phone network

[nightowl]

Maybe a dumb non-techie question but what happens to the phone network (both domestic and mobile) in the event of an extreme crisis, i.e. no workers manning the offices? Is is one of those things that keeps working until there is some fault?

[tom2tom]

It's kinda a question you can't answer unless you know what this 'cataclysmic event' your talking about is. But i assume if they was undamaged they would keep working for a bit but i'm not sure =)

[Arzosah]

One bit of info I can give you - by the end of the Hurricane Sandy event, mobile phone networks in the US were going down, as the cell towers were running out of juice - whether their generators were dry, or the cables supplying them were damaged (tried to find a link, but its a bit of a minefield), I don't know, but thats what was happening.

[poppypiesdad]

Until the electricity goes off most will still work , would think that mobiles would be the first to go as they are usually on local grids or submains usually with no generator back ups , where as landlines from BT usually are on larger mains due to power needs with aditional back up gennies , other providers don't know .

[Moony]

During a crisis phone networks often fall over not only due to power/ technical problems but because everyone is trying to use them at the same time and just overloads the system. Many complex systems require constant worker intervention to keep them going, a little click here, a fault reset there, etc. Without any workers at all I be surprised if systems lasted more than 24hrs due to a cumulation of minor faults.

[Hamradioop]

Maybe a dumb non-techie question but what happens to the phone network (both domestic and mobile) in the event of an extreme crisis, i.e. no workers manning the offices? Is is one of those things that keeps working until there is some fault?

In all probability the mobile Networks will be switched to essential service users only, I.E First responders, Army and security services.

[12mp82]

If the mains power goes you might get 4 to 8 hrs if you are really lucky.

Also a similar situation with anything relying on mains power, water, gas and sewage will start failing after about 4 to 8 hrs.

4 to 8 hrs is about the time the battery back-ups last but don't bet on it.

[short circuit]

A cb radio is handy to have in your kit as preppers, ham radio even better if you are licenced, you can pick up a cb cheap also a top item a prepper should have is a scanner and a basic wind up radio,
Land Mobile TX RX radio RX radio.

[broke prepper]

Well most Mobil phone transmitters get there current strait from the national grid, so as soon as the grid starts to go down the signal will start to disappear, most people don't usually realise their transmitters are down as they usually overlap and can get at least some signal from another one ,but in the event of a EMP like scenario it would be immediate to all services except some water ones which are gravity fed

[redskies]

I suspect that you'd need to overcome the electronic accounting systems if you were to keep the network going. Technically, as long as there are no faults, then running out of credit on your mobile or running up a huge bill on your landline would be the bar to continuing communication. Override the accounting system and as long as there are no faults, it shouldn't be a huge problem.

If the power goes out nationally, it all goes out, since they're all digital systems now. Even an analogue system needs some power, but if you could provide the power and know how to switch it back, you might be able to restore some function to a local area.

CB's and walkie talkies would, I think, be the way to go!