While Verizon is known for having excellent coverage and reliability, there are times when the Verizon network is down and it might have you wondering why.
Therefore, if you’re interested in learning more, then continue reading below to find out what I’ve discovered about the 12 most frequent causes behind a sudden Verizon outage!
Why is Verizon Down In [currentyear]?
There are multiple reasons why Verizon could be down, such as hardware or software issues, which could be on your end or Verizon’s end. Weather is a common culprit for Verizon to be down, such as trees falling on cable lines, flooding, and lightning striking equipment. Additionally, routine maintenance that happens behind the scenes can also cause outages in [currentyear].
Do you want to know other common reasons why Verizon is down and if there’s anything you can do about it? Keep reading to learn 12 common causes for these outages!
1. Software Issues
Verizon has been down previously as a result of software issues, which can impact a large region of the United States if the software issue happened in an important location.
Software issues can also be the result of human error, such as updating coding or protocols without testing it before it goes live.
Also, software issues could be the result of equipment being infected with some malware, but Verizon is fairly quick at figuring it out and getting the network back up and running!
2. Weather
Weather can impact Verizon and it’s one of the major causes for Verizon to go down suddenly, which could include lightning striking equipment and causing it to catch fire.
Additionally, other weather-related events cause Verizon to go down, including severe thunderstorms, tornados, flooding, falling trees, and hail damage to equipment.
3. Power Outage at Cell Towers
Power outages at the cell towers that cause Verizon to go down can occur because of weather, but they also can happen for other or unknown reasons.
This is the biggest cause of Verizon outages, disabling you from sending or receiving text messages, calls, or using the internet when the power is out.
Depending on how many cell towers were involved in the outage, it could take a couple of hours to a couple of days for the power to be restored and services to be back online.
4. Verizon is Performing Maintenance
While it doesn’t happen too often, Verizon could be down because the company is performing maintenance, which may end up disrupting the network.
However, Verizon tries to keep service stable and reliable for customers during this time, but if the maintenance doesn’t run smoothly or takes too long, it can impact the network for some.
5. Fiber Lines Cut or Damaged
If you’ve noticed Verizon is down, it could be due to fiber lines that have been cut or damaged, which could be an intentional act or simply a natural break in the fiber lines.
When fiber is the cause of the failure, it often doesn’t impact more than a few local communities and typically doesn’t involve a large portion of the network.
6. Verizon Hardware & Equipment Failures
Verizon hardware and equipment need to be in good working condition to keep the network running smoothly, so if there’s a failure along the way, it’ll cause Verizon to go down.
Furthermore, the equipment failure could be a cell tower or a server malfunction, the backup system for the cell tower, or even a small piece of hardware that connects the equipment.
Regardless, if there is any equipment or hardware failures or malfunctions, it’s possible to cause an outage which could range from a small outage to the entire Verizon network.
7. SIM Card Damage
Sometimes if Verizon is down, this could be the result of damage to your SIM card within your device. Therefore, one of the first steps you should take when you notice Verizon is down is to take out your SIM card and inspect it for damage, such as cracks or scratches.
For example, if there’s a scratch near the gold piece that has to make contact with the inside of the SIM card slot, this could cause connection issues on your device.
However, when you’re inspecting the SIM card, be careful not to touch that gold part and put the SIM back in gently so you don’t damage the card.
8. Network Interference
Network interference can be either impacting the Verizon network as a whole, or it could be just an issue at your location, such as a neighbor causing interference to your devices.
Commonly, network interference happens most often because of either a device at your home or a neighbor’s location if they live close, which causes connectivity issues.
9. Internet Lag
Internet lag, in general, can cause Verizon to go down, which can affect you or a whole group of other people within a community or region.
Therefore, you may notice you have a good signal but you can’t receive or send texts or load up a website, and it’s simply due to traffic on the Verizon servers causing the slowdown.
10. Weak Coverage
If you’re traveling and notice Verizon is down, it simply could be because you’re in a weak coverage area. When this happens, the best thing to do is try to move to another location and restart your device to see if your signal improves.
11. Device Network Settings Need Reset
Verizon might not be down for everyone, but rather there may be an issue with your network settings causing you to not connect to the Verizon network.
However, this issue most commonly affects only Apple devices, but it’s worth trying to reset the network settings to see if it helps, should your Verizon network appear down.
12. Airplane Mode is Turned On
Check your device to ensure airplane mode hasn’t been accidentally turned on, as this power mode will prevent your device from connecting to your network.
To learn more, you can also see our posts on what is Verizon Connect, if Verizon offers prepaid plans, and if Verizon Unlimited really unlimited.
Conclusion
There are several different reasons why Verizon might be down, including hardware or software failures, cell tower malfunctions, cell tower backup malfunctions, and storm damage to equipment.
Additionally, the issue might be on your end only, including interference with other devices, accidentally turning on airplane mode, and SIM card damage that’s causing connectivity issues.
