Verizon customers are reporting widespread outages with cell phones limited to SOS mode

Verizon customers across the U.S. reported problems accessing the company's wireless network. Some reported Monday morning that their phones were limited to SOS service only.

As of 10:15 a.m. ET, more than 70,000 reports of Verizon outages had been logged on DownDetector, a website that tracks service outages for telecommunications providers, websites and other companies.

Outages were reported from New York to Los Angeles, with the main complaint being a lack of service on customers' cell phones.

“SOS in Ohio since this morning. I was working on my commute but crashed a few hours ago and haven't returned,” one user wrote on DownDetector.

In an emailed statement to CBS MoneyWatch, Verizon said it was aware of the issue.

“We are aware of an issue affecting service for some customers,” a spokesperson said. “Our engineers are committed and we are working quickly to identify and resolve the issue.”

What is SOS mode?

Cell phones sometimes enter SOS mode when they have problems connecting to a wireless network. As the name suggests, SOS mode means the phone can still make emergency calls like 911 by connecting to other wireless carriers, according to Apple.

–This is a developing story and will be updated.