The once unthinkable could be looming - mobile phones going silent across Europe this winter if power outages or the imposition of consumption limits or current regimes knock out parts of mobile networks.
There are not enough back-up systems in many European countries to cope with major power outages, four telecoms executives said. This also increases the chances of mobile network outages.
Europe has nearly half a million telecommunications towers and masts, and most of them have backup batteries that can power them for about 30 minutes.