Cingular Wireless Offers Hurricane Tips as Rita Bears Down on the Texas Coast
21 Septembre 2005 - 10:54PM
PR Newswire (US)
Company also readies network SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ --
Cingular Wireless has mobilized its emergency operations team as
Hurricane Rita gains strength off the Texas coast. Cingular
conducts ongoing readiness drills throughout the year and has a
rigorous emergency preparedness and response process in place for
these types of natural disasters. "Wireless phones are often the
only line of communication for many people during and after
hurricanes and we want consumers to know what they can do to
maximize the use of their device during a storm," said Andy
Shibley, vice president and general manager for Cingular Wireless
in South Texas. "We have the necessary emergency resources in place
to quickly respond and are prepared for what Rita may bring. "One
top recommendation that was validated when Hurricane Katrina hit
was that people should text message rather than try and make voice
cell calls. Text messaging uses far less bandwidth, and experience
has proven that people are more likely to get through with text
messaging. When additional people attempt to make voice calls at
the same time, it adds congestion to the network, which can block
calls from getting through. That doesn't happen with text
messaging." Cingular offers consumers these important tips in
preparation for the storm: - Program all emergency contact numbers
into your wireless phone. Store numbers for the police department,
fire station, hospital, as well as your family members so you don't
have to think about it during and after an emergency. - Have a
family communications plan in place. Designate someone out of the
area as a central contact, and make certain all family members know
who to contact if they become separated. - Keep your wireless phone
batteries charged at all times. Use your car charger to charge your
wireless phone when power is out, or pick up a disposable battery
that will give you an hour of talk time without any charging. -
Keep your wireless phone dry and protected. The biggest threat from
hurricanes is water versus wind damage so keep your equipment safe
from the elements by storing it in a plastic sandwich or freezer
bag. - Forward your home number to your wireless number in the
event of an evacuation. Since call forwarding is based out of the
telephone central office, you will get incoming calls from your
landline phone, even if your local telephone service is disrupted
at your home. In the unlikely event the central office is isolated,
call forwarding may not work. - Consider additional cell phones for
your family's use. If you want to add additional cell phones to
your wireless service, remember to do so prior to the emergency.
Staying in touch and maximizing your wireless service during and
after an emergency: - Try text messaging, or SMS (Short Messaging
Service). Most wireless phones today are text messaging capable,
and often times during an emergency situation such as a hurricane,
text messages will go through quicker than voice calls. More
importantly, using text messaging helps free up the voice lines for
emergency officials. - Use a landline phone if it is available. In
many instances, landline service may still be available in your
area so this still may be an option. - Keep non-emergency calls to
a minimum. Remember to limit your calls to the most important ones.
Chances are that if there is severe weather, many people will be
attempting to place wireless calls to loved ones, friends and
business associates. If the landline phones are not working, this
probability increases. - Wait 10 seconds before redialing a call.
On many wireless phones, to redial a number, you simply push "send"
after you've ended a call to redial the previous number. If you do
this too quickly, the data from the phone to the cell sites does
not have enough time to clear before you've resent the same data
and may contribute to network congestion. - Use your wireless phone
to access weather information. Many homes lose power during severe
weather. If you have a wireless phone that provides access to the
Internet, you can watch the Weather Channel through Cingular's
Mobi-TV service or through My-Cast Weather. - If you have a camera
phone, take, store and send photos of damaged property to your
insurance company from your device. "Cingular has extensive
experience with hurricanes and other natural disasters in Florida,
and most recently with Katrina along the Gulf Coast," Shibley said.
"We have learned from those experiences and are confident we have
the processes and expertise in place to react quickly to restore
vital communications, even after the most devastating storm." The
company has designated a switching facility in the San Antonio area
as its emergency response staging area where equipment and
personnel will be on stand by. Network preparations include the
staging of more than 50 portable generators, several portable cell
sites, and several hundred network technicians and engineers in and
around the region, to ensure customers and emergency agencies have
reliable wireless service before, during and after the storm. About
Cingular Wireless Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier
in the United States, serving 51.6 million customers. Cingular, a
joint venture between SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC) and
BellSouth Corporation (NYSE:BLS), has the largest digital voice and
data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(SM) network -- and the
largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless
carrier. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer
Rollover(R), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their
unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at
http://www.cingular.com/ . Get Cingular Wireless press releases
e-mailed to you automatically. Sign up at
http://cingular.mediaroom.com/. DATASOURCE: Cingular Wireless
CONTACT: Frank Merriman, +1-469-229-7613, or wireless,
+1-214-538-3496, or , or Meg Frainey, +1-469-229-7784, or wireless,
+1-214-497-6072, or , both of Cingular Wireless Web site:
http://www.cingular.com/ http://cingular.mediaroom.com/
Copyright
Bellsouth (NYSE:BLS)
Graphique Historique de l'Action
De Juin 2024 à Juil 2024
Bellsouth (NYSE:BLS)
Graphique Historique de l'Action
De Juil 2023 à Juil 2024