A major international roaming outage at Verizon is leaving thousands of US travelers abroad without cellular service. Many phones are dropping to SOS or satellite mode, preventing calls, texts, and data. The carrier has confirmed the issue, attributing it to disruptions at several third-party roaming providers.
Massive reports on Reddit and X
Users began reporting the problem early in the morning. On Reddit and X, travelers in Europe, Asia, and South America described losing all connectivity. One user in Italy wrote: the phone automatically switched to satellite network, but without the ability to make normal calls. Others noted the device only showed SOS mode. Verizon technical support, contacted via chat, acknowledged an active issue with international partner networks, but provided no timeline for resolution.
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Official statement from Verizon
A few hours ago, a Verizon spokesperson released an official statement: We are aware of issues with several third-party vendors that are impacting roaming services for some customers traveling internationally. Additionally, US-based Verizon customers may also experience delayed connections or increased buffering. Our engineers are engaged and working quickly with our vendors to resolve these issues. We know how much people rely on Verizon and apologize for any inconvenience. The carrier has not yet provided an estimated time for restoration.
Impact on travelers and alternatives
The blackout comes at the height of summer, when millions of Americans travel abroad. Many rely on roaming for work or to stay in touch with family. Without service, experts recommend using public Wi-Fi for VoIP calls (WhatsApp, Skype) or buying a local temporary SIM. For those with an iPhone 14 or later, the satellite SOS feature can be a lifeline, though it does not guarantee normal voice calls. Amid growing reliance on global connectivity, incidents like this raise questions about the resilience of major carriers' networks. For more on digital security topics, read our article on OpenAI unveils an autonomous AI hacker, which discusses the impact of emerging technologies on data protection.
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For more information about Verizon, see the Wikipedia page.
Source: https://www.androidauthority.com/verizon-international-roaming-outage-3690074
