Mobile Network Power Outage 2026: New Swiss FDV Rules

Will your mobile phone still work if the power fails across your region? Short answer: today, it depends entirely on whether the nearest antenna has backup power, and most do not run for long without the grid. That gap is exactly what the Federal Council moved to close. On 14 January 2026 it adopted a partial revision of the Ordinance on Telecommunications Services (FDV), in force since 1 March 2026. The new duty is staged: from 2031, operators must keep important sites running for at least four hours so emergency calls stay reachable in a blackout; from 2034, the rest of mobile service follows.

This guide explains, in plain terms and with verified sources, what the new rules actually require, where the limits sit today, and how you and your family can prepare for a power outage without waiting for 2031.

Key Takeaways

• What changed: The FDV revision (SR 784.101.1) builds on the security-of-supply duty in the Telecommunications Act (FMG, SR 784.10). The Federal Council adopted it on 14 January 2026; it took effect on 1 March 2026.
• The duty is dated, not immediate: From 2031, operators must equip important sites and antennas so the network survives a power outage for at least four hours, keeping emergency calls (112, 117, 118, 144, 143) working. From 2034, all other mobile services (voice, internet, internet-delivered radio) must keep working in an outage too.
• Coverage goal: In an outage, the aim is for 99 per cent of an operator's customers in each municipality to still be able to use the network. Video and TV streaming may be throttled to protect capacity.
• Why now: In April 2025, heavy snowfall knocked out power in the Bernese Oberland and Canton Valais. Mobile networks collapsed with the grid, and in places even emergency numbers could not be reached. That incident pushed the rules forward.
• Until 2031, prepare yourself: A charged power bank from 10'000 mAh, the Alertswiss app, key numbers on paper, and a battery FM/DAB+ radio belong in every Swiss household, regardless of what the network delivers.

Why mobile networks fail when the power goes

A mobile base station needs electricity for its transmitters, its backhaul link to the core network, cooling and control electronics. In normal operation the grid supplies that continuously. When the grid fails, any site without backup power shuts down within minutes. Reception in that cell disappears, calls drop, and data stops.

Across Switzerland the mobile network draws roughly one per cent of national electricity use, spread over thousands of sites from city rooftops to alpine ridges. The problem is not total consumption but distribution: without local backup energy, individual cells simply go dark the moment the power cuts out.

April 2025 made this concrete. After heavy spring snowfall, power outages hit parts of the Bernese Oberland and Canton Valais. The mobile network went down with the grid, and in some areas residents could not reach emergency numbers at all. That failure is what prompted the Federal Council to harden the rules rather than leave backup power to each operator's discretion.

What the FDV revision actually requires

The previous version of this guide circulated a "one hour from March 2026" rule and a four-phase coverage table. Those figures were wrong, so we have corrected them against the official Federal Council release. Here is what the revision really says.

The FDV revision was adopted on 14 January 2026 and entered into force on 1 March 2026. The 1 March date is when the legal framework starts — it is not the date operators must already deliver backup power. The operating duty is set for later years, to give carriers time to retrofit sites.

Staged timeline

The reason for the long runway is scale. Retrofitting thousands of sites with batteries or hybrid backup (battery plus generator or fuel cell) is a multi-year capital programme. Operators have to coordinate site access with property owners, municipalities and heritage authorities, which is why the four-hour duty does not bite until 2031.

How the rules got softer than first proposed

The Federal Council originally wanted operators to keep mobile service alive through outages lasting up to three days (72 hours). In the consultation, the telecom industry and business associations argued that was disproportionate and hard to build. At a round table led by Federal Councillor Albert Rösti (UVEK), operators and the department settled on the current four-hour solution from 2031. The revision brings Switzerland's protection level into line with other European countries rather than exceeding them.

Technical requirements for a compliant site

For a site to meet the duty from 2031, several pieces have to hold up together:

• Power supply: battery backup (UPS) or a combined solution with a stationary or mobile emergency generator.
• Backhaul resilience: the fibre or microwave link must also have backup power. An antenna with backup power is useless if the link to the core network dies.
• Emergency-call priority: voice calls to 112, 117, 118, 144, 143 and 145 are routed ahead of other traffic.
• Capacity management: operators may restrict video and TV transmission during an outage to protect the network for voice and emergency communication.

What an "emergency network" looks like in practice

During a wide-area blackout, operators run a reduced mode that people often call an "emergency network". It is not a separate network but the existing one stripped back to essentials.

What typically keeps working

• Voice calls, above all the emergency numbers 112, 117, 118, 144, 143 and 145.
• SMS, because each message needs very little bandwidth.
• Cell Broadcast alerts via Alertswiss (Federal Office for Civil Protection).

What gets limited or stopped

• Mobile data (4G/5G internet) — throttled or temporarily cut.
• Streaming and video calls — typically blocked first.
• Background sync (cloud, push, automatic updates) — paused.

Exactly how each operator throttles is at its own discretion and may differ between Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt. The constant is the priority order: emergency calls come before everything else.

Reality check: what happens after the backup runs out

Once a site's battery or generator reserve is spent, the antenna shuts off and there is no reception in that cell until grid power returns or the operator wheels in a mobile site (a "Cell on Wheels"). Even after 2031, the rule guarantees a minimum of four hours at important sites, not continuous service through a multi-day blackout. People in higher-risk situations (care dependency, medical devices that rely on a mobile link, remote homes) should plan beyond what the network promises.

Town versus mountain: where protection lands first

The duty is national, but it will not arrive everywhere at the same speed or with the same density. Three things shape how well your area is covered:

• Antenna density: in cities like Zurich, Geneva, Basel or Bern, several sites sit within a square kilometre, so a neighbour cell can absorb the load if one fails. In rural and alpine areas the density is far lower, and the loss of a single site can leave a whole valley silent.
• Rollout priority: operators tend to start in agglomerations, where customer numbers and pressure are highest. Peripheral locations follow later.
• Backhaul topology: many alpine sites hang off line-of-sight microwave links. If an intermediate station fails, the mountain antenna is cut off even if it has its own backup power.

For mountain regions, scattered settlements and side valleys, plan extra: check whether an analogue fixed line still exists as a fallback, agree meeting-point routines with neighbours and family, and consider a battery or crank FM radio.

How to prepare, concretely

Even if operators hit their duty fully from 2031, your own preparation stays the decisive factor — and matters most in the years before then. The Confederation has recommended an emergency reserve through the FOCP and Alertswiss for years; the mobile side is easy to add.

Step 1: secure your phone's power

Your phone is useless on an empty battery. A power bank with 10'000 mAh gives most modern smartphones about two full charges, fits a jacket pocket, weighs under 250 g and costs roughly CHF 30 to 60.

For families or longer scenarios, size up:

Look for USB-C Power Delivery (PD) from 18 W, built-in overload and short-circuit protection, and check every three months that it still charges fully. Solar features look reassuring but rarely decide the outcome in Swiss conditions (winter light, cloud, storage indoors).

Step 2: install Alertswiss

Alertswiss is the Confederation's official alerting channel. The FOCP app delivers warnings, instructions and situation updates even when the ordinary network is congested, because it can fall back on separate alerting infrastructure (Cell Broadcast). Turn on every notification — for your home region and for places you stay regularly.

Step 3: emergency numbers on paper

Write these on a card for your wallet, pinboard and fridge. Contacts stored only in the phone are no help once the screen is dark.

Step 4: information beyond the mobile network

Keep a battery FM/DAB+ radio ready. SRG SSR (SRF, RTS, RSI) runs redundant transmitters that keep broadcasting through longer outages, and the medium-wave emergency chain is part of national crisis communication. Combination radios with solar or crank power suit an emergency kit well.

Step 5: a family plan

Agree a meeting point and a backup communication plan with your family for the case where mobile service drops in your region. For example: "If we cannot reach each other within two hours, we meet at grandmother's house." Do the same for older parents or anyone who relies on care — decide in advance who checks on them first. If you manage several phones, a shared plan also keeps everyone's numbers handy; see our guide to a family mobile plan.

How the providers compare

All three network operators face the same FDV duty. There is no "best blackout brand"; what matters is antenna density and how early each site is upgraded.

For comparisons of 5G and premium plans, see our guides to Swiss mobile plans and mobile internet. For the related strand of OFCOM regulation, read Call Spoofing Protection Switzerland 2026.

VoLTE and the 3G shutdown: older phones at risk

Alongside the FDV revision, the shutdown of 2G and 3G is advancing. Swisscom switched off 2G in 2020, and the 3G shutdown is rolling out by operator and region. For emergency calls this matters: a device without VoLTE (Voice over LTE) can no longer make a voice call once 3G is switched off in its cell — not even an emergency call.

Practical check: older feature phones and smartphones (roughly pre-2016/2017) or cheap travel SIMs without a VoLTE profile should be replaced before you rely on them in a crisis. In your phone settings, look for "VoLTE", "Voice over LTE" or "Calls over 4G". If the option is there and switched on, your device is fine.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Will my phone definitely work during a power outage in 2026?

Not yet, and not automatically. The FDV revision is in force from 1 March 2026, but the operating duty — at least four hours of emergency-call coverage at important sites — applies from 2031. Whether your phone works during a 2026 blackout depends on whether the nearest antenna already has backup power, which is not guaranteed everywhere. Keep a charged phone and a power bank on hand.

When exactly must operators keep emergency calls running?

From 2031, operators must keep important sites and antennas running for at least four hours during a power outage so emergency calls stay reachable. From 2034, all other mobile services (telephony, internet, internet-delivered radio) must keep working in an outage too.

Does the classic landline work during a blackout?

Old analogue landlines (POTS) drew power from the telephone network itself and worked without house current. In Switzerland, Swisscom largely converted analogue telephony to All-IP around 2017/2018, so today's fixed line runs through a router that needs house power. If the power fails, the fixed line goes silent too, unless you add a UPS.

Which number do I dial if I don't know which service to call?

Dial 112. It is the European emergency number and routes you to the responsible Swiss emergency centre. It works without a SIM card, as long as a mobile network is reachable.

Can I make emergency calls abroad?

Yes. 112 works across the EU and many other countries. Most phones allow an emergency call even without a SIM or without your own network available (emergency roaming).

What does the Confederation do during a wide-area blackout?

The Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP) coordinates crisis communication, and Alertswiss sends alerts via app, web and Cell Broadcast. SRG SSR keeps broadcasting over FM, DAB+ and medium wave, and cantonal command staff steer their regions. The Federal Office for National Economic Supply (FONES) handles shortage scenarios for electricity, fuel and telecommunications.

Should I get a satellite phone?

In a city with dense antenna coverage, this is usually overkill. It makes sense for people who regularly travel in remote alpine areas (huts, alpine farming, mountain rescue), for carers in scattered settlements, or for specific professional needs. Entry-level satellite communicators that pair with a phone over Bluetooth start at around CHF 200 to 400 in hardware, plus a tariff.

Where can I report an outage or unavailability?

Report mobile disruptions to your provider (hotline or app). OFCOM publishes systematic weaknesses through official channels and annual market reports. Consumer complaints about emergency-call availability also go to ombudscom, the telecommunications conciliation body.

Glossary

• FDV (Ordinance on Telecommunications Services, SR 784.101.1): the Swiss ordinance under the FMG that sets operator obligations.
• FMG (Telecommunications Act, SR 784.10): the Swiss federal law on telecom regulation.
• OFCOM / BAKOM: the Federal Office of Communications, the supervisory authority for telecoms and media (bakom.admin.ch).
• UVEK: the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, which led the FDV negotiations.
• FOCP: the Federal Office for Civil Protection, which runs Alertswiss (babs.admin.ch).
• FONES: the Federal Office for National Economic Supply, responsible for shortage scenarios.
• VoLTE: Voice over LTE, the voice service over 4G that replaces 2G/3G voice.
• MVNO: a Mobile Virtual Network Operator that has no own network and roams on a host.
• UPS: Uninterruptible Power Supply (a battery backup system).
• Cell on Wheels (COW): a mobile base station trucked to an affected area.

Conclusion: the law helps, but the basics are yours

The FDV revision is a real step. For the first time, Swiss operators have binding minimum duties to keep mobile service alive in a blackout — four hours of emergency-call coverage at important sites from 2031, and full service from 2034, with the aim of reaching 99 per cent of customers in each municipality. The April 2025 outages in the Bernese Oberland and Valais showed why that was needed.

It does not, however, cover the gap until 2031, and it never replaces a charged battery, a power bank, the Alertswiss app, a battery radio and a simple family plan. If you live in a remote area or care for someone vulnerable, plan a step further on your own.

Four things to do this month:

• Keep a power bank from 10'000 mAh charged and labelled, and test it every three months.
• Install Alertswiss and turn on push notifications.
• Put the emergency numbers on paper in your wallet and on the fridge.
• Set a family meeting point and check that your phone supports VoLTE.