SOS is what a phone displays when it can reach a cell tower, but cant find an valid account associated with its SIM card. Its so you can make emergency calls to things like 911 from any phone, regardless of whether you’ve paid a carrier for service or had your service cut off. Or the only cell tower you can reach has no connection to your carrier, but other carriers on that tower are available to make emergency calls.
By out in the middle of nowhere, you would have to not be able to connect to any carrier network at all. If you are a Verizon customer and can’t get Verizon signal, but you can see an AT&T tower, you will connect to it to make 911 calls, or a T-Mobile tower, if that’s the one you can see. It doesn’t matter. Every carrier has to carry 911 calls for every other carrier.
All telecommunications carriers shall transmit all 911 calls to a PSAP, to a designated statewide default answering point, or to an appropriate local emergency authority as set forth in § 9.5.
SOS is what a phone displays when it can reach a cell tower, but cant find an valid account associated with its SIM card. Its so you can make emergency calls to things like 911 from any phone, regardless of whether you’ve paid a carrier for service or had your service cut off. Or the only cell tower you can reach has no connection to your carrier, but other carriers on that tower are available to make emergency calls.
not always, when I’m out in the middle of nowhere, I also see sos
By out in the middle of nowhere, you would have to not be able to connect to any carrier network at all. If you are a Verizon customer and can’t get Verizon signal, but you can see an AT&T tower, you will connect to it to make 911 calls, or a T-Mobile tower, if that’s the one you can see. It doesn’t matter. Every carrier has to carry 911 calls for every other carrier.
Also iphones I think use satellite for SoS capability now if no cell
I know my Pixel 9 can too.
I thought this wasn’t a legal requirement of US carriers, sharing their towers for emergencies. Maybe it’s a state thing.
Google AI search says it’s a federal mandate in the US. I couldn’t find the related legislation though.
I managed to find it.