May
24
Written by:
Paul McLane
5/24/2011 4:25 AM
Paul McLane is U.S. editor in chief.
Broadcast industry leaders who defend TV spectrum and push for adoption of radio in mobile devices often make the case that the broadcast infrastructure is reliable, staying on the air in times of crisis, while other platforms often do not.
A paragraph in a story in the Kansas City Star this week reminds us again that cell coverage has a nasty habit of falling apart at the worst times. “Cellphone coverage in the Joplin area was spotty, so Sprint, AT&T and Verizon Wireless sent mobile cell towers to restore service. They also were using generators to restore power to cell towers and get them running again,” it states. Read it here.
Similarly, the text at the bottom of the accompanying image here tells the tale.
Bobby Adams of GSS, whose business is in broadcast-based alerting, pointed me to this as yet another example of radio’s relative stability in in times of emergency.
2 comment(s) so far...
Re: Spotty Cell Coverage Is Nothing New
Thats because cellular service is almost entirely reliant upon telco backhaul. When disaster's strike such as a tornado, most often the backhaul facilities are often decimated. Further, if they are not, both emergency responders and the public flood mobile networks with calls and data usage. Its not an accurate comparison to make to radio. Radio listeners cant communicate with each other over the radio. Further, first responders dont communicate over the radio. Your comments are nonsensical,
By AB on
5/24/2011 11:15 AM
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Re: Spotty Cell Coverage Is Nothing New
Sprint, AT&T and Verizon Wireless sent mobile cell towers to restore service. They also were using generators
HA! I've never worked at a station that had a WORKING generator. Power out, station off air. Radio has always been and is even moreso today the equivalent of two dixie cups and a string. We've added studio quality broadcasts of our away football games this year. The Play by Play guy is going to yell real loud.
By Ron Hyatt on
8/25/2011 4:22 AM
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