Total loss of service during power outage

[mjdilworth]

hi all

on Saturday 15th July 2023 we experienced a power outage as recorded here https://powercuts.nationalgrid.co.uk/EM/INCD-8617-h

during this period we lost all mobile service. I imagine the base station also lost power and stopped working? However, i think this is rather poor and i would have expected the base station to have UPS and standby generator. Isnt the mobile network critical national infrastructure?

mike

[Enlli]

Not all stations have UPS. The same for all networks. The cost of adding that on the  thousands of cell towers would be horrendous and would require a stiff rise in prices. 

Networks are not required to give coverage 100% of the time.

Very shortly the same could happen to landlines as everyone is moved over to VOIP

[Cleoriff]

Reading the report @mjdilworth, I note power was restored in less than 2 hrs. I expect had it taken longer then the base stations generator (If they had one) would have kicked in. (According to my other half who worked for the National Grid for 40 years.) Their priority would be to restore power to the 1663 properties who had no power.

I realise this was an inconvenience but my sympathy lies with people who have mast problems lasting a week or longer. If you feel this warrants a complaint, then follow the info in this guide https://www.o2.co.uk/how-to-complain 

[mjdilworth]

very true about extra costs, but if emergency services are using the network? as for landlines, yes, i lost that too because i ham fibre to home and it is VOIP ...

[mjdilworth]

hi, yeah, only 2hrs - i survived 😉

just the critical nature of these networks which concerns me.

[madasaf1sh]

@mjdilworth 

The ESN (Emergency Services Network) uses a different set of masts, and infrastructure, and if they are relying on the public mobile networks I would worry more...  

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-emergency-services-mobile-communications-programme/em... 

[Enlli]

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@mjdilworth wrote:

very true about extra costs, but if emergency services are using the network? as for landlines, yes, i lost that too because i ham fibre to home and it is VOIP ...

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The towers on the National Emergency Network will have backup but that could be on any network as they can access all 4

[mjdilworth]

the Home Office page tells us that the Emergency Service Network (ESN) is provided by EE who are using their existing network infrastructure which is being extended with the addition of new masts to provide required national 4G cover.  On the EE network, ESN provisioned sims will get priority when there is congestion.

I assume therefore that EE will have better resiliency, and ultimately better UK coverage, than any other network provider, even O2.

[Enlli]

As a whole ( with some exceptions) EE is the best network  followed by Vodafone. O2 and Three are slogging it out for bottom place, but Three are improving far faster than O2. 

Then, there is the possible merger of Vodafone and Three on the horizon and we are into a whole new ball game