Telecommunications company Verizon is reportedly experiencing a major nationwide service outage Wednesday. Real-time outage monitoring website Downdetector is reporting that Verizon is experiencing a major service outage.

Thousands report issues with Verizon services. Discover the details of the recent outage affecting mobile connections.

Telecom operator Verizon Communications' network was down for tens of thousands of users in the U.S. on Wednesday, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.com. Verizon said it was aware of the issue and that its engineers are working to identify and solve it.

In short, when you see SOS on your phone, it means you're not connected to a cellular network. "If you see SOS or 'SOS only' in the status bar, your device isn't connected to your cellular network, but you can still make emergency calls through other carrier networks," reads an Apple support page on the feature.

Update at 10:35 a.m. Downdetector shows more than 640,000 Verizon users, 6,130 T-Mobile users, and 6,100 AT&T users reporting issues, with Verizon reports beginning to slow. Update at 10:44 a.m. Reports of mobile service issues are starting to decline.

During the Verizon outage, police warned that contacting 911 could be tricky. Big disruptions can have cascading effects on everyday life.

Many Verizon customers are experiencing a major outage on Wednesday, disrupting calling and cellular services across the U.S. The New York-based carrier has acknowledged an issue impacting wireless vo