Extending the life of a cordless telephone backup battery during a power cut

A method for extending the length of time over which a cordless telephone system can operate without an external source of power involves detecting a power supply outage or power failure, determining that a telephone call is not currently being handled, placing the portable unit into a mode of reduced power consumption, and placing the base unit into a mode of reduced power consumption. After a period of time, the base unit resumes functionality, determines whether a call is being initiated, and handles any such calls. If the system is not active, the base unit re-enters its mode of reduced power consumption, and the cycle is repeated.