Virgin Mobile - no coverage during power cuts, no 4G during broadband outages

Hippodrome Song Owl

Any time there's a power cut I lose Virgin mobile coverage. And if there's a Virgin broadband outage then I lose 4G. I know Virgin uses the Three network, but I'm not sure if they're affected too. Power cuts seem to be becoming more common so it's becoming an issue for me. In particular I was left stranded during the last red weather warning with no mobile coverage, struggling to get information, unable to get a taxi to get to work when public transport was cancelled, and also unable to even contact work. It happened again during a power cut this evening, and it's really made me think about how many times I've been left "cut off" so to speak.

Do other networks have this issue? Is there a point in looking to switch over this this?

walshtipp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058371279/virgin-mobile-no-coverage-during-power-cuts-no-4g-during-broadband-outages

Well if the mobile mast that your phone is connected to loses electricity supply, then you will lose coverage. I'd imagine that every network is susceptible to this, especially with rurally located masts.

Hippodrome Song Owl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122667158#Comment_122667158

I'm in Dublin so not rural. But fair enough if it's just to be expected regardless of network. I don't remember ever having this issue when I was a customer of Three (2+ years ago) or Eir (5+ years ago) before that, but then power cuts seemed to be a rarity then, so maybe I was just never in the situation to find out. Others seem to be able to continue posting on here and on local pages during outages so I wondered why I always seem totally cut off when others aren't.

GIMP

I live in north Dublin, we often get powercuts, even on the mildest day in summer! The networks go here too, mainly data, you can make calls , it effects 3 and Vodafone. Sometimes the phone latches onto a mast further away but not always.

Hippodrome Song Owl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122667526#Comment_122667526

OK, thanks. So not much point switching so. It's just that when I do get back online afterwards, the local area pages are always full of people posting during the outage, discussing updates from ESB etc - how do they do it?

Power cuts really have become more frequent - most here not obviously weather related either. I've had more power cuts in the past 18 months than in the previous 18 years combined.

GIMP

Ya i lived very rurally for a number of years and only had a handful of power cuts, usually bad weather, ever since moving here they a fairly regular and a nightmare if you are working from home!