Wednesday, August 26, 2026
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Opinion

Telecom tweets of the week: Total eclipse of … everything

by Kelly Hill
written by Kelly Hill Share
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The country has gone eclipse-crazy as it gears up for the big event on Monday. Eclipse glasses are sold out everywhere. Airfares to cities within the “path of totality” have skyrocketed. Mobile carriers are boosting coverage along that path in preparation for the expected boom in traffic.

If it doesn’t feel like the end of the world just yet, this Washington Post article is happy to fill you in on all the things that could go wrong during the eclipse itself:

FEMA, it should be noted, has made some recommendations on eclipse-related gear. Don’t forget your phone charger! Oh, and snacks!

Mentally preparing for a gazillion blurry cell phone photos of a somewhat-dimmed sun in 3 … 2 … 1 …

But there is more than eclipse-mania going on. The First Responders Network Authority (and network partner AT&T) was busy at APCO this week, talking to a packed house about everything from applications to state plans. Three more states decided to opt in to the FirstNet network build this week: Arizona, Kansas, and Nevada. That brings the total of opt-in states to 15, although the big fish like California, New York and Texas (with their large metro markets that would really help FirstNet, in terms of their potential first responder customer bases) haven’t yet jumped in one way or the other.

But Verizon isn’t ceding any ground on public safety customers and said this week that it plans to build its own public safety core network to serve first responders.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile US made good on its promises to get its new 600 MHz spectrum in use as quickly as possible. The carrier lit up its first 600 MHz site this week, in Cheyenne, Wyoming:

For your Friday time-waster, let’s take a moment to consider the use of robots in football. Okay, not robots exactly. They’re called mobile virtual players (MVPs!) and are more like drones for the football field: remote-controlled tackling dummies. They weigh in at 180 pounds and can move at up to 18 miles an hour. Teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers have tested them out, and college teams like Dartmouth have begun using them as well. Mesmerizing video below:

 

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Kelly Hill reports on network test and measurement, AI infrastructure and regulatory issues, including spectrum, for RCR Wireless News. She began covering the wireless industry in 2005, focusing on carriers and MVNOs, then took a few years’ hiatus and returned to RCR Wireless News to write about heterogeneous networks (remember those?) and network infrastructure. Kelly is an Ohio native with a masters degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, where she focused on science writing and multimedia. She has written for the San Francisco Chronicle, The Oregonian and The Canton Repository. She lives in northern Virginia, not far from Data Center Alley.

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