices for customers on older data packages. The company’s strategy, it seems, appears to be aimed at encouraging users to transition to newer packages.

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The decision have drawn widespread critics from the company’s customers on the new pricing structure, as it reportedly aims to prioritise profit over customer satisfaction.

The ongoing outage combined with the recent price hike may leave many users feeling frustrated.