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In an emergency situation, an actual emergency, not "I forgot to charge my phone and I've got a flat tire" but more "there is a major power outage and all the c

In an emergency situation, an actual emergency, not "I forgot to charge my phone and I've got a flat tire" but more "there is a major power outage and all the cell networks are down" or "there is a major crisis and the cell network is congested" the landlines will keep running and placing calls just as they always have. I don't know if it is still required, but it used to be a regulation that landlines in the US and the UK were carried on separate power systems and cabling systems so that they would remain operational in the event of a national emergency. There is also a lot of areas where cell phone coverage is just not reliable. And so payphones do still have their place.

michaelt 5y ago
In an emergency where the cell networks are down, you can go to your nearest BT phone box and discover someone smashed the plastic handset five years ago, and nobody noticed because zero calls in five years is the norm. Anyone who thinks public phone boxes will play a role in a national emergency is fooling themselves.
- xyzzy123 5y ago
  The "emergencies" they help with most often seem to be of a distinctly local and biological nature...
toast0 5y ago
> there is a major crisis and the cell network is congested" the landlines will keep running and placing calls just as they always have This is pretty optimistic, landlines get congested during major crises too. do-do-dee all circuits are busy now, please try your call again later.