Kyivstar and Vodafone Ukraine mobile phones disappeared in Kherson, after which explosions started in the city
In the afternoon of May 24, residents of Kherson began writing to the technical support of mobile operators Kyivstar and Vodafone Ukraine about communication problems. For many, he simply disappeared. Then Kyivstar’s mobile connection was restored, but Vodafone’s was not. This was reported by correspondents of the Suspilne. Within two hours, powerful explosions began in the city.
Some residents of Berdyansk, Zaporizhia Oblast, have also reported Kyivstar’s mobile and Internet issues in recent hours.
“Communications may be unstable in the occupied territories, as our specialists do not have physical access to telecom equipment. The company uses all possible technical solutions and resources to keep our subscribers in the temporarily occupied territories in touch, ” – the operator said.
The SES told what to do if there is no mobile connection.
If the mobile phone (smartphone) is out of range of the mobile operator’s network for a long time, first of all check its serviceability. If the mobile phone (smartphone) is working, it indicates that there is no communication network in a certain area or locality. Sometimes there can be problems with only one mobile operator (damaged tower, equipment), so it is recommended to have SIM-cards of other operators with active account status.
In the absence of mobile networks, there are several alternatives for making emergency calls and connecting between subscribers:
- Fixed wired communications (fixed telephones). If you have a landline phone in your apartment, or in the apartment of your neighbors (acquaintances, friends), uninterrupted communication will be provided with emergency services and other landline and mobile subscribers;
- using Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Messenger Facebook, Instagram, etc. Messengers will work when you have Internet access, including when connected to a Wi-Fi network.
If you need to call emergency services using any messenger, you must first find out the phone numbers on which the messengers of the relevant services are registered or links to the profiles of official pages on social networks. This information can be obtained in advance on the official websites of emergency services (agencies) or by calling 101, 102, 103, 104, 112.
- Using mobile phones as a radio as a walkie-talkie. To do this, you need to pre-install special messengers on your mobile phone (smartphone), for example: Voxer Walkie Talkie, Walkie Talkie, Two Way: Walkie Talkie (don’t put Zello!).
Keep in mind that in this case, your communication will not be private. Anyone will be able to listen to it if they accidentally or intentionally get on the same frequency. The advantage is that you can keep in touch with all the participants in the dialogue at the same time. To establish such a connection, you need to agree with the subscribers on a dedicated channel (in simple words, frequency or band) for communication. The frequency (range) is chosen by the subscribers arbitrarily.
The range of such messengers varies from 60 to 100 meters and depends on possible interference, as most of their work is based on Bluetooth technology (in the basement, the communication range can be reduced to several meters).
If you do not have any connection and access to the Internet, it is better to go to the nearest facility, which is equipped with fixed telephone and/or radio. Objects that must be equipped with fixed telephones are local government buildings, post offices, fire and rescue units, police departments, ambulance stations, representatives of other law enforcement agencies (National Guard, SSU, Armed Forces, Security Police).
In case neither you nor your loved ones have any technical means of communication in a crisis situation, you need to clearly agree on the place and time of the meeting. If you are planning to evacuate to a specific place – determine the point and time of collection and agree that you will wait there, for example, for 24 hours, and then go on to the next destination. Young children should put in their pockets or sew a note with the full name of the child, his parents or other contact persons, address and telephone numbers. School-age children should be warned about what to do if there is no communication.
