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Many Verizon customers have the same complaint; what about you?

Verizon has been slow for many customers lately.

By Anam Hamid

Published: May 14, 2026, 6:12 PM

Verizon Wireless service

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Is 5G SA the culprit? | Image by Bloomberg

Verizon isn't technically suffering from a total outage, but for many customers experiencing consistently slow service, it might as well be. The glitch is subtle enough to fly under the radar, but persistent enough to be a recurring headache.

Sluggish service

According to a surge in complaints, Verizon has been acting up lately. Customers are reporting crawling data speeds and delayed text delivery.

I’m not sure what’s going on, but Verizon service has been acting really weird lately. I’m in an area with Ultra Wideband coverage, but websites are still loading super slow or sometimes not loading at all.

R3jr2, Reddit user, May 2026

I’m in Maryland and it’s been an absolute nightmare this past month or so

djstokes99, Reddit user, May 2026

I’m in VA and have complained about the same issues. Slow service-No service!!

ChrisInc, Reddit user, May 2026

The slowdown appears to be widespread and not concentrated in a single market. It has been dragging on for over a month.

While VerizonSupport has reached out to Reddit users, the carrier hasn't officially revealed what's behind these wide-scale network issues.

Is anyone else experiencing extremely slow service such as lagging internet. My apps take forever to load and my internet searches sometimes don’t load at all.

Efflictim888, Reddit user, April 2026

The possible culprit

Many customers suspect that standalone 5G (5G SA) is the culprit. The carrier kicked off its 5G SA deployment in September, but it hasn't been smooth sailing, with one analysis suggesting that a 5G SA update triggered the January outage.

5G is a joke. 4G is a struggle but at least it works.

Valkspurple, Reddit user, May 2026

Have you tried forcing lte only? In my area 5g slow but 4g works great.

idgafal31, Reddit user, May 2026

If your phone supports 5G Standalone make sure that is turned on. It was a big improvement for me.

One-Cell-7377, Reddit user, May 2026

One prevailing theory is that the company has limited certain frequency bands for 5G SA-eligible customers while simultaneously restricting who can actually access that 5G SA network.

In many places, they have been doing a terrible job moving to 5G SA. In my area, they have entirely restricted n2/n5 to SA customers while also heavily restricting who gets SA access. They also got rid of LTE B5, leaving my area with B13/66/n77 only (n2 was already here, but is now restricted). Almost the whole Chicago market is like this in my experience.

XL_Gaming, Reddit user, April 2026

In any case, many users have found that toggling off 5G and switching to 4G resolves the lag.

Has Verizon been slow for you lately?

Yes.

76.15%

No.

11.01%

Only 5G.

1.83%

Only 4G.

Somewhat.

11.01%

109 Votes

Is the network feeling the squeeze?

Since the real cause remains a mystery, we are left to speculate. One potential factor is Verizon's spectrum holdings, which are leaner than those of AT&T and T-Mobile.

The company is trying to bridge that gap, with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently green-lighting a $1 billion spectrum purchase from UScellular.

A fix is needed

While Verizon works on improving its infrastructure, it needs to resolve whatever is ailing its network. A carrier has one primary job, and right now, Verizon seems to be failing at that.

Some disgruntled customers are already discussing switching to another carrier. The problem is worse for customers who also subscribe to Verizon's 5G internet.

View Full Bio

Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.

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