What Happens to Your VoIP Calls if the Power or Internet Goes Out?

Compliments of FSMC Business Telecom Services.

VoIP

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) has transformed the way businesses communicate. With cost-effective calling, advanced features, and seamless scalability, VoIP services have become the gold standard for modern communication. But with these advantages comes an important question that every business must consider:

What happens to your VoIP calls if the power or internet goes out?

If your phone system relies on internet connectivity and electrical power, it’s crucial to understand how outages can affect service continuity — and what steps you can take to stay connected no matter what.

FSMC Business Telecom Services, a proud Ooma partner serving the USA and Canada, is here to walk you through exactly what happens during service interruptions — and how the right VoIP setup can keep your business running smoothly.

What Is VoIP and Why Does It Rely on Power and Internet?

VoIP technology allows voice communications to travel over the internet instead of traditional copper phone lines. This makes it more flexible and cost-efficient, and enables advanced features like:

  • Auto-attendants
  • Voicemail to email
  • Call forwarding
  • Virtual extensions
  • Mobile and desktop apps

But because VoIP uses your internet connection and networking equipment (routers, modems, switches), a loss of power or internet can potentially disrupt service.

What Happens to VoIP When the Internet Goes Out?

When your internet connection is lost, your VoIP phone system cannot route calls through the cloud. Here’s what typically happens:

1. Incoming Calls Can Be Automatically Forwarded

Most quality VoIP providers, like Ooma, offer call forwarding rules you can set in advance. If your internet goes down, your calls can be routed to:

  • A mobile phone
  • Another office location
  • A voicemail system
  • A backup number

This ensures you don’t miss important calls — even if your office is offline.

2. VoIP Apps Still Work on Cellular Data

VoIP services often come with mobile apps. If your Wi-Fi is down but your cell phone still has data, you can continue making and receiving calls via your smartphone’s LTE/5G connection.

With FSMC Business Telecom and Ooma Office, this feature ensures your team can stay connected — anywhere, anytime.

3. Remote Workers Stay Online

If your business uses a hybrid or remote setup, only the location that lost internet is affected. Other employees working from different networks can continue operating as usual.

What Happens to VoIP When the Power Goes Out?

An internet outage is one thing — but what if your office loses electrical power entirely?

1. Networking Equipment Shuts Down

Routers, modems, and VoIP phones require electricity. Without it, they’ll shut down — along with your ability to use internet-based calling.

2. Phones Without Power Can’t Function

Most VoIP phones are powered via Ethernet (PoE) or plug-in adapters. Unless you have backup power (like a UPS or generator), your desk phones will stop working.

3. Automatic Failover Can Still Kick In

If you’ve set up call continuity options with FSMC and Ooma, calls can still be redirected. Even when your physical office is without power, cloud-based failover ensures:

  • Call routing to mobile phones
  • Voicemail pickup
  • Notifications via email or SMS

How to Prepare for Power or Internet Outages with VoIP

Don’t wait for a disruption to find out your phone system isn’t prepared. Here are six proactive steps to ensure your VoIP service continues to operate reliably — even during an outage.

1. Use Call Forwarding and Redundancy

Work with your VoIP provider to establish failover numbers and call routing rules that automatically engage when a system goes offline.

2. Download the Mobile App

With the Ooma Office mobile app, your team can receive and make calls using business numbers from their smartphones. This bypasses local internet and power issues.

3. Invest in Battery Backups (UPS)

Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) can keep your modem, router, and VoIP phones running for short periods during power loss — enough time to route calls or notify customers.

4. Consider a Cellular Backup Internet Connection

Some businesses set up cellular LTE modems as a backup to their primary internet connection. These devices automatically take over when your main connection fails.

5. Educate Your Team

Ensure all staff know what to do during an outage. Share instructions for using mobile apps, checking voicemails, and forwarding calls.

6. Partner with a VoIP Provider That Prioritizes Reliability

Not all VoIP services are created equal. Ooma, through FSMC Business Telecom Services, offers best-in-class reliability, failover features, and 24/7 support to help your business stay online.

How FSMC and Ooma Keep Your Business Connected

FSMC Business Telecom Services is a trusted provider of cloud-based communication solutions. As a proud Ooma partner, we help small and medium businesses across the USA and Canada modernize their phone systems without sacrificing reliability or peace of mind.

When you choose FSMC and Ooma, you get:

  • Reliable failover and disaster recovery options
  • Crystal-clear call quality
  • 24/7 support and setup assistance
  • Custom call routing and mobile access
  • Scalable plans that grow with your business

We make sure your phone system keeps working even when your office doesn’t.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Let an Outage Stop Your Business

Power and internet outages are inevitable. But that doesn’t mean your business communication has to come to a halt.

With the right VoIP setup — including backup routing, mobile access, and proactive planning — you can stay connected with customers, partners, and team members through any disruption.

At FSMC Business Telecom Services, we specialize in VoIP systems that work as hard as you do. Whether you’re a startup, a growing team, or a multi-site business, we’ll help you implement a reliable communication solution built for uptime and peace of mind.

Need Help Preparing for the Unexpected?

Let FSMC and Ooma show you how to protect your business from outages and keep your calls flowing.

📞 Contact FSMC Business Telecom Services today
🌐 Serving clients across the United States and Canada

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