America's four major carriers– T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint – have all made backup plans in case Hurricane Irene knocks down its cell towers. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has also set up a web-based hotline for carriers to report infrastructure problems during the hurricane.
Sprint said it has "hardened" its wireline and wireless switches, POP sites and cell sites with permanent generators "to provide immediate backup power when commercial power is unavailable."
Sprint's network disaster recovery team has also stocked up on fuel to power the portable generators in areas without permanent generators.
T-Mobile has "established a number of local Command Centers up and down the coast where our teams of engineers will rapidly move to fix any outages in service," wrote Tom Ellefson, vice president of engineering, Northeast, in a statement. It has also deployed portable/backup generators, repaired all transport vehicles, prepared battery backup and radio equipment in case cell sites fail, arranged engineers on-call, and prepared Cells-On-Wheels to bring capacity to hard-hit areas.
Similarly, AT&T's preparations include portable generators topped with extra fuel. It has also staged generators in "safe locations" that can be immediately deployed once the storm has passed, emergency communications vehicles, and an employee base camp equipped with tents, food, laundry, and an on-site nurse.
Verizon said it is in the process of preparing for flooding, power outages, and fallen trees. "Verizon teams are reviewing the inventory of supplies like utility poles, cable and other equipment and are staffing essential positions to meet recovery needs," it said. It has also surfaced backup batteries and generators from Verizon's central switching offices, mobile units and field facilities. Like its counterparts, it has also stocked up on fuel to power the backup generators. Good thing Verizon's striking technicians went back to work on Monday night.
Meanwhile, WiMAX-provider Towerstream announced Friday that it would offer free, 4G, Wi-Fi connectivity to Manhattan residents during the hurricane, starting on Friday night at 6pm ET.
Simply select "SmartFi by Towerstream" from the list of available wireless networks on your Wi-Fi enabled device, which will direct you to enter your email address and acknowledge a Service Agreement. Then it's on to "free, unlimited Wi-Fi access."
For more, see the Ultimate guide to preparing for Hurricane Irene, which includes everything from solar-powered chargers to First Aid apps.