Question: access to internet via phone during power outage

[TexLaProgressive]

4. The cell network is fairly complex.

1. Each carrier has their own network.
2. Each tower is connected to a backbone via microwave or firmer optic cable.
3. Each tower is suppose to have back up power - batteries and generators.
In a power outage, various links in the network can go down because of a failure of backup power. Those who were unable to access the internet on their phones may be served by a different carrier or tower that failed. Slow speeds could be a massive demand for phone data services because the loss of home and business access.

This image only has two towers and one switching center. Multiply that by many towers for ATT, VZ and whatever that other carriers is with their many switching centers. Those Centers will be connected to internet backbones and other carriers including landlines (yes, they still exist).

So in this diagram, suppose you are caller 1. Your tower’s generator and battery are fine as is the switching center and the backbone connection. You have voice and data. Caller 2’s tower has a faulty generator. There is not connection between the tower and phone or to the switching center.

The other possibility on tower 2 is that every one served by that tower is trying to access data over coming the capacity. This results in slow speeds.

If this is too much information, sorry, can’t help myself. I am a retired telecommunications technician.