Never Caught OutIndependent UK guide Crisis

Long haul · Communications

Comms when phones are down: radio, walkie-talkies and check-ins

Digital landlines and broadband need mains power, and in severe weather mobile services can be disrupted too. Agree a plan now, while you can still message each other.

First draftDrafted 1 November 2026Applies across the UK

Staying informed

Be Ready advises a battery or wind-up FM radio and writing down the frequencies of national or local stations you use for news. Ofcom’s severe weather advice also suggests a battery radio. Local radio usually carries updates from councils and utilities.

Phones

Ofcom says that even if your usual mobile network has no signal, calling 999 will automatically try another network. Digital landlines stop working in a power cut unless you have a battery backup; if you rely on your landline and have no working mobile, your provider must offer a backup lasting at least one hour. Add ICE (in case of emergency) contacts to your phone.

Licence-free radios (PMR446)

Ofcom lists PMR446 as licence-exempt: mobile, short-range, simplex, peer-to-peer handheld radios, such as walkie-talkies. They are useful for keeping a household or street in touch over short distances. Range depends on buildings and terrain, so test yours before you need them. Only use equipment sold for PMR446 in the UK; other radios may need a licence.

Check-ins

  • Agree a meeting point that is easy to find and open to the public, in case you cannot get home or contact each other.
  • Agree a back-up plan with anyone who lives alone: if you cannot call, you or someone they trust will visit.
  • Set up a street or building message group now, while networks work.

To be added

  • Long wave and AM: what is still broadcasting, once we have checked current schedules.

Kit for this guide

Comms kit. All research-based.

  • Battery or wind-up FM radio Research-based
  • Spare batteries Research-based
  • PMR446 handheld radios Research-based
  • Paper list of numbers and radio frequencies Research-based

No products, brands or prices yet, and no affiliate links. What “Research-based” and “Tested by us” mean.

Official sources we used

  1. Stay connected in severe weather (Ofcom)
  2. Your landline is going digital: what you need to know (Ofcom)
  3. Licence-exempt devices (PMR446) (Ofcom)
  4. Be ready for emergencies, including the Be Ready checklist (UK Government, Be Ready)

We link to official pages so you can check the latest advice yourself. If something here differs from what an official source says now, follow the official source. Where we quote or adapt official text, it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

First draft

This is a first draft. It is built from the official sources listed above, but we have not finished reviewing it. If anything here differs from official advice, follow the official source.