FCC to investigate cell phone logjam after earthquake

[obxhead]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) -- The Federal Communications Commission says it is looking into the failures of cell phone service that occurred Tuesday afternoon after the East Coast earthquake. For as long as an hour after the quake, wireless customers in Washington and elsewhere reported being unable to get calls through.

Jamie Barnett, chief of the FCC's Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau, said that when the cell phone networks get overloaded by call volume, crucial calls might fail to go through.

"We were very concerned with the fact that 9-1-1 calls were also congested," he said. "We want to make sure that people who need emergency help are able to get it."

Although the congestion might not have jeopardized any lives in this particular incident, he said, "these are the moments when mobile phone service is needed most -- and disruptions puts lives at risk."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/25/earthquake.cell.phones/

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After the Mineral quake you were lucky to even get a text message though much less a call. It will be interesting to see what comes of this.

[TheWraith]

1. Unless you mandate an absurd amount of overhead capacity, this is unavoidable.

Cell phones work the same way as internet access or a timeshare. Since not everyone is using it at the same time, a little goes a long way. A cell tower might have 10,000 customers under it's coverage at any given time, and only the capacity for 1,000 of them to make calls, but that's fine if only 500 are making calls at the average hour. Trying to make it possible for 5,000 calls at the same time would be difficult. The cell phone providers are greedy and lazy, but in this, they would have a ridiculously high bar. It would be insanely difficult to build enough excess capacity for everyone to try and use the network simultaneously, without freeing up MASSIVE additional blocks of radio spectrum.

A better solution is to train people NOT to immediately jump on their cell phones the second after an unusual event, unless they absolutely have to for their own emergency use.

[hedgehog]

8. I agree that people need to stay off the phone, but good luck with that.

[neverforget]

2. I was flying out of Honolulu last year when the Chiliean earthquake hit.

I was at the airport and I couldn't call my wife in Portland because of the call volume. After a few tries over a half hour, I was able to get through. Ends up, we were one of the last planes out but the tsunami didn't do any damage thankfully.

[postulater]

3. Maybe there's a way to prioritize 911 calls, at least.

[obxhead]

4. That's what I was wondering.

Even if they were to shut down any call not to 911. It would make people angry, but it might save lives in the next threatening event.

I understand a lot of these 911 calls were probably not needed, that's a side issue though in my opinion.

Calling granny to let her know you're ok should always come second to 911.

[FrodosPet]

5. Amateur Radio

This is why the Ham Radio hobby must be protected and should be supported. Being a decentralized, point-to-point system, it can keep going when cell phones and emergency services have crashed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio_emergency_communications

In times of crisis and natural disasters, amateur radio is often used as a means of emergency communication when wireline, cell phones and other conventional means of communications fail.

Unlike commercial systems, Amateur radio is not as dependent on terrestrial facilities that can fail. It is dispersed throughout a community without "choke points" such as cellular telephone sites that can be overloaded.

Amateur radio operators are experienced in improvising antennas and power sources and most equipment today can be powered by an automobile battery. Annual "Field Days" are held in many countries to practice these emergency improvisational skills. Amateur radio operators can use hundreds of frequencies and can quickly establish networks tying disparate agencies together to enhance interoperability.

Recent examples include the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in Manhattan in 2001, the 2003 North America blackout and Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, where amateur radio was used to coordinate disaster relief activities when other systems failed.

- snip -

[Demeter]

6. Also land lines and DSL

[FrodosPet]

14. Every available form of communications is useful

That being said, even landlines and DSL are subject to overloaded usage and vulnerabilities of the central offices. It is nearly impossible to knock out a decent sized contingent of Amateur Radio operators using portable equipment, which can be powered by car batteries or even reasonably affordable solar cells.

Beyond that, as a hobby, ham radio can encourage science and math (electronics / astronomy / earth sciences), as well as opening up people to geographic knowledge and possibly cultural interchange. It really is a hobby worth exploring. Unfortunately, cultural changes, as well as corporate hunger for the radio spectrum used, is a major concern.

Anyone reading this - I urge you to do some research on it. Yes, you have to study and pass tests to get a license. Is that a bad thing?

[boppers]

16. 0 Posts.... nice trick?

(Or a bug)?

That being said, an EMP takes out an awful lot.

[BiggJawn]

7. What he said.

I've been a Ham for 40 years. Always ready, even if I have to pick piece out of the wreckage, I can get on the air.

[8 track mind]

10. I agree

Been a ham since 1994. I can be on the Air in less than 5 min's. Hell I'm almost done with a homebrew five watt HF box.

[Hoopla Phil]

9. Just wait till that hurricane starts to come ashore. This is nothing new

The gulf coast has been through this a couple of times. Those on the east coast need to include some FRS radios if they want to stay in communication.

[James48]

11. I was an Army Signal Officer for 20 years

and military voice communications systems (MSE) used a system similar to cell phones, which had remote ten-channel radio access units *(Mobile phone line channels).




Two of the ten channels were reserved for phones that had digital profiles that allowed them priority over other phones. For example, you could press a button, and bump off a call that had lower priority.

Press "P" (Priority)before you dialed the number, and you could bump off a non-priority call. Press "I" (immediate) and you could bump off a Priority or a non-priority call. Press "F" (Flash), and you could bump off a "I" or a "P" call. "FO" was the top priority (Flash Overide) as was reserved for use when you were under attack or were about to be under attack.

It would not be hard to build into the common cellphone system, a way that you could make a "priority" signal out of a 9-1-1 call, and make it bump off non-9-1-1- calls. The technology is easy to do. All you would need is to make it a standard, and in a couple of years, all the older phones would be out of the system, and the newer standard would be in place.

Not hard to do at all.


By the way- I was in DC for the quake, and yes, in my little courtyard, one thousand people were standing around outside, and ALL of them had their cellphones out and were trying to make calls. I simply texted a message out, and repeated trying texting until the message went through. It took me about 40 minutes to get the text message out. I am also a HAM, but had no radios with me- I was in DC on business without any radios. Perhaps I need to start carrying a 2-meter in my pocket.

[technotwit]

15. Cell priority

There is a federal "wireless priority system"system that gives approved people access on cell systems in the event of an emergency. See http://wps.ncs.gov/ for details.

-----------------------------------------
"When a cell phone user is unable to complete a call in two attempts using normal dialing during periods of network congestion, they should re-attempt their call using Wireless Priority Service. WPS calls can be made to other cell phones, landlines, and satellite phones.

The WPS feature must be subscribed on the calling cellular phone to make a WPS call. However, the called number does not need to have WPS or GETS. WPS should not be used when calling 911.

How to Make a WPS Call

Confirm WPS subscribed cell phone is in range of radio signal (one or more “bars” on display screen)


Enter *272 and the Destination Number and push SEND key (example: *272 703 818 4387 and SEND)


Network will route call to the Destination Number. It may take 60+ seconds to complete the call during heavy congestion and there may be intervals of ringing and/or silence; this is normal. On most cell phones the screen will display 272 and the Destination Number. Some cell phones may display call status messages such as call queued and/or provide audible tones indicating the call has been queued


If first attempt does not complete end the call and retry by pressing send key to auto redial; or add *272 prefix to emergency numbers stored in cell phone memory for quick re-dialing. Some cell phones automatically retry calls that do not complete on the first attempt – the screen message will indicate if the phone is retrying the call

These instructions are in the document “Using GETS and WPS During an Emergency” that
can be downloaded and printed from the Documents section"

[ChandlerJr]

12. What the hell is there to investigate? An unusual earthquake hits

and everyone on the East coast get on the phone. There, found the problem for ya, did't cost a penny.

Meanwhile media consolidation goes on unabated and the fairness doctrine is tossed in the garbage.

Your government in action, what a joke.

[obxhead]

13. Really?

We've spent BILLIONS investing in emergency shit since 9/11 and when we have an emegency the main line of communication for many comes to a screeching halt.

I say there's something to look into.