(NEXSTAR) — While multiple cellphone and internet providers were working to restore services Monday after Hurricane Helene struck the Southeast, one company was struck by a “nationwide outage.”
User reports for problems with Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile initially spiked on Downdetector, a site that tracks outages across platforms and services, at around 10 a.m. ET. None saw a higher outage spike than Verizon, which surpassed 100,000 outage reports around 11 a.m. ET.
In an email to Nexstar at 11:30 a.m. ET, a spokesperson for Verizon said the company was “aware of an issue impacting service for some customers.”
“Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue,” the statement continued. The spokesperson did not provide any additional details, including when services may be restored or whether customers will be compensated for the downtime.
In a post on X, a Verizon Support member said the company was “experiencing a nationwide outage that is affecting several cities.”
Shortly after 4 p.m. ET, some customers reported they were able to send text messages again, a service that had been unavailable since Monday morning. In a 5 p.m. ET update, Verizon said its engineers were “making progress on our network issue and service has started to be restored.”
“We continue to work around the clock to fully resolve this issue,” the update continued.
What happened during the outage?
While Verizon has not said what sparked the issue, Verizon users reported having problems making and receiving calls and texts, as well as slow internet speeds on their Verizon internet.
That included customers who found themselves in the dreaded “SOS mode,” a problem AT&T users reported in August during a widespread outage and a signal that the phone was unable to connect to the cellular provider’s network.
The Federal Communications Commission acknowledged the outage Monday afternoon, but only said it was “working to determine the cause and extent of these service disruptions.”
Phone stuck on SOS mode? Here’s what to do
If you’re among those Verizon customers whose phone is stuck on SOS mode, you aren’t entirely out of luck.
Most iPhones and Android devices do have built-in Wi-Fi calling, or it can be turned on in your settings menu. Your phone should also still be able to make emergency calls by using other carrier networks.
For iPhone users, Apple recommends turning on Airplane Mode or restarting your device to see if that allows you to reconnect with the cellular network. In the case of the nationwide Verizon outage, however, those steps likely won’t work until your service has been restored.
Companies work to restore services after storm damage
Heat maps provided by Downdetector showed many of the Monday morning user outage reports for Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile were focused across parts of Florida, northern Georgia, and into Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia — all areas that were in the path of Hurricane Helene’s deadly march last week.
For AT&T users, the top complaints were regarding mobile phones, landline internet, and mobile internet. T-Mobile users reported problems with mobile phones, 5G home internet, and “no signal.”
In an update Monday, AT&T said it had restored cell service to more than 60% of the impacted region. The company warned that customers may still have issues with their home phone and internet service until power is back on and repairs are completed.
T-Mobile said Sunday that it had “completely or nearly restored” services in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and in “most of Florida.” Work was continuing throughout Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. It was also offering locations in North Carolina and South Carolina for customers to charge their devices and connect to Wi-Fi.
Verizon is also continuing to work to restore its services, the company said in a Sunday update. According to the update, some customers in central north Florida “may experience scattered service degradation.” Restoration work continues in western North Carolina, upstate South Carolina, and in eastern Georgia.