[Ares-races] Wireless systems failed during Blackout

[BillLennox@aol.com]

From:  CNN/Money
   =20
Wireless gets blacked out too
       =20
Trying to use your cell phone during the blackout was nearly impossible. Wha=
t=20
went wrong?

August 16, 2003:  8:58 AM EDT
By Paul R. La Monica, CNN/Money Senior Writer
       =20
   =20
     NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The blackout of 2003 proved one thing to many=20
cell phone users: the death of the traditional landline may be greatly=20
exaggerated.  Many wireless customers in the New York metropolitan area, par=
ts of the=20
Midwest and Canada were unable to use their cell phones during the blackout,=
=20
which made a frustrating situation even more annoying.     =20
   =20
       But landlines, including pay phones, (When was the last time you saw=20
lines for one of those?) pretty much worked like a charm. So what went wrong=
? =20

       In most cases, the biggest problem was a huge surge in volume=20
(everybody all trying to make calls at the same time) that flooded the wirel=
ess=20
spectrum, leading to many busy signals

       "Spectrum is a scarce resource and wireless companies build out=20
theirnetworks based on average expected usage levels," said Greg Gorbatenko,=
=20
ananalyst with Loop Capital Markets, an independent research firm focusing o=
n telecom=20
and cable. "A spike in demand can blow up the network and most cannot handle=
=20
an emergency." =20

       To that end, a spokesman for Sprint said that its wireless division=20
handled three times the average daily volume in New York City on Thursday an=
d=20
Verizon Wireless said that call volume was four times normal in all the area=
s=20
affectedby the blackout. =20

       "Think of it as five thousand people trying to get through your front=
=20
door at once. It's going to be slow," said Mark Siegel, a spokesman for AT&
TWireless, which was still experiencing some cell phone service problems Fri=
day=20
morning. =20

       But many had hoped that after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001=
,=20
wireless carriers would be better prepared for the next time there was an=20
event that led to a substantial surge in calls. =20

       However, the wireless telecom sector has many problems. Most carriers=
=20
are faced with large debt loads. And because of intense competition (there a=
re=20
six major carriers nationwide) they are resorting to price wars to attract=20
new subscribers. All that means that it has been difficult for the carriers=20=
to=20
upgrade their networks to handle more calls and will probably remain sofor t=
he=20
foreseeable future. =20

       "It will be years before wireless carriers are at a level where they=20
can handle the type of volume that landlines can," said Allan Tumolillo, chi=
ef=20
operating officer of Probe Group, a telecom research firm. =20

Electricity matters
      =20
       Still volume wasn't the only problem. For example, while walking home=
=20
Thursday, I completely lost my cell phone signal once I got into downtown=20
Manhattan and headed over the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn. The service wa=
s not=20
restored until my power went back on Friday morning and even then it was=20
spotty at best. Meanwhile, my landline at home worked fine the wholetime. =20

       Why was that the case?  Dan Wilinsky, a spokesman for Sprint said tha=
t=20
while wireless carriers have ample power backup to protect their switches,=20
that is not the case for all of the cell sites, which house the antennas tha=
t=20
transmit the calls across a network. So as power slowly comes back to=20
blacked-out areas, so should cell phone service. =20

       Cingular said that as of Friday about 25 percent of its cell sites in=
=20
Cleveland and New York City were still not operational and that more than 75=
=20
percent were out of commission in Detroit due to power outages. =20

       Still, it's kind of alarming that cutting-edge technology such as=20
wireless communications can be undermined by a glitch in a nineteenth-centur=
y=20
innovation. =20

       "Wireless is too dependent on the external power supply. And since=20
wireless phones are becoming the main phone line for many people, the indust=
ry=20
has to make sure that customers have the same kind of reliability as with=20
landlines," said Jeff Kagan, an independent telecom analyst. =20

       At the very least the blackout should put pressure on the major=20
wireless carriers to bulk up coverage in already high-traffic networks and t=
ake more=20
steps to insure that wireless antennas can keep running even in the event of=
=20
a power outage. =20

       And given the massive problems that cell phone users experienced on=20
Thursday and Friday, this might convince some that having no landline at all=
 is=20
a bad idea. =20

       "Wireless is not a failsafe. It's a telecommunications accessory,"=20
said Gorbatenko.=A0          =20
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Bill Lennox
US Air Force (Retired)
Full Time College Student (Emergency Management)
KD7EFP
Assistant Emergency Coordinator - Plans (ARES), Washington County, Oregon
Assistant Radio Officer - Plans (RACES), Washington County, Oregon














































































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