History Main / SuddenLackOfSignal

* In TheFilmOfTheBook of ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', Arthur tries and fails to get a signal on board the Vogon ship. He then drops his phone into outer space and we get a nice shot of his [[ProductPlacement NOKIA phone filling up the whole screen]].

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', Cyborg, Beast Boy and Robin are pulled into an alternate dimension for a "tournament of heroes". Cyborg is suspicious and tries to call Starfire and Raven. When he can't get through, he uses this as evidence to Robin that they are in a trap. Robin [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastically]] points out that Cyborg's phone plan probably doesn't include alternate dimensions.

[[folder:Film]]

* Happens a lot on ''Series/{{Haven}}'', whenever anything odd starts happening with the Troubles.

Whatever this place is, it doesn't look familiar. You don't recognize anything about the landscape, and the sky... is [[AlienSky unlike any sky you've seen before]]. Troubled, you pull out a cell phone to call for help -- but even though your phone is working fine and you're in an open area, there is no signal. Your GPS isn't working, either; it claims that no satellites can be detected. Yup, definitely not in Kansas anymore.

In today's era, when nearly everyone carries a cell phone on a regular basis, the sudden, initially inexplicable lack of signal can often serve as an early tip-off that our characters have found themselves TrappedInAnotherWorld. Maybe they're on an alien planet, an alternate universe, or have [[TrappedInThePast time-travelled into the past]] -- in any case, there are no communication towers anywhere. Obviously this also applies to other communication devices such as radios, the Internet etc.

-->-- '''SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker''', ''[[WebAnimation/MyLittlePonyMeets The Joker meets My Little Pony]]''

* In Creator/MichaelZWilliamson's ''A Long Time Until Now'', ten modern-day soldiers end up abruptly transported to the Stone Age. Naturally, before they figure out what's happening, one of the first things they do is trying to radio other units and failing.

* In the Polish novel ''www.1939.com.pl'', when an entire modern military unit gets transported to the World War II era, the communication specialists are initially baffled by all their GPS devices failing before they realize what's going on.

* In Toby Fox's ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'', Kris will have a cell phone in their inventory from the beginning of the game. It works in the normal world, but after being transported into the Dark World, attempting to use the phone will only result in a creepy distorted sound effect being played. [[spoiler:This sound effect is heavily associated with the enigmatic character of W.D. from Fox's previous game, ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', and is far from the only reference to him in Deltarune chapter 1, leading to fan speculation of his greater involvement in the new game's story]]

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. Dean travels back in time to the United States during WW2 and is [[TimeTravelersAreSpies mistaken for a spy]], partly because he's carrying a strange device displaying the words NO SIGNAL.

* At the end of ''ComicBook/AtomicRobo: The Savage Sword of Doctor Dinosaur'', Robo gets teleported [[spoiler:through time into the 19th century.]] He tries contacting base by radio -- nothing. He tries to establish his position by GPS -- nothing. Then he realizes that he can't detect ''any'' radio signals of any kind...

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/DoctorWho''

* With ''Webcomic/{{Galaxion}}'' technology levels, communications range does not extend to twenty one (and a half) parsecs. [[spoiler:On the plus side, they are in the same universe.]]

* Averted in ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'': in the desert otherworld, cell phones have signal and even permanently full batteries.
* ''Roleplay/TheMassiveMultiFandomRPG'' season 3.5: Batman's first act upon his sudden arrival into the extradimensional city is trying to contact the Batcave. Upon finding that it is out of reach (which is stated to be "impossible"), he immediately realizes the situation isn't normal.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', [[Recap/MiraculousLadybugS01E21Pixelator "Pixelator"]]: Phones don't work for people trapped inside Pixelator's pictures.

In today's era, when nearly everyone carries a cell phone on a regular basis, the sudden, initially inexplicable lack of signal can often serve as an early tip-off that our characters have found themselves TrappedInAnotherWorld. Maybe they're on an alien planet, an alternate universe, or time-travelled into the past -- in any case, there are no communication towers anywhere. Obviously this also applies to other communication devices such as radios, the Internet etc.

* With ''Webcomic/{{Galaxion}}'' technology levels, communications range does not extend to twenty one (and a half) parsecs. [[spoiler: On the plus side, they are in the same universe.]]

** In "The End of the World", Rose's cell phone initially does not work after travelling billions of years into the future. The Doctor mods her phone so she can still call her mother, who's still in the present day.

-->--'''SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker''', ''[[WebAnimation/MyLittlePonyMeets The Joker meets My Little Pony]]''

->''Well, I have no idea where I'm at. Maybe if I check Google Maps quickly and then I can... WHAT? NO SIGNAL?!''

* At the end of ''ComicBook/AtomicRobo: The Savage Sword of Doctor Dinosaur'', Robo gets teleported [[spoiler:through time into the 19th century]]. He tries contacting base by radio -- nothing. He tries to establish his position by GPS -- nothing. Then he realizes that he can't detect ''any'' radio signals of any kind...

** In "The End of the World", Rose's cell phone initially does not work after travelling billions of years into the future. Shortly gets subverted when the Doctor mods her phone so she can still call her mother, who's still in the present day.