lack of mobile coverage during power outage

[MEG123]

This week our area had an unplanned power cut.  I was upset because I couldn't use my mobile phone to make a call at all.  Even the portable, FM Radio didn't work downstairs.  I was able to go out and receive an update on the situation.  What must it be like for those living alone and unable to drive or suddenly decide to go out. 

I understood that so long as the mobile was charged up it would word during an outage.  Obviously with BT this isn't going to be the case.  Should we revert to another provider.  My husband's work mobile did work.

I was upset by lack of outside contact.  If home along and recovering from surgery I would feel 10 times worse.  If only we could revert to landlines and not rely on digital for 'everything'.

[Kimberlin]

@MEG123  Are you saying you couldn’t use your mobile phone because you couldn’t connect to WiFi calling through the router as it had no power? Or is it because you had no phone signal because you are perhaps in a poor mobile phone reception area that BT Mobile doesn’t have great coverage in? What network is your husbands work mobile on? If he’s on a different network with better coverage then that’s probably why he could still make calls.

[MEG123]

Thank you for your reply.

For clarification:

The reason I couldn't make calls or receive texts was because there was no phone signal, during the outage.

My husband's work phone is with Vodafone.  

I feel that BT should improve their coverage otherwise more people will leave them.

Later I read that Vodafone are trying to increase their coverage.  Would BT consider doing the same?

[Kimberlin]

@MEG123  No one here can tell you definitively whether or not BT will improve their phone coverage in a particular area. This is a customer to customer help forum, your posts don't go to BT.

I can literally only suggest, that if your current mobile phone signal isn't good enough for situations such as this, then you use an appropriate cellphone coverage map and use a provider that does have better coverage where you live. This is exactly what I personally did when I chose the two providers I use.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/mobile-coverage-checker

Obviously if you are currently in a minimum term contract with BT, then you can't just up and leave without penalty I would assume.

If switching mobile provider isn't an option, then unfortunately, you will just have to put up with it.

[gg30340]

If your battery FM Radio and your fully charged BT mobile phone both stopped working during a local power cut it must have been a massive prolonged  power cut as both mobile phone and radio sytems normally have their own battery back up for such events.

[iniltous]

BT Mobile is a MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) on EE , so your coverage is just the EE coverage in your area ,and  that coverage may be the same , better , or worse than the other large operators Vodafone and O2 , that have networks , anyone else you may think of (Sky for example) are just a MVNO on one if those 3 operators networks.

Mobile masts consume power , they are not required to have power back up , but may have that depends on the operator and in many places the mobile transmission site has multiple providers on the same mast ….so  you could look at others (O2 or Vodafone or MVNO on those networks ) but there is no guarantee that if a similar power outage occurred you would be in a better position.

If you have home broadband, and are sufficiently concerned about things like this (after all nothing terrible happened during this power outage ) you could buy yourself a battery back up /uninterruptible power supply BBU/UPS ) to keep your home broadband router (and ONT if you have full fibre ) going during power outages, that way you may have had a way to be in contact  via your broadband and home phone service  if it’s supplied via your broadband service .

[MEG123 · Accepted solution]

Thanks we'll look into it. Otherwise when a little more time I'll mention this to BT re their c overage.

[imjolly]

it is EE who are responsible for the coverage as BT only piggyback on the EE network

[gg30340]

If your radio signal was also affected are you going to contact the radio stations and report a lack of coverage during a power cut?

If the coverage is normally good from both the radio and mobile phone companies who may use the same mast or even a different mast I fail to see what the power cut has to do with "poor coverage".

If there is a power cut and if the mast that they use does not have a battery backup there will be no coverage regardless of which company use the masts.

[chrisjp]

One point to note: as well as EE, Vodafone and O2, Three is another independent network provider - at least for the time being.