Verizon Communications Inc.

(New York Stock Exchange)
Bearish -50

Why is Verizon down in Texas? Outages reported in Amarillo, Odessa, San Angelo, and Midland; 'SOS only'

πŸ“‰ Thousands of Verizon users in West Texas and the Panhandle reported network outages on Tuesday afternoon.

βœ‚οΈ The service disruption was caused by a fiber cut affecting the Verizon network infrastructure.

πŸ“ Affected areas include Amarillo, Odessa, San Angelo, and Midland, among other locations in the region.

πŸ“± Users experienced phones stuck in "SOS Only" mode, preventing connection to the cellular network.

⏰ The outage began around 4:00 PM EST and peaked at approximately 4:40 PM EST according to DownDetector.

πŸ”§ Verizon confirmed on social media that crews are working to restore service following the incident.

πŸ“’ Verizon Support acknowledged the issue via X, stating engineers are aware and resolving it quickly.

πŸ“‰ As of the report, more than 1,600 users were still facing service problems in Texas.

πŸ’¬ Customers expressed frustration on social media regarding the lack of refunds or adequate communication.

🚚 Some users reported critical impacts on their ability to work deliveries and make essential calls.

🏒 Verizon is one of the largest US telecommunications companies serving over 140 million wireless connections.

πŸ“° The news was updated on June 10, 2026, by journalist Shamik Banerjee for Hindustan Times.

Risk Factors
  • A fiber cut caused a significant network outage affecting thousands of users in West Texas and the Texas Panhandle, including Amarillo, Odessa, San Angelo, and Midland.
  • As of June 10, 2026, over 1,600 users were still facing connectivity problems with their phones stuck in 'SOS Only' mode, unable to make calls or send texts.
  • Frustrated customers are questioning billing refunds for service that has been non-functional for prolonged periods, with some reporting outages lasting up to a week.
  • A user explicitly linked the ongoing network reliability issues to recent layoffs, noting that Verizon laid off 13,000 employees just weeks prior.
Full Analysis
Verizon Communications is experiencing a significant network outage affecting thousands of users in West Texas and the Texas Panhandle. The service disruption began around 4:00 PM EST on Tuesday afternoon and was caused by a fiber cut, which forced many affected phones into "SOS Only" mode where they could not connect to the Verizon network for calls or texts. The outage specifically impacted areas including Amarillo, Odessa, San Angelo, and Midland. DownDetector data indicates that approximately 2,500 users reported issues at the peak of the incident, with over 1,600 still facing connectivity problems as of the latest update on June 10, 2026. Verizon Support confirmed the issue via social media, stating that engineers are aware of the fiber cut and are actively working to restore service. Customer reactions on social media have been mixed, with some users expressing frustration over prolonged outages and questioning billing refunds, while others noted ongoing issues in specific neighborhoods like Hollis. Despite the complaints regarding service reliability and past layoffs mentioned by frustrated customers, Verizon has apologized for the inconvenience and directed users to their network status page for real-time updates on restoration progress.