Cingular Wireless Prepared for 2006 Hurricane Season
03 Mai 2006 - 7:09PM
PR Newswire (US)
Carrier Provides Tips for Wireless Users and Urges Customers to
Prepare for Severe Weather ATLANTA, May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- In
anticipation of the quickly approaching 2006 hurricane season,
Cingular Wireless has prepared the nation's largest digital voice
and data network to weather this season's storms and is providing
tips for consumers during a hurricane or other emergency situation.
Cingular has a rigorous hurricane and emergency preparedness
program in place and conducts ongoing readiness drills throughout
the year to ensure network facilities and personnel are ready to go
at a moment's notice. "We hope fewer storms will come ashore this
year, but our employees have dedicated themselves year-round to
ensuring we are prepared," said Cingular Chief Operating Officer
Ralph de la Vega. Network Preparedness and Reliability Resources
Cingular's Regional Network Operations Center (RNOC), located in
Atlanta, monitors and maintains the network 24/7. This monitoring
system allows Cingular to assess any emergency situation within
minutes. Cingular cell sites located in hurricane-prone areas are
equipped with permanent or portable generators in the event of
power outages, which are prevalent during storms. Cingular added
1,200 permanent and portable generators, for a total of more than
4,500. Additionally, Cingular backs up its cell sites with
batteries to prevent outages related to power interruptions lasting
less than 8 hours. Cingular also has more than 50 Cells on Wheels,
called "COWs," which are self-contained mobile cell sites that can
be towed or driven into an area to provide extra call capacity or
to restore communications following a disaster. The company's
"COLTs," or Cells on Light Trucks, are smaller than COWs and can be
driven where a mobile cell site is needed and include two masts for
microwave antennas. Tips for Consumers Before, During and After the
Storm Cingular also offers tips to help consumers understand what
to expect when they use their cell phones or other wireless devices
during an emergency and what they can do to prepare. The most
important recommendation that can help customers reach friends and
loved ones during a storm is the use of text messaging. "We saw
text messaging become an extremely useful tool in the Gulf Coast
region during and after Hurricane Katrina," said de la Vega. "Text
messaging is a reliable way to reach family and friends during
severe weather and keeps voice channels open for access to first
responders on the ground in storm- affected areas." Text messages
will often go through quicker than voice calls during an emergency
situation. More than 95 percent of Cingular phones sold today are
text message capable. Depending on your call plan, additional
charges may apply. Cingular also encourages consumers to do the
following in advance of a storm: - Program all of your emergency
contact numbers into your cell phone, including the police
department, fire station and hospital, as well as your family
members. - 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. Have an
alternate plan to recharge your battery in case of power outages
(i.e. charging via your car charger, extra cell phone batteries,
use of a disposable cell phone battery). - Keep your wireless phone
dry. The biggest threat to your device during a hurricane is water,
so keep your equipment safe from the elements. - 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.
The following information will help customers stay in touch and
maximize their wireless service during and after the storm: - Keep
non-emergency calls to a minimum. 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 site does not have enough time to clear
and may contribute to network congestion. - Use your wireless phone
to access weather and news updates. Many homes lose power during
severe weather. If you have a wireless phone that provides access
to the Internet, you can watch the latest weather and news reports.
- Use your camera phone to snap, store and send photos of damaged
property to your insurance company. Cingular will provide updated
information about its hurricane preparation at its dedicated
website: http://www.cingularhurricaneupdates.com/. High resolution
photos are also available for download on the site. About Cingular
Wireless Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the
United States, serving 55.8 million customers. Cingular, a joint
venture between AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and BellSouth Corporation
(NYSE:BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in the
nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the largest
mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier.
Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its
3G network is the first widely available service in the world to
use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. 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
emailed to you automatically. Sign up at
http://cingular.mediaroom.com/. DATASOURCE: Cingular Wireless
CONTACT: Clay Owen of Cingular Wireless, +1-404-236-6153, or Web
site: http://www.cingular.com/ http://cingular.mediaroom.com/
http://www.cingularhurricaneupdates.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
Real-Time news about Bellsouth Cp (New York Stock Exchange): 0 recent articles
Plus d'articles sur Bellsouth Cp