Verizon Outage Hits Customers, Phones Showing 'SOS': VZ Stock Trades Higher

Core Viewpoint - A significant outage affecting Verizon Communications' wireless voice and data services has led to emergency alerts for some customers, raising concerns among consumers and investors about the company's operational reliability and potential financial impact [1][2][3]. Service Disruption - Verizon is experiencing service interruptions for cellular data and voice services, with reports of users seeing "SOS" or no service on their devices, particularly in major cities like New York City and Washington, D.C. [2][3] - The company has acknowledged the issue and stated that its engineering teams are actively working to resolve the disruptions [3][6]. Emergency Alerts - An emergency notification system in Washington D.C. warned residents about the "nationwide" outage, advising them to use alternative means to report emergencies if they cannot connect via Verizon [4]. Competitor Status - Other telecommunications companies, such as T-Mobile and AT&T, have reported that their networks are operating normally, indicating that the issues are primarily isolated to Verizon [5][6]. Financial Outlook - Verizon is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter financial results on January 30, with analysts expecting revenue of $36.06 billion, an increase from $35.70 billion [7]. - Earnings per share are anticipated to be $1.06, down from $1.10 in the same quarter last year, although the company has consistently beaten earnings estimates in recent quarters [8]. - Despite the outage, Verizon's stock price increased by 2.1% to $39.84, and shares have risen 3.8% over the past year, suggesting that the market may not be significantly reacting to the service disruption [9].