@mhoye and with the 1998 ice storm , Quebec found out hard way that POTS landlines were no longer “always on”. Bell had moré and more “remotes” that were battery powered to serve a neighbourhood and bell didnt have enough mobile generators to keep all of them recharged. An employee had to sit in car for hours next to each remote to watch over the portable generator recharging the pedestal and prevent theft of generator. I didn’t lose phone service but know many who did.