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Cell companies are ready for Mother Nature: Verizon, Sprint and Cingular have bolstered their wireless networks(Orlando Sentinel, The (FL) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) May 29--Let the wind howl and the rain pour -- Verizon and other cell-phone companies have soaked up lessons from the storms of recent years and hardened their local networks to prepare for this year's hurricane season. Verizon has constructed a new cellular phone-and-data center for Central Florida that's fortified to withstand a Category 5 storm. One of its most impressive features is a backup generator that supplies enough power to light an area comparable to the city of Winter Park -- but is so loud, operators have to wear special ear protection. With that kind of power, Verizon emergency crews will be able to enjoy hot meals, warm showers and a facility that can be operated in air-conditioned comfort. If that generator runs out of diesel, there's a backup to the backup power source: a bank of 480 batteries. But these aren't the AA or 9-volt batteries you would stock up on at a home-supply store. They're industrial-strength models that can power the electronic gear in the facility for eight hours, said Ramesh Toolsie, Verizon's associate director of network engineering for Florida. Built low and wide like a bunker, the $40 million facility near the University of Central Florida should be able to absorb almost any blow a hurricane can deliver, Toolsie said. The Mobile Telephone Switching Office also comes with a bevy of mobile cell-phone towers and other emergency gear that can be dispatched after a storm to keep cell traffic online. The 36,000-square-foot facility, which becomes fully operational this year and replaces an older facility in Maitland, serves an area stretching from Polk County to Daytona Beach and south along the coast to Melbourne. The switching center is capable of handling tens of millions of calls and wireless data such as photos, text messages, music downloads, and wireless Internet access. "We will continue to stay ahead of the exploding demand for wireless voice and data communications," said Mike Lanman, Florida region president of Verizon Wireless. Competitors Sprint Nextel and Cingular have also augmented their operations centers to better contend with nature's fury and to keep millions of Central Florida customers in touch via cell phones after a hurricane. To harden its network and keep cell towers operating when power is out, Sprint Nextel has installed hundreds of generators at cell sites across the state. In addition, mobile cell sites have been parked throughout the state so they can be sent to disaster areas as needed, spokeswoman Nanci Philips Schwartz said. "Our disaster readiness efforts are a year-round exercise," she said. "What we've learned in Florida may help in other parts of the country, helping us to develop the process of responding to an emergency." Cingular has spent more than $60 million this year on hurricane readiness, including two new mobile command centers and additional generators for cell sites, spokeswoman Kelly Starling said. "Last year we did a lot of preparation -- then Katrina came along, and we realized we needed to take it to the next level this year," she said. "That being said, we can't control the forces of Mother Nature. The variables we can control, we will." The new Verizon building near UCF, standing only about two stories high to help ward off wind gusts, has double-thick walls of concrete block and brick, all steel-reinforced. High-impact windows are meant to withstand furious winds of 150 mph and keep out pelting rain. The building's interior is equipped with state-of-the-art computers, big-screen monitors and conference rooms that could serve as Verizon's statewide emergency center during a hurricane, officials said. In a secure, fenced area behind the building, Verizon will have a staging area for vehicles like Cells on Wheels, or "COWs." They are parked in a spot known as the Cow Pasture -- but there's no grass to chew, just crushed gravel underfoot. Chris Cobbs can be reached at [email protected] or 407-420-5447. |