Getting back to normal after the blackout takes a process that is not equally fast for everyone. Telephone companies such as Movistar are having difficulty in fully restoring coverage and data and voice services throughout the network.
Lack of emergency power
Mobile devices are powered by antennas and equipment scattered throughout the city and the country. These antennas need electricity to function. When the power goes out, many antennas stop operating due to lack of power. Some have batteries or emergency generators, but not all of them. In addition, batteries last only a few hours, and generators need fuel.
Restoration of service depends on each operator’s ability to provide emergency power to its antennas. Therefore, coverage may vary even among users in the same area, depending on their company and the infrastructure to which they are connected.
Saturation of mobile networks
On the other hand, during the blackout of April 28, millions of people have tried to communicate with family and friends at the same time, which saturates the capacity of mobile networks and causes drops or intermittencies in coverage, even in antennas that work with power backup.