Do mobile networks get switched off for police security?
Do mobile networks get switched off for police security?
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Discussion

Peterpetrole

Original Poster:

1,070 posts

15 months

Yesterday (09:12)
quotequote all
I was in Central London yesterday, turned out be near a protest march. No phone signal at all in the area, for me or looked like loads of other people.
Do phone masts get switched off deliberately around protest marches to disrupt things?

mcpoot

1,028 posts

125 months

Yesterday (09:32)
quotequote all
Seriously?

Mr E

22,560 posts

277 months

Yesterday (09:52)
quotequote all
No.
But the access class might be configured to reject the little people.

reddiesel

2,808 posts

65 months

Yesterday (09:54)
quotequote all
It wouldn't surprise me . Some of our Policemen and other Apologists will be along in a minute to tell you how you benefitted . I seldom visit Central London nowadays . I used to enjoy driving the Jaguar XJ up to Crombie and buying an Overcoat then around the corner into Saville Row . I was only a Brickie on a Building site but they were great days especially with a couple of mates alongside . I don't want to turn this into a Political thread but many of us are incensed about whats happened to London and the rest of the Country .

reddiesel

2,808 posts

65 months

Yesterday (09:59)
quotequote all
It wouldn't surprise me . Some of our Policemen and other Apologists will be along in a minute to tell you how you benefitted . I seldom visit Central London nowadays . I used to enjoy driving the Jaguar XJ up to Crombie and buying an Overcoat then around the corner into Saville Row . I was only a Brickie on a Building site but they were great days especially with a couple of mates alongside . I don't want to turn this into a Political thread but many of us are incensed about whats happened to London and the rest of the Country .

valiant

12,654 posts

178 months

Yesterday (10:00)
quotequote all
What’s happened to London that you can’t drive your Jag into London and buy a coat?

carl_w

10,006 posts

276 months

Yesterday (10:03)
quotequote all
valiant said:
What s happened to London that you can t drive your Jag into London and buy a coat?
Well Crombie went bust during the pandemic for a start

Mr E

22,560 posts

277 months

Yesterday (10:03)
quotequote all
valiant said:
What s happened to London that you can t drive your Jag into London and buy a coat?
And, more pertinently, what does it have to do with access class barring?
(Is that a parrot I hear warming up?)

Mammasaid

4,989 posts

115 months

Yesterday (10:03)
quotequote all
Jesus Christ, some people...

Have you never been to a concert or a sporting fixture, where thousands of people are trying to connect to the same mast at once?

Same principle here, network is overloaded, therefore people can't connect, or if they can it's at a very reduced rate.

No tinfoil hat required.

Countdown

45,459 posts

214 months

Yesterday (10:04)
quotequote all
Peterpetrole said:
I was in Central London yesterday, turned out be near a protest march. No phone signal at all in the area, for me or looked like loads of other people.
Do phone masts get switched off deliberately around protest marches to disrupt things?
Could it be lots of people all trying to use their phones and overwhelming the local masts? I’ve had problems when leaving concerts or football games…

CMTMB

51 posts

13 months

Yesterday (10:07)
quotequote all
Mammasaid said:
Jesus Christ, some people...

Have you never been to a concert or a sporting fixture, where thousands of people are trying to connect to the same mast at once?

Same principle here, network is overloaded, therefore people can't connect, or if they can it's at a very reduced rate.

No tinfoil hat required.
Yes, this.

98elise

30,419 posts

179 months

Yesterday (10:17)
quotequote all
Mammasaid said:
Jesus Christ, some people...

Have you never been to a concert or a sporting fixture, where thousands of people are trying to connect to the same mast at once?

Same principle here, network is overloaded, therefore people can't connect, or if they can it's at a very reduced rate.

No tinfoil hat required.
Agreed. Thousands of extra people in a small area and people wonder why some people can't get a service.

The state don't control the networks. They are run by companies, owned by shareholders. The police don't have the access or capability to turn bits of the networks off.

If you truly think they do then become a shareholder and raise it at the shareholders meeting.



Uncle boshy

440 posts

87 months

Yesterday (10:23)
quotequote all
Not that this was necessarily the case here, but there is a procedure for prioritising access to emergency services.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTPAS

In the case I suspect was just too many people trying to use the network

Mr E

22,560 posts

277 months

Yesterday (10:24)
quotequote all
Mammasaid said:
Jesus Christ, some people...

Have you never been to a concert or a sporting fixture, where thousands of people are trying to connect to the same mast at once?

Same principle here, network is overloaded, therefore people can't connect, or if they can it's at a very reduced rate.

No tinfoil hat required.
Would still likely show bars as the phone is camped on the network, just when you want service you don’t get any

Zero bars in a place you’d expect service is different behaviour and potentially intentional configuration.

Or, the OP was just in a dead spot because urban environments are hard.

Mr E

22,560 posts

277 months

Yesterday (10:31)
quotequote all
98elise said:
The police don't have the access or capability to turn bits of the networks off.
They very much can ask and I presume there are playbooks agreed with operators

Details on access classes here. Note: 12 years old and I’ve not read the specs for about that long as I don’t do telecomms anymore so it may have changed.

https://blog.3g4g.co.uk/2013/05/access-class-barri...

Access classes barring is _usually_ used as a strategy to reduce congestion on the RACH in very congested environments. But, trivial to say “only users of class x allowed” and everyone else will show no service (the phone will read the system information broadcast and not even try)


Jamescrs

5,542 posts

83 months

Yesterday (10:58)
quotequote all
Probably half the people in the protest all trying to stream to Social Media for the clout crashing the network

Earthdweller

16,467 posts

144 months

Yesterday (11:00)
quotequote all
As above the emergency services use the domestic mobile phone network

Access to the network can be restricted and has been in the past.

Priority and access only being available to the emergency services

The 7/7 bombing attacks in London was one such example

surveyor

18,478 posts

202 months

Yesterday (11:43)
quotequote all
Park of the makeup of data sent from handset to network and vice versa is a flag for a 'priority sim'. It's technically possible.

I suspect it's not used very often at all, and would not be for something is routine such as a demonstration at the moment. It will be interesting to see what happens in the future with EE's ESN contract when Airwave retires. 5G may be part of the answer is it's possible to partition parts of the frequency...

98elise

30,419 posts

179 months

Yesterday (11:50)
quotequote all
Uncle boshy said:
Not that this was necessarily the case here, but there is a procedure for prioritising access to emergency services.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTPAS

In the case I suspect was just too many people trying to use the network
That I can believe, but that sort of thing is known. Same as the emergency alert system.

The police having the power to shut off bits of the network because of a protest is a little far fetched. Protests happened way before mobiles were even a thing and its a bit late to make a difference if you're only shutting it off at the actual protest.

paul_c123

1,263 posts

11 months

Yesterday (11:51)
quotequote all
Someone could have been using a Stingray: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingray_phone_track... or maybe a less sophisticated agent(s) using a jammer.