Phone companies prepare for storm power outages

The companies also have "mobile cell towers" — trucks that can act as replacement antennas in areas where towers go out and prove hard to restore.

Telecommunications landlines are less susceptible to power outages. The lines carry all the power corded phones need to function, and phone companies have massive battery banks and generators to back them up. Cordless phones won't work without power, though. Phone service from cable companies is also dependent on power, but most companies supply backup batteries to power the phones for some hours in an outage. Verizon's "FiOS" fiber-optic landline service is also dependent on power and backup batteries.