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How to claim Verizon’s $20 credit for Wednesday’s service outage

Posted on January 15, 2026 by faz_business

Verizon is offering a very small mea culpa after Wednesday’s massive outage, which drew more than 1.5 million reports on Downdetector and lasted hours. The carrier posted on X that it will offer a $20 credit, but customers must redeem it in the myVerizon app.

“This credit isn’t meant to make up for what happened. No credit really can,” the company wrote. “But it’s a way of acknowledging your time and showing that this matters to us.” Incensed customers have largely replied with incredulity, both at the miniscule amount, and that it isn’t being applied automatically.

Engadget has reached out to Verizon seeking clarity on whether this credit can be claimed by contacting the carrier or only through the app. We will update this piece if we hear back.

Update, January 15 2026, 11:57 PM ET: Verizon says the credit can be claimed through customer service via phone, chat and online in addition to the myVerizon app.

Verizon says its service is back after a 10-hour outage

Posted on January 15, 2026 by faz_business

Verizon’s network is experiencing technical issues that are impacting calls and wireless data. Verizon customers on X have reported seeing “SOS” rather than the traditional network bars on their smartphones, and even the network provider’s own status page struggled to load, likely due to the number of customers trying to access it.

Based on the experience of Verizon users on Engadget’s staff, the services that are impacted appear to be calls and wireless data. Text messages continue to be delivered normally, at least for some users. On DownDetector, reports of a Verizon outage started growing around 12PM ET and numbered in the hundreds of thousands at their peak.

DownDetector also shows spikes in outage reports on competing networks like AT&T and T-Mobile, but in terms of magnitude, they’re much smaller than the issue Verizon is facing. For example, Verizon peaked at 181,769 reports, while AT&T’s was just 1,769 reports. The difference between the two is great enough that those AT&T reports could be from people trying to contact Verizon customers and thinking that their personal network was the problem.

In a post on the cell provider’s news account on X, Verizon acknowledged the issues with its network. “We are aware of an issue impacting wireless voice and data services for some customers,” Verizon wrote. “Our engineers are engaged and are working to identify and solve the issue quickly. We understand how important reliable connectivity is and apologize for the inconvenience.”

Based on DownDetector’s map of outage reports, issues with Verizon’s network appear to be concentrated in major cities in the eastern United States. The majority of reports appear to be coming out of Boston, New York and Washington DC, though the map also shows growing hot spots in Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

At 2:14PM ET, Verizon shared on X that its engineering teams “remain fully deployed” to work on fixing the outage. The company didn’t share when the issue would resolved or how many of its customers are currently impacted. Reports on DownDetector have dropped since their peak at 12:43PM ET, but thousands of Verizon customers are still noticing issues with the service.

As of 3:09PM ET, Verizon has yet to share more information about the recovery of the company’s cell network. Some Verizon customers on X have noticed their cell service returning, but it’s not clear if this means the network’s technical issues have been fixed.

At 4:06PM ET, nearly two hours since the company’s last statement, at least one member of Engadget’s staff reports their service has been restored. The connectivity issues are still affecting Verizon customers, however. DownDetector received over 55,000 outage reports as recently as 3:47PM ET.

Verizon posted at 4:12PM ET that work continues on addressing the outage, but the issue hasn’t been completely fixed. According to the company, its team is “on the ground actively working to fix today’s service issue that is impacting some customers.”

As of 4:52PM ET, the Verizon’s network has been experiencing issues for around four hours, making today’s outage nearly as long as the last major outage the company had in 2024. Like that 2024 outage, Verizon has yet to share what exactly is causing the issues with its network. Without out an official update, it’s safe to assume the company is still working on a fix.

At 5:41PM ET, DownDetector latest tally still shows over 46,000 people reporting issues with Verizon’s network. Based on the platform’s map, the same cities are filing the bulk of the outage reports, though reporting appears more diffuse than before as news of the outage has spread across the country.

At 6:20PM ET, the situation was much the same. Tens of thousands of users (including Engadget editors) still don’t have proper service, and Verizon had not updated its customers since 4:12PM ET. There are intermittent reports of service coming back and then failing again but seemingly no true fix has been deployed.

At 10:20PM ET, Verizon has announced that the outage has been resolved and has encouraged subscribers still having issues to restart their devices to reconnect to the network. The company also said that it will provide account credits to affected customers.

Both T-Mobile and AT&T have confirmed that their own networks are unaffected by the issues facing their competitor. In a post on X, T-Mobile shared that its network is “operating normally and as expected.” Meanwhile, AT&T says that for any of its customers experiencing issues, “it’s not us…it’s the other guys.”

Update, January 14, 7:25PM ET: This article was published as a developing story and was updated multiple times over a period of around seven hours. These updates were additive, and noted with a timestamp within the article. As of writing, Verizon is still down for tens of thousands of users and the company’s support team has not issued an update on the stituation in over three hours. Happy Wednesday!

Update January 14, 10:39PM ET: This story has been updated to add Verizon’s latest update that the outage has been resolved.

US Army soldier pleads guilty to hacking telcos and extortion

Posted on July 15, 2025 by faz_business

Former U.S. Army soldier Cameron John Wagenius pleaded guilty to hacking telecommunication companies and attempting to extort them by threatening to release stolen files, the Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.

According to the DOJ, Wagenius, who went online with the nickname “kiberphant0m,” conspired to defraud 10 victim companies by stealing their login credentials, using brute force attacks and other techniques, and then used Telegram group chats to transfer the stolen credentials and discusses hacks.

Wagenius and his conspirators also attempted to extort their victims in private and in public, including on hacking forums such as the notorious BreachForums. They sold some of the stolen data and also used the stolen credentials to commit other frauds, including SIM swapping victims.

Earlier this year, Wagenius had already pleaded guilty to hacking AT&T and Verizon, a breach that led to him stealing a massive amount of call records.

Wagenius’ sentencing is scheduled for October 6, and he faces 20 years in prison, according to the press release.

The hacker has been linked to a series of hacks that originated from the breach of could computing services giant Snowflake.

Can you use Wi-Fi calling for free while traveling abroad?

Posted on March 29, 2025 by faz_business

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

If you’re planning to travel internationally this year, you’ll want to have a solid game plan for phone coverage during your trip. There are several options available, including using a foreign SIM or eSIM, or even opting for a special travel SIM plan. For many, the most convenient method is simply using their carrier’s roaming solution, though not all carriers are created equal in this regard.

If your international roaming options are limited, you might be wondering if you can simply connect to an international Wi-Fi network to place phone calls instead. In most cases, the answer is yes, but whether you’re charged for it depends on your carrier’s policies.

Ensuring You Have Wi-Fi Calling

First, it’s important to ensure you have Wi-Fi calling in the first place. The good news is that every major US carrier now offers this feature, even most prepaid providers. However, some carriers may have device restrictions. For example, Cricket typically requires a Cricket-purchased device to use its Wi-Fi calling feature, with only a few exceptions. If you’re unsure whether your carrier supports Wi-Fi calling on your device, be sure to check their terms and conditions.

Will Wi-Fi calling be free internationally?

Once you’ve confirmed that you have Wi-Fi calling, you might be wondering if you can use it for free while traveling internationally. If you’re calling the US, the answer is almost always yes. However, if you’re calling other countries while on an international Wi-Fi connection, you can generally expect a charge.

A look around Reddit makes it clear some travelers have reported being charged for Wi-Fi calls to the US while abroad, and you may have experienced this yourself. While this can happen, in most cases, it can be prevented.

How to avoid charges for Wi-Fi calls to the US while abroad

No one likes unexpected charges. For many prepaid providers, if Wi-Fi calling fails, you simply won’t be able to place the call, which means you’re less likely to face an unexpected fee. However, some prepaid providers can and will charge extra fees to your default billing payment if it aligns with their terms.

Regardless of whether the charge is on a prepaid or postpaid account, the reason behind it is usually the same: If your Wi-Fi call drops without your knowledge, your phone may automatically switch to a roaming network, resulting in charges.

To prevent this, follow these steps:

Turn on Wi-Fi calling before leaving the US. This may seem simple, but if you don’t enable Wi-Fi calling before departure, you likely won’t be able to activate it once abroad. Additionally, avoid turning it off while traveling, as you may not be able to reenable it. Need help? Check out our guide to Wi-Fi calling for exact steps and more details.
Enable Airplane mode. Don’t just turn off your data; instead, activate Airplane mode and then connect to a Wi-Fi network. This ensures your phone won’t attempt to connect to a mobile network if there’s an issue with the Wi-Fi call.

I have an international calling plan; can I use that over Wi-Fi calling?

Let’s say you live in the US and are visiting France. You use Wi-Fi calling to contact a few French businesses. Will you be charged if you already pay for an international calling plan? For nearly every carrier, the answer is yes.

An international calling plan is designed to allow users in the US to call other countries without extra charges. However, if your Wi-Fi connection isn’t US-based, you will likely incur a roaming fee. Some users attempt to bypass this by connecting to a Wi-Fi network through a VPN, but there are no guarantees, and doing so could potentially violate your plan’s terms of service.

Some argue that it shouldn’t matter where you are when using Wi-Fi calling since the traffic is still routed to T-Mobile (or another carrier) the same way. In theory, this means there’s no extra cost to the carrier. However, there’s no real way around it; carriers like T-Mobile benefit from steering users toward purchasing international roaming add-ons.

It’s important to clarify that international calling plans and international roaming plans are not the same. An international calling plan allows you to call other countries from the US, while an international roaming plan enables you to place calls to and from other countries.

If you have an international roaming plan, you shouldn’t see additional charges for Wi-Fi calls, as long as both the numbers you’re calling and receiving calls from are covered under your plan. Of course, if you have an international roaming plan, you can also make calls using your mobile network directly.

What is the best alternative to Wi-Fi calling with your carrier?

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

If you don’t have an international calling plan and are looking for a cheap way to make calls while abroad, here are some options:

Use a VoIP service. A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider lets you make free Wi-Fi calls to the US from any country. Our top recommendation is Google Voice: it may be more lightweight than other VoIP solutions, but it works well for Wi-Fi calling and offers competitive international rates, some as low as just a few cents per minute.
Check your carrier for add-on roaming plans. Even if your carrier doesn’t offer free roaming, it likely has some kind of international package you can purchase. Many prepaid carriers, including Google Fi, Mint Mobile, and others, offer affordable international add-ons.
Get a local SIM or eSIM. While this requires a tad more effort, the cheapest way to get international roaming service is to use a local SIM or eSIM provider. Many airports sell these through kiosks or small storefronts.
Consider a travel SIM plan. Travel SIMs and eSIMs are typically more expensive than local SIMs but offer greater convenience. You pay a provider for international data, and they partner with local carriers to give you seamless service while you travel.

The best carrier for international travel

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Another option to consider is switching to a carrier where roaming isn’t an issue. For frequent international travelers, Google Fi is arguably the best option, even when compared to the big three carriers. Its Unlimited Plus plan costs just $65 per month or as low as $40 per line for four or more lines.

In addition to unlimited data, you get unlimited texts and data in over 200 countries, which activates instantly the moment you arrive — no changes or hassle required. You can learn more in our Google Fi plans guide or hit up the widget below to sign up for yourself.

T-Mobile was also infiltrated by China-linked telecom hackers

Posted on November 16, 2024 by faz_business

Back in October, the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) admitted that they were looking into “the unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China.” These bad actors, collectively called “Salt Typhoon,” allegedly targeted US officials and staffers for the recently concluded presidential elections. A few days later, though, The Wall Street Journal reported that the group had access to a lot more people than originally thought. Basically, the hackers could have accessed the data of any American who’s a customer of AT&T and Verizon. That list of carriers has grown just a bit longer, because according to a new report by The Journal and Reuters, Salt Typhoon had also infiltrated T-Mobile’s network.

The hackers are believed to have exploited various vulnerabilities, such as those plaguing Cisco Systems routers, to get inside the carriers’ network. They also used AI and machine learning, The Journal said, and stayed inside some of the systems they infiltrated for over eight months. That’s enough time to get away with a bunch of sensitive data — they were allegedly able to access the phone lines of US senior national security officials, as well as the call logs and unencrypted texts of their targets. The hackers were also reportedly able to access the information collected by carriers to comply with surveillance requests from the American authorities.

A company spokesperson told The Journal that T-Mobile is “closely monitoring” the attacks and said that its systems and data “have not been impacted in any significant way.” They also said that the carrier didn’t find evidence that its customers’ information has been compromised in the security breach.

Verizon bets on fiber’s staying power as it acquires Frontier for $20B

Posted on September 5, 2024 by faz_business

Some major consolidation is afoot in the world of internet communications — and it will have implications for competition and consumer internet access in U.S. On Thursday, Verizon announced that it would gobble up Frontier Communications for $20 billion — more than double Frontier’s market cap at the close of trading the night before.

Frontier offers internet, phone and TV services — it has also partnered with companies like Google and Amazon over the years to bundle other digital services or find new distribution channels. But Verizon’s big interest in the company is its fiber business and the fact that it extends to places that Verizon does not currently cover as well.

Originally based in Tampa, Frontier currently has 2.2 million customers across 25 states, including the lucrative market of Washington, DC. It’s building out its network and plans to touch 10 million homes by 2026, up from 7 million today. Verizon, digging in deep on its telecoms roots under CEO Hans Vestberg, has been working on expanding its own Fios fiber network. Combined, the pair cover 25 million homes.

This is a somewhat karmic turn of events. In 2009, Frontier acquired some of Verizon’s legacy local exchange business for $8.5 billion. Adjusted for inflation, that’s around $12.5 billion 2024 dollars.

“The acquisition of Frontier is a strategic fit,” said Vestberg in a statement. “It will build on Verizon’s two decades of leadership at the forefront of fiber and is an opportunity to become more competitive in more markets throughout the United States, enhancing our ability to deliver premium offerings to millions more customers across a combined fiber network.”

Verizon reiterated its guidance for the year at the same time it announced the acquisition, and that points to another reason for the acquisition. Wireless revenues are due to grow between just 2% and 3.5% (as a point of comparison, they grew more than 8% in 2014), and EBITDA is expected to grow between 1% and 3%. Adding more customers and reach is a bet on fiber’s staying power and promise to offset those figures.