Verizon acknowledges 5G/4G wireless network issues, fix in the works

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…

Original story (published on May 21, 2021) follows:

Allocating new spectrum has become a mandatory requirement for the mobile network industry to improve capacity and enhance mobile broadband.

And Verizon has been doing just that recently. The carrier had recently acquired the C-band spectrum following which it commenced the installation of C-band equipment from Ericsson and Samsung Electronics.

Verizon has also been quite busy trying to improve their 5G coverage. The carrier had announced yesterday the successful deployment of their 5G Ultra Wideband in 14 additional arenas and stadiums.

However, even with all this progress, there are still plenty of complaints doing rounds about network drops and slow mobile data:

@VZWSupport network keeps dropping in bushwick Brooklyn. I’ve restarted my router three times now.
Source

Verizon signal has been horrible this spring. They definitely made changes to the network, for the worse.
Source

This may even happen when the phone is showing maximum 5G network strength, and is also affecting calls. Switching to the 4G LTE network isn’t of much help either as the network issues persist.

Several users have also complained saying that the state of Verizon’s mobile network wasn’t always like this and has recently worsened. Although it is highly likely that the pandemic is to be blamed for that.

Nonetheless, if you are one of the users facing these network problems with Verizon, then you would be pleased to know that they have been acknowledged.

Verizon Support recently responded to a complaint on Twitter saying that the mobile network is indeed experiencing issues in parts of Texas.

Their technicians are aware and already on top of it, working to resolve it as soon as possible.

If you are facing a similar issue in some other location in the United States, then your best bet would be to raise a complaint about the same on Twitter just like the user above did.

If all goes well, Verizon should acknowledge your case of network issues as well. For now, we will continue tracking the matter so stay tuned to PiunikaWeb.

02:57 pm (IST): Verizon is currently experiencing an outage in some regions in the US as per the carrier’s official Twitter handle:

The issue is being worked upon though so it should be resolved soon.

02:13 pm (IST): Verizon is currently suffering another outage and Verizon Wireless CS has acknowledged the issue on Twitter.

Verizon is currently experiencing a network outage. Our technicians are aware of the issue and are working to resolve it quickly. We apologize for any inconvenience. *BXA
Source

04:18 pm (IST): It seems that Verizon customers aren’t they only ones facing issues with 5G as hundreds of users in Korea have also filed a report against telecoms over disappointing quality on the new networks as per a report.

We can only hope that carriers around the world continue to improve upon their networks to offer better support and speeds.

Going by the information shared by a user, resetting the Settings may help (as can be seen in the image below).

It appears that Verizon customers in Westchester, NY are experiencing connectivity issues and the company has confirmed that they’re working on a fix for it.

Thank you for being proactive with your service location. Verizon is currently experiencing a wireless network issue in your area. Our technicians are aware of this issue and are working to resolve it quickly. We do apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. (Source)

In a recent press release, Verizon boasted that it remains unmatched for overall network performance and reliability. It also apparently was able to achieve median speeds of 40 Mbps in 43 markets.

However, reports of the carrier offering poor 4G/5G speeds continue to pop up on Twitter, Reddit, and other social media platforms.

There seems to have been some issues with Verizon earlier today, however, the problem seems to have been addressed as current reports on Downdetector indicate things are working fine for a majority of users.

Verizon Wireless support is asking users to login to the My Verizon application to be informed when there’s a service outage in their area. In case you haven’t done this already, we’d suggest doing so to know when there are widespread issues with the network.

To find out if you’re affected by a Verizon mobile network outage, sign in to My Verizon. If we’re aware of a network outage in your area, you’ll see a Network Notification alert at the top of your screen. (Source)

In a fresh press release, Verizon revealed that with Samsung’s help, the two companies have completed a fully virtualized 5G data session on C-band spectrum in a live network environment.

This success will help in scaling the company’s 5G infrastructure and offering users a better 5G network experience.

In an effort to encourage more people to use its 5G service, Verizon has introduced four new mobile hotspot plans — Essential, Plus, Pro, and Premium — that range from 15 GB to 150 GB per month.

We only hope that this step also leads to the carrier improving its 4G/5G infrastructure to offer better connectivity, especially now that customers have extra mobile data to play around with.

Verizon support is guiding users to a dedicated page that has a bunch of information on the steps you can take when there’s a service outage in your area. You can check it out here.

As the U.S transitions from 4G to 5G, a few surveys are all coming up with different results, and today, PhoneArena reports that in its evaluation, Verizon won the most reliable everyday 5G carrier slow in H1 2021 while AT&T and T-Mobile went home with the best everyday 5G experience and highest every day 5G availability over the same period. More on that here.

In an effort to drive users to its mobile application, Verizon Wireless CS on Twitter has once again put out a tweet asking users to head to the My Verizon application to know all about outages and when they can expect the issue to be fixed.

If you experience an outage, we want you to know what’s going on. Find out when your connection should be back with a few taps in the My Verizon app. We’re working hard to help serve you better. (Source)

Verizon 5G Business Internet is now going live in five new cities — Gresham, OR; Albuquerque, NM; Austin, TX; Little Rock, AR; and Nashville, TN — bringing the total cities with service availability to 47 as per a recent press release.

This means more people will now have access to the internet via the carrier’s fixed-wireless broadband powered by 5G Ultra-Wideband. While this is a big step forward, there’s still a long way to go for Verizon to improve its infrastructure.

FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has shared a new coverage map which lets users see the LTE data and voice coverage from AT&T, UScellular, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

Verizon has come out to detail its plans to work with learning institutions by offering them fast internet with low latency, connections that should see more immersive learning experiences for learners. More on that in this post.

Recent user reports on Downdetector indicate that there might be problems with Verizon’s service in certain areas. Fortunately, the outage isn’t affecting a majority of Verizon subscribers.

In its latest press release, the big red carrier confirmed that customers in Austin, TX and Gresham, OR now have access to Verizon’s gold standard 5G Home broadband and 5G Ultra Wideband mobility services.

Additionally, customers in Albuquerque, NM; Little Rock, AR, and Nashville, TN now have access to Verizon’s 5G Home service, and customers in Birmingham, AL now have access to 5G Ultra Wideband mobility service.

It’s clear that the carrier isn’t leaving any stone unturned when it comes to launching 5G in more cities. That said, you can check out the complete press release for more details.

In an effort to get 5G phones in the hands of more customers, Verizon is now offering those who purchase select 5G phones from the carrier 12 months AMC+ streaming for free. More details here.

Reports from Verizon customers indicate that there has been an outage in multiple regions around Virginia. Fortunately, this seems t have been resolved already.

Just like yesterday, now a bunch of new reports from Verizon users is surfacing online, reports from users facing Verizon service outages in various parts of the U.S.

Verizon has since come out to acknowledge this issue, noting that the teams are working on it.

We are aware some customers in your service area may be experiencing issues and our network teams are looking into this.
Source

Downdetector is showing another spike in the number of reports meaning that Verizon is having yet another outage. This makes it two days in a row where Verizon users have been experiencing issues with their services.

Reports from Verizon users have since subsided and even Downdetector is reporting relatively lower numbers of reports. This indicates that the issues faced are now resolved.

Verizon’s outages notwithstanding, the carrier is doing some good work and now, it is offering customers impacted by the western wildfires unlimited calls, text, and data.

Accounts with billing addresses in the following zip codes are included:

Caldor Fire:
00051, 00052, 95626, 95629, 95634, 95636, 95666, 95667, 95684, 95709, 95720, 95726

Dixie Fire:
00012, 00028, 00031, 00038, 95915, 95923, 95934, 95942, 95947, 95954, 95971, 95983, 95984, 96020, 96056, 96061, 96075, 96109, 96113, 96114, 96121, 96122, 96130, 96137

McFarland Fire:
00037, 96022, 96076, 96080

Monument Fire:
00039, 95527, 96010, 96041, 96046, 96048

Customers do not have to take any action to take advantage of the offer. More on that here.

A section of Verizon customers are reportedly still facing outages and gave since turned to social media to vent their frustrations.

This is completely unacceptable. No service from the moment I landed. 4 days and counting still no service. Verizon needs to show some accountability.
Source

Now, the carrier has come out to acknowledge an issue afflicting its customers in Puerto Rico, adding that technicians in the area are aware of this issue ad are working to resolve it.

It appears that yesterday’s outage has been resolved as reports suggesting that users are facing issues with Verizon have dropped significantly. Downdetector also indicates that the service is operating as usual.

Downdetector is seeing yet another spike in the number of reports from Verizon users noting that they’re experiencing massive slowdowns or outright outages in the carrier’s services.

@VZWSupport NOW I FIND OUT MY ENTIRE PHONE SERVICE DOESN’T WORK!! I CALLED/CHATTED IN FOR HELP AND NOW I’M COMPLETELY SCREWED???
Source

Verizon is currently experiencing an outage around the 46030 zip code area but its technicians are working on resolving it. The acknowledgment was made 14 hours ago though, so it’s likely that the issue has already been addressed.

Downdetector reports that yet again, a section of Verizon subscribers have been facing an outage or interruption in services, issues that reportedly started surfacing at 5:57 PM EDT.

Verizon seems to have fixed the issues with its service that was impacting customers yesterday. Reports of issues have dropped to nil on Downdetector and social media seems to be clear from reports indicating any major outage.

In a recent news release, Verizon debuted its private mobile edge cloud computing for enterprises with Microsoft Azure. Enterprise customers will be able to leverage Verizon’s 5G Edge with Microsoft Azure to boost the company’s efficiency.

Current reports on Downdetector indicate that there’s a potential service outage in certain regions for Verizon customers. The carrier has not yet acknowledged anything yet.

In a blogpost from OpenSignal on how the 5G experience compares across states and 250 cities in the US, the platform goes on to explain that the 5G experience is somewhat diminished as it is predominantly determined by the carrier-imposed restriction on video streaming quality tied to their 5G plan.

Besides, smartphone users in the U.S. that adopt a 5G phone do not automatically see a better video streaming experience using 5G, because it depends in part on the 5G plan they choose. For example, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile restrict video streaming quality to standard definition (SD) resolution in their entry-level unlimited data plans, although the plans all have 5G access included.
Source

Therefore, some 5G smartphone users on the three carriers could have their 5G Video Experience impaired by a restriction on video streaming quality tied to their 5G plan, regardless of their 5G Download Speed.

Over the past few hours, a lot of Verizon subscribers have been reported facing issues with the carrier’s services and as such, Downdetector has seen a sharp spike in the number of reports over the said period.

In case you’re moving to a new location or simply want to know where you can find Verizon’s 4G, 5G Nationwide, and 5G Ultra Wideband coverage, then check out this official coverage map for the US.

In a research finding report published by a research firm Umlaut, T-Mobile topped the charts in many categories with Verizon download speeds averaging 85 Mbps making it second in the standings.

This research was carried out in four major markets – Norfolk, VA; Indianapolis, IN; Detroit, MI; and San Bernardino and Riverside, CA.

In a fresh press release, Verizon confirmed that its 5G Ultra Wideband mobility service is now available in Harrisburg, PA; Athens, GA; Orlando, FL and Fremont, CA.

Further, 5G Home is now available in five more cities: Fremont, CA; Orlando, FL; Pensacola, FL; Sarasota, FL and Niagara Falls, NY.

NFL fans will be pleased to know that Verizon has partnered up with the National Football League (NFL) to offer their 5G Ultra Wideband service for the 2021/22 NFL season in select parts of 25 stadiums.

To know more about the situation, you can head here.

In combined 4G and 5G results, GWS found Verizon had the fastest download speeds for small tasks like web browsing and app data. It was second behind AT&T for large downloads like receiving video and photos.

Additionally, it is coming to light that Verizon does rely upon dynamic spectrum sharing a lot more than AT&T does. More on that here.

A fresh report has highlighted that Verizon is aiming to improve its 4G service with the new hardware that it purchased recently. The benefits, however, may take a while to reach customers.

As part of its 5G rollout, Verizon is reportedly deploying lots of fiber in the country. The president of Verizon Business Markets — Aparna Khurjekar — said the following:

All the 5G nodes need fiber. We are very aggressive in laying out fiber and 5G in the right places. It [fiber] is always associated with 5G. We believe 5G is the future of bandwidth connectivity.

So along with the expansion of 5G, you can expect Verizon’s fiber connections to also become available in most places in the country.

In its latest ‘Up To Speed’ blog titled ‘Goooooooaaaaaaaal!,’ Verizon shared a lot of information including details about the carrier’s contribution to the temporary housing of roughly 1,600 people displaced by Hurricane Ida in a former cruise ship.

Here’s a snippet from the carrier’s blog:

Did you know that right now there is a former cruise ship in the New Orleans harbor temporarily housing roughly 1,600 people displaced by Hurricane Ida? The ship had satellite connectivity, but needed a 5G installation provided by our team to support the substantial increase that comes with supporting passengers in a stationary location for an extended time. We also did installation work on a rooftop near the harbor to help members of FEMA stay connected via 4G and 5G radio.

With this, it’s clear that Verizon is set to bring 5G to more places and more customers while helping some along the way.

Verizon now reportedly has a custom Ford F650 — THOR — that can deploy a satellite dish, 5G mast, and drones to respond to natural disasters and emergencies.

This is yet one of the many ways the carrier is offering to get 5G to its subscribers across the country no matter the situation.

The big red carrier has now announced its newest “gridiron and crown jewel of the Southern California sports scene: SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.”

The new stadium will let any fan with a 5G-capable device to enjoy Verizon’s 5G Multi-View Experience. This new 5G-powered experience is only available in 7 stadiums in the country.

Verizon has announced that it will be delivering 5G Ultra Wideband connectivity to 7 Air Force Reserve Command installations in the country.

Hence, not only is the general population benefiting from the 5G expansion, the military is as well.

According to Opensignal, AT&T leads in the percentage of data consumed on its mmWave network, at 3.6%. The firm said it tracked data usage among customers in mmWave coverage areas who owned mmWave-capable devices.

The firm’s findings cover the month of July and exclude data on 3G and 2G networks. More on that here.

A fresh report from The Washington Post (paywalled) has highlighted the current state of affairs of 5G in the country. Spoilers, it’s bad, although, better than what it was a year ago.

This is true for the three big carriers in the country — Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T. Hence, 5G isn’t really worth all the hype at its current stage.

While Verizon has its 5G coverage in several NFL stadiums and indoor arenas, information buried within the carrier’s FAQ page highlights the following:

5G Ultra Wideband Service is concentrated in the lower seating area but could be available in other locations in and around the stadium as well. (Source)

Hence, you can expect the best coverage or speeds only in the lower seating area.

It seems that individuals who’ve got their hands on the new iPhone 13 models are facing issues with Verizon’s 5G service on the devices as per a fresh report.

It’s highly likely that most users who’re facing the problem may have to get a new 5G-capable SIM card from the carrier.

As per a fresh report, Verizon has bought up another small wireless network operator — Missouri’s Chariton Valley Communications Corporation (CVCC). This should help the carrier bolster its 4G/LTE services in the region.

Verizon announced that its Business division and CareAR have partnered to transform the service and customer experience CareAR delivers by leveraging the carrier’s 4G and 5G services. You can read more about this here.

Verizon is doubling down on its 5G services by bringing it to more homes and businesses all across the U.S.

– 5G Home Internet and 5G Business Internet are now available in parts of three new cities – Birmingham, AL; Fort Wayne, IN and Oklahoma City, OK. 5G Home is now available in 60 cities and 5G Business Internet is available in 57 cities.

– 5G Ultra Wideband mobility will be available later this month in parts of Jacksonville, FL; El Paso, TX; Dayton, OH; Scranton, PA; and Tacoma, WA. When service lights up in these cities later this month, 5G Ultra Wideband will be available in parts of 87 cities.
Source

According to Surveys, many people are reluctant to switch to 5G and as such, the perks of this new generation of connectivity remains largely untapped.

In recognition of this, carriers are reportedly going out of their way to push 5G to users while targetting a few key users including gamers, doubling down on infrastructure in big stadia, and more. More on that here.

In case you are having issues accessing the internet or other Verizon Wireless services, you aren’t alone. We are coming across reports from others affected too, implying there’s likely a massive outage.

According to Downdetector, Verizon is indeed going through connectivity issues at the moment, but the Big Red has yet to make any official statement on this.

We’ll keep watching and update this space once we get official acknowledgment.

The past few days seem to have been rough for Verizon. This, owing to the sheer number of outages reported by subscribers all across the US. It remains unclear what is causing these issues.

In a fresh press release, Verizon boasted that upload speeds on its 5G network are going to get a whole lot faster thanks to its partnership with Samsung and Qualcomm.

In a lab trial using aggregated bands of mmWave spectrum, the carrier was able to deliver 711 Mbps upload speeds. Of course, the general public won’t see the same speeds right away, but this is indeed promising.

In what can be seen as other players stepping up, T-Mobile has just managed to outrank Verizon in three separate reports with its 5G coverage in the country.

It seems that Verizon is doing at least something right as the company’s latest news release highlights that it has “been awarded #1 in Customer Satisfaction with Small Business Wireless and Wireline Service in the J.D. Power 2021 Business Wireless and Wireline Customer Satisfaction Studies.”

The report mentions that they were awarded best in class for ‘Performance and Reliability’, however, that’s something that contradicts the current situation according to reports and complaints from users.

According to a report, 5G has triggered Verizon’s user growth. Moreover, Verizon has added 429,000 new users in the third quarter of this year. More on that here.

T-Mobile is stepping up its assault on its competitors as now, persons who ditch Verizon or AT&T for T-Mobile will be offered up to $1000 for the switch.

Verizon’s CEO Hans Vestberg said that they are headed towards their goal of deploying more than 14,000 mmWave sites and up to 8,000 mid-band sites by the end of this year.

At Mobile World Congress in Los Angeles, Verizon’s Business Chief Revenue Officer, Sampath Sowmyanarayan, announced that Verizon-certified IoT devices can now access Verizon’s 5G Nationwide network.

Verizon has new 5G Nationwide-compatible hardware and plans to come later this year. And devices and plans compatible with its 5G Ultra Wideband network — which operates on mmWave spectrum — are expected by Q1 2022. More on that here.

Verizon and the Project Kuiper are teaming up to develop connectivity solutions with their 5G and LEO programs.

The strategic collaboration aims to pair Verizon’s terrestrial mobile network with Amazon’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network, Project Kuiper. More on that here.

A fresh report highlights the current situation which indicates that Verizon seems to be struggling to keep up with the competition as T-Mobile’s lead in the field has now become even greater.

AT&T and Verizon will roll out a new 5G wireless service at temporarily reduced power in the coming months to alleviate fears the signals may interfere with the electronics of jetliners and other aircraft.

As highlighted by a fresh report, Verizon has partnered with AWS and Microsoft on delivering MEC services including its 5G network, both sub-6 GHz and mmWave, in its public form and on customers’ premises.

Thus, expect to see more 5G-enabled businesses and public services spring to life over the coming months.

In a recent press release, Verizon showcased how its 5G services can help make healthier homes for seniors. Unfortunately, it does not give any insights into when it plans to deploy 5G services to more areas for the same.

Continuing its expansion, Verizon is now bringing its 5G services for homes and businesses in parts of Dayton, OH and Jacksonville, FL, as highlighted in a recent press release.

As highlighted by a fresh report, Verizon’s Chief Network Engineering Officer — Ed Chan — believes that once sufficient data is gathered by the FAA the C-band spectrum for 5G will resume at its usual power around airports.

Verizon is working along with Google Cloud to bring the power of the cloud closer to mobile and connected devices. This will benefit enterprises rather than regular customers. More on that here.

A new blogpost has been released, outlining why Verizon’s high-band 5G service seems to have way too many limitations to excite U.S. consumers.

In the detailed explainer, it looks like T-Mobile’s mid-band 5G seems to be a lot more attainable and accessible by many and as such, more likely to excite consumers.

Vuzix — a company that supplies Smart Glasses and AR technology or products — has partnered with Verizon to leverage the carrier’s 5G Edge to deliver immersive technology in the field of sports training and fan experience as highlighted by a report.

Of course, partnerships like these will likely help speed up the rollout of 5G all over the country which is a win-win for us consumers.

In a recent response to a user’s complaint regarding the availability of 5G, or rather lack thereof, Verizon support reassured that the company is working hard to expand its network.

We’re working hard to expand our cutting edge 5G network! We know how hard it can be waiting for it to arrive and appreciate your patience! (Source)

Reports now indicate that AT&T and Verizon have refused FAA’s request to delay the rollout of 5G, and as such, plan to start their new 5G wireless service on Wednesday.

In a move that can only be seen as these Telcos going back on their word, it is now coming to light that Verizon and AT&T have agreed with the FAA to delay the 5G C-band rollouts for 2 weeks.

Verizon is now celebrating its Ultra Wideband reaching 100 million subscribers in the US and is also offering some great deals on its 5G plans. Here’s a snippet from the announcement:

With our 5G Get More, 5G Play More and 5G Do More plans, you’ll get speeds up to 10x faster than what you have now at the same price as today’s plans

In an effort to get more users onboard its C-Band network, Verizon-owned Visible will also offer low-cost options for single-line users in the country, as highlighted by a report.

The C-Band network is set to launch in 46 major metro areas on Jan. 19 will apparently boost performance by at least two to three times for users.

AT&T and Verizon have reportedly agreed on turning off their 5G transmitters across 50 specific buffer zones for six months. FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has listed all the 50 airports that will have a 5G buffer zone ahead of C-band expansion. More on that here.

In the latest post, Verizon is promoting the company’s new 5G Home and 5G Business routers via the firsthand experience of those who took part in the C-Band trials.

While Verizon’s 5G upgrade on C-Band Spectrum will bring fast wireless speed for 100 million people in the US, there’s bad news for those who currently have unlimited 5G hotspot data on the millimeter-wave network.

Apparently, Verizon will no longer provide unlimited data to those who currently have it. Instead, subscribers will get 15GB of high-speed data and will face a speed drop after using it. More on that here.

A new version of Verizon’s 5G network is coming soon. And here are the devices that will support the C-Band network of Verizon.

– Apple’s iPhone 12 line (running iOS 15.2)

– Apple’s iPhone 13 line (running iOS 15.2)

– Samsung’s Galaxy S21 line

– Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3

– Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3

– Apple iPads with 5G (the iPad Pro and iPad Mini, running iPadOS 15.2) (Source)

Verizon brings 5G Ultra Wideband service to Innovation Hub at Arizona State University where students-led teams will be invited to explore 5G and Edge compute. Check more on that here.

As Verizon and AT&T move towards their goal of the C-Band network, the hurdles have already begun to show up. Airlines have now come out to protest the C band expansion of 5G from Verizon and AT&T saying that planes could be grounded. More on that here.

An altimeter is one of the important instruments when landing a plane. The mid-range signals are said to interfare with the altimeter and may cause some inconvenience.

However, it is said that the signals will not interfere with the equipment on planes made by Airbus and Boeing, so FAA may allow these planes to land near 5G signals. More on that here.

And after the airlines warned of a significant disruption, both Verizon and AT&T have agreed to delay 5G services on some wireless towers near major US airports.

PiunikaWeb started purely as an investigative tech journalism website with a main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Fox News, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, MacRumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.