Phone and broadband outages
As digital services become increasingly integral to everyday life, we all rely on phone and internet services more than ever before – for work, healthcare, banking and staying in touch. It is important to be as prepared as you can be for situations where those services are temporarily unavailable.
Communication providers are required by law to make sure their services are resilient and networks are designed to be reliable, however disruption can sometimes occur, for example from severe weather, power cuts or a provider outage. These are usually short or localised, but in some instances, such as following severe weather, disruption can last for a number of days.
An outage might affect only certain networks or it could affect all networks. Some people could lose service even if others nearby do not. In the most serious circumstances your mobile phone, landline and broadband connection could all be down, meaning you would not be able to use phones or access the internet.
Who is most at risk?
Phone and broadband outages can affect anyone, but some people may face a higher risk of being impacted by an outage. Some of the groups who may be most at risk are:
- People who live alone and may be unable to care for themselves.
- People who rely on personal alarms (also known as telecare devices) or other connected health monitoring equipment, such as diabetes sensors.
- People in rural areas and islands off the mainland, where access to digital infrastructure may be more challenging.
- People who are reliant on their landline to make phone calls, including to 999.
Actions to take to prepare for a phone and broadband outage
- Think about how reliable your phone and internet service needs to be for your situation. Different types of communication services may suit different needs. For example, fixed satellite broadband (using a satellite dish) and new satellite services that connect directly to mobile devices can sometimes help you stay connected when land‑based networks are down. Their availability and performance can vary, so ask providers what options might best fit your needs.
- Full‑fibre broadband (using modern fibre‑optic cables) is generally more reliable and resilient than older copper lines – check if it’s available where you live or ask your provider about upgrading.
- The traditional analogue landline network is increasingly unreliable and is being upgraded to a digital network. If you still have one of these connections and haven’t yet migrated to a modern digital network, contact your landline provider. If you are a vulnerable customer, for example if you are a telecare user, your communication provider must provide a free back‑up battery unit. This means your landline would work for at least an hour during a power cut – and many batteries now last much longer. You can find out more at Digital Phone Switchover.
- Let your provider know if you are a vulnerable customer so they can provide you the right support. Doing so can enable practical help such as tailored communications, priority fault repair and additional support during service disruptions. You can contact your provider directly and ask to be recorded as needing additional support.
- If you have medical or personal alarm devices that use phone or internet connections, check with the provider or manufacturer how they work if the network is down. For example, ask how your personal alarm or diabetes sensor would function if mobile or broadband service is lost.
- If you feel able to, identify vulnerable people within your community (for example, neighbours) who may require assistance during emergencies. In addition, plan with your neighbours or community about who could assist you during an outage, for example identifying someone who could drive you to get help in an emergency.
- Keep a wind-up or battery FM radio with spare batteries at home. Updates may be given on the radio during an outage.
- Keep a paper copy of important phone numbers (family, neighbours, doctor, utilities) and other essential information you may need, in case your mobile phone loses power or you cannot access your contacts.
- Download or print maps so you can navigate without internet access. Your smartphone’s GPS may still work with no signal, but map apps need pre‑downloaded maps to show routes.
- If you are regularly away from home for work or travel, it can help to plan how you would manage without your phone. Think through how you would get home without relying on mobile apps. Know your usual route, but also be aware of at least one alternative, such as a different train line, bus route or road.
- It is also helpful to agree a meeting point with family members in case you cannot contact each other for a period of time. Choose places that are easy to find and open to the public in your community, or you might agree to meet at a family member’s home. It can be reassuring to agree with vulnerable people you know – particularly those who live alone – that if there is an outage and you are unable to contact them, that you will go to their home.
- You can also speak to the neighbours of any vulnerable people you would worried about in an outage and agree that they go round to check on them.
- Making arrangements in advance can be reassuring and help you reconnect more quickly if communications are disrupted.
Actions to take during a phone and broadband outage
- Check in on neighbours, particularly anyone who might live alone or is vulnerable and make sure they know what’s happening and have the help they need.
- If your landline isn’t working, try using your mobile. Even if there is a power cut or an issue with your own mobile network, emergency calls automatically roam onto any available network, and the 999 call system and emergency services are designed to keep running during power cuts.
- If your mobile network is down but you have a working internet connection (Wi‑Fi) you may still be able to make calls over Wi‑Fi by enabling WiFi Calling on your device.
- Communications providers should keep you informed during outages with clear, timely updates on what’s happening. Where possible, they may also offer temporary or alternative ways to stay connected.
- Use your devices sparingly to conserve battery power until you can charge them again.
- If you need to contact someone, try different ways to connect. Public Wi‑Fi in cafés, offices or transport hubs may still be available and messaging may work even when calls do not. Moving a short distance can sometimes improve signal and other people nearby may be able to connect using a different network.
Further information and resources
Ofcom provides advice for consumers so they may make the most of services and deal with problems, including advice on resolving mobile and broadband faults and problems.
The Government has published information on the resilience of the telecoms sector.
Your can check the mobile and broadband availability and performance in your using Ofcom’s broadband and mobile coverage checker. You can also use this website to report if you are not getting the level of mobile coverage displayed.
More information on the Digital Phone Switchover is provided by communications providers, the Government and Ofcom.
Communications providers often have a status page with updates on planned maintenance and significant incidents.