[chmb1]

If the local phone towers are down during a disaster like a hurricane, can I use a SIM card from another area code (assuming my Tour is unlocked)?

Any suggestions on a particular service carrier or card?

Thanks.

[myersau]

yea if its unlocked...but more than likely if the hurricane knocks your providers towers down--others will follow

[FF22]

Or you will find all circuits overloaded. In the last "reasonable" Seattle earthquake, it was very hard to get cell service - and no towers that I'm aware of went down - just everyone was using their phones at the same time.

[chmb1]

Are all of my calls routed through my home towers?

What if I evacuate and use a SIM card from another state??

I think that might work but would like to know if anyone has had any experience with this situation.

[CARTEEUSMC]

doesnt matter where the sim is from, its going to try to use the towers close to you, and if they are down, guess what they are down!!!! Get a Satellite phone, I have one that costs a fortune to use it when I do, but thats the only thing that will work!!!!

How Do Cell Phones Work: The Fundamentals Behind Cellular Communication Technology and How it Operates

[danimal1968]

Are all of my calls routed through my home towers?

What if I evacuate and use a SIM card from another state??

I think that might work but would like to know if anyone has had any experience with this situation.

For the SIM card to have any relevance that means that there is no Verizon coverage available, that you have a SIM card activated on another provider that uses GSM, and that their towers are not also either (a) knocked out or (b) overloaded.

On a Verizon or Sprint network, you could take the SIM card out and use the phone as normal.

BTW, "a SIM card from another state" is a meaningless term.

[Zolutar]

Regardless of where your service is from, your phone will always use the closest compatable tower. Alot of providers have service agreements with other providers to share their networks to maximize coverage of their subscribers etc. So even if your phone/sim is from Canada, there will be no useable towers nearby to utilize if they are down. Thats what roaming is, using a canadian phone in the usa is utilizing the usa towers via a compatable network provider, to connect home, thus why its called roaming.
Think of a call phone as a cordless phone. It connects to a base (cell tower) and has a limited range. if a tower goes down, the phone has to look for another tower, if there isnt an active one within its range, you are hooped to get service, regardless of your provider, or where your service is based from.
I remember the same Seattle quake, all circuts were busy in Vancouver as well for several hours. Also occasionally at sports events where there are alot of people in a confined place, during breaks and intermissions we often suffer the same busy circuts problem as the tower at the event is overloaded. Sattelite phones work great, till a magnetic storm hits and knocks those out too heh. most reliable method of contact in a disaster? Scream real loud lol.