Software bug interrupts Verizon cell service for some customers in Northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND - A software bug is being blamed for a glitch that caused Verizon wireless customers in Northeast Ohio to have periods with no service Thursday night.

Several Verizon customers contacted NewsChannel5 overnight, saying they weren’t able to make or receive calls or text messages, and others reported problems with the company’s wireless data service.

“We were not able to dial out for a few minutes last night around 10:00 p.m.,” posted James Gayhart on NewsChannel5’s Facebook page .

Spokesperson for Verizon Wireless Laura Merritt said, “Our network infrastructure vendor introduced a software bug in a recent upgrade. The software bug caused the network switch to restart. The faulty software has now been removed from the switch and the problem is resolved.”

The issue affected customers in portions of Cleveland and Akron areas.

“It was intermittent throughout the evening,” added Merritt.

Verizon did not say how many customers were affected by the glitch.