In this invention, we disclose methods for enabling ad hoc cellular base station functionality within a user equipment when the connection quality between a base station and the user equipment is limited or nonexistent. These methods include measuring a connection quality between a user equipment and its serving base station. If the connection quality is below a threshold, the user equipment can enable its internal ad hoc cellular base station functionality. This is done by running a software within the user equipment that (a) checks the connection quality periodically, and (b) enables ad hoc cellular base station functionality of the connection threshold dips below a certain value. In one embodiment, that threshold could be the same threshold value that a user equipment would use if it were making a decision to handoff to another base station based on poor connection quality.