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Europe braces for mobile network blackouts
Reuters ^ | September 29, 2022 | Mathieu Rosemain, Supantha Mukherjee, Elvira Pollina

Posted on 09/29/2022 1:20:03 PM PDT by Mount Athos

Once unthinkable, mobile phones could go dark around Europe this winter if power cuts or energy rationing knocks out parts of the mobile networks across the region.

European Union countries are trying to ensure communications can continue even if power cuts end up exhausting back-up batteries installed on the thousands of cellular antennas spread across their territory.

Europe has nearly half a million telecom towers and most of them have battery backups that last around 30 minutes to run the mobile antennas.

PTS is financing the purchase of transportable fuel stations and mobile base stations that connect to mobile phones to handle longer power outages, a PTS spokesperson said.

Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) will use mobile emergency power systems which mainly rely on diesel in the event of prolonged power failures, it said.

France has about 62,000 mobile towers, and the industry will not be able to equip all antennas with new batteries, the FFT's president Liza Bellulo said.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Germany; News/Current Events
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To: Mount Athos

She belongs in every Stephen King movie ever made.


21 posted on 09/29/2022 4:18:13 PM PDT by SouthernClaire (God Help America!)
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To: Paul R.

You are citing “Quora,” which is a BS anybody-can-play blog. Try a real source next time.


22 posted on 09/29/2022 4:37:06 PM PDT by hinckley buzzard ( Resist the narrative.)
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To: Paul R.

You are citing “Quora,” which is a BS anybody-can-play blog. Try a real source next time.


23 posted on 09/29/2022 4:38:47 PM PDT by hinckley buzzard ( Resist the narrative.)
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To: Paul R.

“Most telecommunications facilities have at least eight-hour backup often required by regulation—but locations prone to lengthy power outages, such as hurricane-prone areas, require backup capability between 24 and 72 hours.”

https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/44520.pdf


24 posted on 09/29/2022 5:48:02 PM PDT by ansel12 (NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.)
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To: hinckley buzzard

I did. My primary source was prior. Here it is again:

https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/44520.pdf

The Quora link was merely additional discussion. However, when it comes to electricity I have enough formal training (EE) and background to weed out most BS. (Most) Often, little slips in details are giveaways. ;-) In the case of Asia, I have some experience there of my own, and also through friends and a large extended family, regarding shaky infrastructure.

Now, that said, I received an e-mail back from my EE buddy in Switzerland. He says there indeed may be a problem with cell tower power backups, as Euro electrical power lines are almost all buried, making the system quite stable in the sense of being generally free from interruptions of any real significance. So, cell tower power backups are less robust than in the US and even much of developed Asia. We both agree (I have some, a bit dated, specific power industry engineering training) that if there are electrical power shortages, they can be handled by rolling 60 or 90 minute blackouts. Maybe 3x a day. So, there could well be ~60 minute rolling cell tower blackouts too. This is mainly an inconvenience as I can attest, living in a spot where cell reception on my particular phone is a ~40% “no signal” proposition anyway. (My wife’s phone does better and her signal dropouts are typically both less frequent and shorter, say, maybe 4 dropouts of a minute duration in a “bad” hour.)

It’s not all inconvenience, though: 1 hour cell tower blackouts could definitely be a problem for emergency calls.

My friend in Switzerland brought up a 2nd good point too. He has pretty high regard for most of their electrical power systems people, but, they likely lack real world experience with rolling blackouts. There may be some glitchyness early on.

Now, FR is a BS anybody-can-play forum too, so, take that for whatever you think it is worth.


25 posted on 09/29/2022 8:21:13 PM PDT by Paul R. (You know your pullets are dumb if they don't recognize a half Whopper as food!)
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To: ansel12

Righto. But also see my post 24: Info. from my EE buddy in Switzerland. There could be some problems, interestingly enough, perhaps mostly in the most developed Euro countries.

(I try to follow my own philosophy that posters willing to accept solid info. not fitting their own predefined ideas make the best members of a forum. I come here a lot more to sift through information and learn than to comment, tho’ it might not seem that way to some, and though I know biases are very strong here.)


26 posted on 09/29/2022 8:33:41 PM PDT by Paul R. (You know your pullets are dumb if they don't recognize a half Whopper as food!)
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To: Paul R.

Your post 25 on Europe seems to be accurate, I didn’t know that.

https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/europe-braces-for-mobile-network-blackouts-sources/94527044
“”European Union countries, including France, Sweden and Germany, are trying to ensure communications can continue even if power cuts end up exhausting back-up batteries installed on the thousands of cellular antennas spread across their territory.

Europe has nearly half a million telecom towers and most of them have battery backups that last around 30 minutes to run the mobile antennas.

FRANCE

In France, a plan put forward by electricity distributor Enedis, includes potential power cuts of up to two hours in a worst case scenario, two sources familiar with the matter said.”


27 posted on 09/29/2022 9:08:31 PM PDT by ansel12 (NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.)
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To: VanShuyten

car or pickup truck and jumper cables along with 12vdc to 240vac inverter.


28 posted on 09/30/2022 4:40:00 AM PDT by Paperpusher (Gal 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.)
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