Cell phones performed as expected -- i.e., not very well -- during Hurricane Isabel. Hundreds of thousands of Mid-Atlantic residents got the dread "no service" when they tried to make calls in the aftermath of the giant storm.
Cell phones rely on the repeater towers that dot the landscape these days, and the transceivers in those towers are run by electricity. Some have battery back-up but it lasts only a few hours.
As the minutes without electricity stretched into hours and then days, cell towers throughout North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. began to fail. Some companies took portable generators to the towers but the demand for service far exceeded the supply in many of the hardest-hit areas.
Sprint PCS said that about 15 percent of its towers were affected. A company spokesman said "lots of sites" were down.
The landline network, on the other hand, continued to function normally, except for individual lines that were knocked down by falling trees or high winds. Verizon, teh local phone provider in most of the area, said that all of its 200 regional central offices continued to operate.
The central offices use a large battery-powered system that recharges itself either from the public power grid or from bus-sized generators at each central office.
Many cell phone users were reminded that their phones need to be recharged after a few hours of use. Electronics stores reported a run on charges that can be plugged into a car`s cigarette lighter outlet.
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22.09.2003
Many Cell Phones Down for the Count During Isabel
Cell phones performed as expected -- i.e., not very well -- during Hurricane Isabel. Hundreds of thousands of Mid-Atlantic residents got the dread "no service" when they tried to make calls in the aftermath of the giant storm. Cell phones rely on the repeater towers... |
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16.01.2004
Cell Phones Probably Safe, British Study Concludes
A British study finds no evidence that cell phones create any adverse health effects from radio frequency (RF) emissions. But the study notes that there are limitations to the research carried out so far, and mobile phones have only been in widespread use for a... |
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18.05.2004
Cell Phones Blamed in Fires
Consumers often scoff at warnings that their cell phones may ignite fumes from gasoline pumps but two recent incidents lend credibility to the warnings.In New Paltz, NY, police say a student was burned when his cell phone started a fire at a Mobil station. Chief... |
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31.07.2004
Brits OK Cell Phones in Hospitals
A British agency has declared that a total ban on cell phones in hositals is not necessary. Rather, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says hospitals should introduce reasonable measures to balance the risks of mobile phones interfering... |
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27.08.2004
Siemens Warns of Possible Hearing Damage in Some Cell Phones
Siemens is warning that some of its cell phones have a software defect that could cause the disconnection melody to play very loudly, possibly leading to hearing damage.The defect occurs in Siemens Mobile`s 65 product series (C65, CX65, M65, S65, SL65 as well as all... |
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