Inaugural crowds test wireless networks

Back in the dark ages, wire line phones occasionally got overwhelmed in such circumstances causing circuit busy tones, like a fast busy signal or an announcement telling the caller that all circuits are busy please try your call later. So can we expect wireless technology to do any better? It is amazing that it works so well.

 

you thought AT&T (NYSE: T)’s network reliability was questionable on a daily basis, we hope you didn’t have to suffer the clogged-up cellular networks in the Washington D.C. this morning. AT&T and T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) customers have been reporting spotty reception, significantly delayed text messages, and non-responsive data networks in the nation’s capital this morning as millions gathered to watch President Obama’s inaugural ceremonies.

AT&T and T-Mobile had beefed up their network capacities in Washington D.C. in anticipation of a barrage of wireless customers flooding their networks with SMS text messages and voice calls. AT&T said it invested some $4 million to boost capacity along the parade route, increasing its staff by 60% and pulling in two COW (Cell towers On Wheels) to help deal with the wireless onslaught.

T-Mobile’s own measures to shore up its wireless network is said to have exceeded any preparations made for a single-day event. T-Mobile helped ease network congestion by directing traffic away from congested towers to cellular towers with spare bandwidth.

Sprint (NYSE: S) increased capacity for its Sprint network by 40% and boosted their Nextel network capacity by 90%. The second-place US CDMA carrier also deployed COLTS (Cell towers On Light Trucks) to expand its network capacity even further.

Finally, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) announced that voice calls were coming in at three to five times their normal volume. Still, Verizon customers were largely able to get through to friends and family, even in the most congested areas near the capital.

Even with all the inaugural preparations, it seems that GSM networks in the Washington D.C. area fared the worst during President Obama’s historic inauguration events. With millions of wireless customers scrambling to make voice calls and send text messages, it’s no wonder wireless networks in the nation’s capital crumbled this morning. Even the nation’s most reliable network, Verizon Wireless, saw network congestion problems. Still, AT&T seems to have handled this morning’s network-blitz with the least amount of grace.
http://www.intomobile.com/2009/01/2...remony-wreaks-havoc-on-wireless-networks.html

 

I stayed away from downtown today but still had some issues. While I was able to make calls without any problems, I had a few people tell me that when they called me nothing would happen (no ringing or message).

 

It seems like in this article they made Verizon Wireless look like the all high and mighty network that's the most reliable in the country. That whole "most reliable network" is just a marketing scheme, just like at&t's "best worldwide coverage". I don't know maybe it was just me (and I'm not trying to start a carrier flame war, I have nothing against Verizon), but it seems like this article favored Verizon. Just my .02

 

LOL, I took the opportunity to get the heck out of the cold weather and traffic in the DC area. A few days ago I drove down to Florida to visit some family down there. I drove back yesterday, getting back home @ 11:00 PM. No traffic issues really, since I was going north, when the traffic was going south. I did have problems at a truck stop where I stopped for fuel just north of Richmond though. The parking lot was full of tour busses, and the store and restaurant were packed. I just paid @ the pump and went. Dissapointed that I probably would find the same situation at any fast food I stopped at on my way I just kept on driving. I got off 95 @ rt 123 and then remembered that there was a Wendy's about 3 blocks from the highway on a sidestreet. Went right through the drive thru and was on my way. There were 2 tour busses in the parking lot, but being after 10 on a weeknight the dining room was closed. People were rattling the doors. As I pulled away from the drive thru I wanted to roll down my window and yell "You need a car to eat at Wendy's!", but I refrained.

-Jay

 

Couldn't this just be a CDMA vs GSM capacity issue. Granted built out properly they can be the same. But maybe the in this case it was affecting it. Not to mention there are no numbers on how much each carrier had for subs there....

 

Now that cell phones, texting, and data usage are such integral parts of our culture, the media is making every big event, natural disaster, Super Bowl and such, another event all it's own. Why it's news to some that a call or text does or doesn't connect first time or not borders on the bizarre, IMHO. Making the news seem important for some events and not for others and how well or "good" things were seems subjective at best to me and of course the carriers are always going to spin anything towards the best light.

 

And I agree with that as well, I think since they have aquired Alltels big group of people they think they can now call themselves the high and mighty network. But, I guess whatever floats their boat.