Wireless carriers continue to struggle with service outages in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast region when it came ashore Monday morning. News reports indicate that wireless services are severed completely in many communities due to power outages caused by wind and flood damage.
Updating its progress, Sprint Nextel Corp. said it was sending hundreds of engineers and technicians, as well as nearly two dozen vehicles into the area, but it cannot reach many sites until it’s deemed safe.
“Obviously we must wait until it is safe to move into the area, but once it is safe to do so, our customers can count on us being there for them,” said Sal Todaro, Sprint Nextel’s area vice president. “There will be many power issues to deal with, and we want to reassure our customers that we will put forth an effort second to none in recovering from this devastating storm.”
The carrier added that many wireless sites that relied on battery backup have failed and will have to wait until it is safe for generators and personnel to recharge the batteries to turn the sites back on.
“Our equipment needs power to work, and while many sites have backup generators or batteries, some of those sites may be flooded,” Todaro added. “Also there are issues where other carriers to whom we connect might be out of service. It is a complex issue, but we have the people and assets in place to respond as quickly as humanly possible.”
Sprint Nextel noted that a switch located below sea level in the New Orleans area reported flooding and had to be shut down, impacting long-distance calls into and out of the area. The carrier also noted that local customers as far away as the Florida panhandle have been impacted by the network issues as long-distance service is typically directed through New Orleans.
Cingular Wireless L.L.C. said it has set up free emergency calls at its open company-owned retail stores in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. The carrier also said it plans to deploy mobile calling vans in the area providing free phone calls.
The carrier said it has emergency crews in the area that are beginning to survey cell-site outages, but noted that they have limited access to those sites due to blocked roads and unsafe conditions. Cingular added that it has more than 500 generators ready to be dispatched as soon as conditions allow, as well as more than 240,000 gallons of fuel for those generators.
Regional operator Cellular South Inc. said some of its network in Mississippi was still operational, and according to a spokeswoman, was the only wireless or wireline communications network still operating in many areas. The carrier said it took extra precautions prior to the hurricane hitting Monday, including the deployment of generators, and has deployed temporary towers in many areas. Cellular South noted that it was providing emergency response personnel priority access to its network and asking customers to place only emergency calls on the network or use text messages, which place less demand on the network.
