Millions in the US Affected by Verizon Outage When Will Services Be Restored and What Caused the Disruption
Millions of Verizon users in the United States experienced widespread service disruptions early Friday morning. These outages affected mobile and internet connectivity across various regions, raising significant concerns among users.
Overview of the Verizon Outage
Reports of disturbances began surfacing around 12:20 a.m. ET on Friday. Major cities, including New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Detroit, Minneapolis, and others such as Atlanta, Houston, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Seattle, faced interruptions.
Details of Service Interruptions
The outage impacted various services:
- 52% of users reported mobile phone issues.
- 40% experienced signal loss.
- 8% had problems with 5G home internet.
As the outage developed, Downdetector recorded a dramatic increase in reports. The number spiked from 83 at 11:50 a.m. ET on Thursday to 7,531 by 12:20 a.m. on Friday. Although the reports declined to approximately 314 by 3:30 a.m., these numbers remained significantly above normal levels.
Impact on Users
Many users expressed their frustrations on social media and outage tracking platforms. A user from Jackson, Michigan, noted difficulty reaching Verizon support, while another from Novi could not resolve the issue by power cycling their router. Some users even added a humorous touch to the situation, jokingly suggesting they should have opted for “2 tin cans and some string.”
Verizon’s Network and Service Recovery
Verizon stands as one of the largest mobile and broadband providers in the U.S., boasting over 146.1 million wireless retail connections and 10.4 million broadband connections as of mid-2025. Despite the significant impact of the outage, its occurrence during overnight hours limited immediate disruption for many users.
This is not the first significant outage for Verizon. A previous issue on October 9 affected 1,244 users at peak times, though those disruptions were resolved swiftly by engineering teams.
Restoration of Services
As of early Friday, the number of reported outages began to decline. Although Verizon has yet to confirm an exact timeline for complete restoration, signs indicate a gradual recovery across affected areas. In June, the company launched a Customer Champion and AI assistant feature, aimed at helping customers track service updates more effectively.
Users’ Concerns and Reaction
Many customers voiced concerns about the reliability of modern communication networks. One subscriber remarked on the unusual simultaneous outage of both internet and mobile services, expressing worry over the ease with which communications can be disrupted.
Geographic Spread of the Outage
Analyzing Downdetector’s outage map revealed a high density of reports, particularly along the East Coast and in Michigan, highlighting the widespread nature of the service interruption.
Frequently Asked Questions
What caused the Verizon outage on October 17, 2025?
Verizon has not provided specific details regarding the cause. Typically, these disruptions stem from server failures, technical issues, or maintenance needs.
Which areas were most affected?
Major cities suffering from significant disruptions included New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Detroit, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Houston, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Seattle.
