Tropical Storm Barry: How Verizon, AT & T, T-Mobile and Sprint Prepare for Mobile Disaster Coverage

The first major tropical storm in the Gulf this season is about to arrive and the four major mobile carriers are getting ready on their knees to keep their networks as solid as possible. Verizon, AT & T, T-Mobile and Sprint have each detailed the work they have done to prepare Tropical Storm Barry this weekend.

Tropical Storm Barry approaches the shores of Louisiana on Friday afternoon. Nearly 10,000 people have already asked their clients to evacuate their homes. The National Hurricane Center told CNET, the sister site of CBS News, that rainfall of 10 to 20 inches of precipitation would be expected in Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi.

Kyle Malady, Verizon's chief technology officer, said "crisis is going through a crisis" to help communities by ensuring consumers, first responders, public safety teams and businesses stay connected, is fundamental to its operator . "We are preparing our network and are ready to support those on the path of Tropical Storm Barry," said Malady.

Part of the work done by Verizon includes the preparation of surveillance drones; establishment of storm control centers in network facilities capable of withstanding Category 5 winds; inspect emergency generators, fiber rings and HVAC systems at its cell sites; organize portable emergency equipment to deploy quickly to restore damaged connections; provide fuel deliveries so tankers are in place to respond quickly in the event of a power outage; and the addition of a large number of portable cell sites with secure and dedicated satellite links.

Verizon is also collaborating with first responders via the Verizon Response team to "mobilize charging stations, peripherals, special equipment, emergency vehicles and more to support local, regional and federal agencies in the United States. United".

AT & T's preparations for Tropical Storm Barry involved the addition of fuel generators, the testing of its high-capacity backup batteries located on cell sites, the protection of physical network facilities against flood risks, storage of network recovery equipment and emergency response in strategic locations for rapid deployment and of course to ensure that FirstNet has Deployable network resources dedicated to public safety agencies ready for use.

"We have installed more generators in critical cell towers and switching facilities, and transferred essential electronic components to network operation above expected flood levels," said AT & T. plus a number of stationary gensets spread throughout the state, we have nearly 700 portable generators in the Southeast region that can be deployed to support our facilities if needed. "

AT & T-ready technologies include amphibious all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), mobile cell sites such as wheeled cells (COWs), light truck cells (COLTs). and in-flight COWs, emergency communication vehicles, hazardous materials supplies, technical trailers and even a base camp including nurses, meals, laundry, bathrooms, kitchens and tents Sleeping.

T-Mobile says it is ready for the 2019 storm season with VACES, COLTs, temporary backhaul solutions, refueling services, portable generators and emergency trucks placed as close as possible to storm. T-Mobile also sends engineers, field technicians and community rescue teams to affected areas and uses its network operations centers to monitor network demand and manage traffic.

T-Mobile also advises customers to send SMS messages instead of making calls during the storm, as text messages are more likely to be routed during busy periods. "Keep calls to a minimum and as short as possible," says T-Mobile. "It reduces the load on our network so that others can get through."

Finally, Sprint indicates that its emergency, disaster recovery and network response teams have begun storm preparation, the carrier being ready with portable generators, fixed generators completed, Additional refueling resources and more technicians and field equipment brought into central Louisiana-Texas surface.

"In addition, Sprint's Emergency Response Team (ERT) is ready to quickly deploy temporary mobile and broadband (Internet access) solutions over a mobile satellite infrastructure." said Sprint.