topic Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage in Digital Home Phone

No Phone Access- Power Outage

BevanCR — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 14:02:44 GMT

Has any one like us had a power outage which affected their mobile and digital phone line and needed to make a 999 call ? How did you do this please?

Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage

XRaySpeX — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 14:17:21 GMT

Buy a battery back-up.

Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage

Peter_W — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 15:03:32 GMT

Good afternoon @BevanCR.

Welcome to the EE Community.

I can totally appreciate your concern around losing service in the event of a power outage, and would hate to think this has left you in a vulnerable position.

As @XRaySpeX has mentioned here, we provide the option of battery backups for customers in areas prone to power cuts or using equipment like Telecare alarms.

If you check out our help page here, this gives you more information on how these works, along with the details for how to contact our team to query this as an option.

Peter

Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage

Northerner — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 16:51:58 GMT

Hi @BevanCR

Mobile phones will connect to any network when you need to call 999.

Thanks

Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage

BevanCR — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 21:33:29 GMT

I'm confused, how does that help me get a signal?

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Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage

BevanCR — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 21:35:29 GMT

I still don't understand how that will give me a phone signal from the same outage in the relay mast?
I do actually have a battery pack but thank you for suggesting it
Regards

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Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage

bristolian — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 21:39:44 GMT

Mains power outages are one of the scenarios that are known to be problematic in the migration to IP-based telephony.

However, your query was how this is addressed for emergency calls & homecare-alarms - there are some mitigations in-place to cover these. Outbound calls to 999/112 have been potentially possible on a network other than your home one, since several years now.

Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage

BevanCR — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 21:40:29 GMT

Thank you for your help, but I can only get EE from my relay station because of the terrain here, so I assume if I need to make a 999 call my mobile won't connect to any other network.

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Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage

BevanCR — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 21:42:29 GMT

As I can only get an EE signal from my location I'm not sure how this helps me. Could you explain please.

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Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage

bristolian — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 21:45:01 GMT

If you are in a location where only EE service is available, and either that site is affected by a loss-of-service or your home location is, then evidently you will not be able to use mobile service.

FYI you have a short time after posting to edit, avoiding the need for multiple short replies. It looks like you're using the email reply function instead.

Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage

Mustrum — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 22:10:18 GMT

@BevanCR so you have two ways to think about the problem.

On the broadband side, if set up properly a battery backup system will keep your router and ONT if you have one powered up during a power cut. Either the exchange or the green cabinet down the road also has battery backup so your internet will keep going for as long as the batteries last. Plugging your phone into the router if you have digital voice will mean you can make calls, or use you mobile for WiFi calling if you have a suitable device.

Mobile phone masts also have battery backup, so that should also keep a signal to enable you to make calls.

So between two ways you can make your 999 calls for a number of hours after a local power outage.

Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage

bristolian — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 22:14:10 GMT

The extent of BBU on radio sites varies greatly, there is no hard or fast rule.

Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage

Mustrum — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 22:20:02 GMT

Yeah, it is the same in the green cabinets, but the exchanges have bigger batteries and diesel generators for those on full fibre.

Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage

BevanCR — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 08:12:29 GMT

Thank you for that information I do appreciate it

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Re: No Phone Access- Power Outage

BevanCR — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 08:14:29 GMT

Thank you for the information and your time I do appreciate it

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