Emergency numbers, like 911 in the U.S. or 112 in INDIA, are designed to work even if your phone has no SIM card or active service plan. This is because emergency calls are treated differently from normal calls.
When you dial an emergency number, your phone doesn’t look for your usual network provider first. Instead, it searches for any available network — even one you don’t have an account with — and tries to connect through it. This means that as long as some mobile network is within range, the call can go through.
If you have no SIM card, the phone can still make the call because the law in many countries requires networks to allow all emergency calls, regardless of subscription. That’s why even an old, unused phone can still dial emergency services if it can reach a tower.
However, if you are in a location with absolutely no mobile signal from any carrier, the phone won’t be able to connect. In those cases, you’d need other options like a satellite phone or emergency beacons. In short, the system is built to give you the best possible chance to reach help — even without your own network.
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