How Can I Check Whether My Phone Will Work in a Power Outage

DckrCyn

Our power went out for several days this week due to SCE's PSPS and we immediately lost cell service. Will this always happen with Verizon cell phones? I thought our area due to its wildfire risks would have backup generator coverage to supply power for a 24 hour period. Is there a way that I can check to see whether Verizon will work during a power outage? I know AT&T is considered a carrier of last resort (https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/consumer-support/psps/potential-impacts-on-telephone-service-during-de-energization) and is required to provide coverage. Does Verizon offer any backups to Southern California?

#poweroutage #cellservice #emergencies

SynthpopAddict

Yikes. I confess to having to Google what a PSPS was to figure it out. Depending on the neighborhood, not all cell phone towers have a backup power supply if the electricity is shut off for some reason. In extreme situations, mobile "cells on wheels" (COWS) can be brought out to provide some basic mobile services. 5G will be shut off, and only the lowest band LTE will be available in such situations. I am pretty sure Verizon was doing this during the February 2021 Texas Power Grid Collapse, as I did not have power or other basic utilities for several days and my cell phone was the only thing working...

If your phone goes into SOS mode, you can still dial 911 and the call will connect via whatever available network is around, if Verizon is unavailable. This is why all carriers have a fee somewhere which covers 911 service. This works even if your phone has no active service plan or the SIM card is missing, so long as the phone itself is functional.

If you absolutely must have working cell phone service at all times which isn't just emergency calls, then using the Blue Logo Place could be a better option, given that your link shows they must provide basic service, while Verizon is not listed. But I'd try demoing their service for free first, if your phone is eSIM capable and unlocked to make sure they work well. One never knows, as dead zones can happen anywhere and for many reasons.