As the 2005 hurricane season draws to a close, it leaves behind a Gulf Coast region with a changed state of communications.
First and foremost, gone are the days of landline dominance. Networks are not being re-built as they were, but as needs demand, much as in the emerging markets of developing countries. No doubt, landlines will be restored. But to what degree, and how will they be used and by whom?
According to numbers from the Federal Communications Commission, Hurricane Katrina took out 2.8 million phone lines, more than 420,000 cable-TV connections and cable Internet connections and at least 1,600 cell-phone towers in Louisiana and Mississippi. For temporary communications relief, carriers have deployed systems that range from the low-tech to state-of-the-art technology.
The catastrophes brought on by Katrina also brought opportunities for network infrastructure overhauls throughout the region. For instance, Wi-Fi networking is now a central part of the communications picture in the Gulf region.
“Prior to Katrina, we had focused on creating a wireless mesh network for security,” commented Greg Meffert, chief technology officer for the City of New Orleans. “During Mardi Gras and JazzFest, you need cameras along St. Charles Avenue, but the rest of the time, you need cameras where the crime is. So wireless was the perfect fit.
“They were able to build a wireless network over a city that doesn’t even have cable.”
“Wi-Fi technology really shines in this type of scenario,” explained Nigel Ballard, a manager at Intel Corp.’s state and local government unit who helped coordinate the company’s wireless technology-related relief efforts. “It requires no wires, it can reach long distances and you can get a network up and running within half an hour, which is exactly what we did at about 150 shelters.”
And the modernization doesn’t end with Wi-Fi networks-pre-WiMAX networks are up and running in New Orleans as well. And not in a test-market sort of way. Police, fire and all kinds of city, state and federal agencies, as well as residents, are using the network. WiMAX is working, and it’s working hard.
Intel, a strong WiMAX proponent, said the decision to build pre-WiMAX networks was easy. “We didn’t have time to mess around with spectrum allocations in the Wi-Fi frequencies,” said Ballard. “We didn’t want to ship products to sites and then find out that we had sent the wrong kind of equipment for the type of frequency available. So we went to the FCC and asked them to let us use the 3.65 GHz band, which is usually reserved for the military. Within 12 hours, they granted us an emergency license.”
And, what’s more, although the pre-WiMAX network equipment and the mobile devices being used are not WiMAX certified, interoperability is thriving.
“We sent Motorola Inc.’s Canopy MotoWi4 equipment, along with Tropos’ mesh equipment,” said Ballard. “This truly is not about Intel getting there first. This effort was about many, many technology companies doing everything possible to help people who needed to be helped. There were laptops, radios, mesh equipment, and all kinds of stuff donated from Redline, Dell, HP, IBM and Lenova, and lots of other companies. We used carriers’ towers. This was not about one company’s chip, or one company grabbing market share.
“Once we figured out what equipment we could get shipped, we coordinated with local companies in the affected areas for installation. For instance, we worked with MCI/SkyTel in one area since they already had the expertise about the terrain and the tools to get the job done. In one area of New Orleans, the Army Corps of Engineers helped with installations.”
“Everyone pitched in whatever they could.”
