During Hurricane Preparedness Week and the days leading up to the2011 Atlantic Hurricane season, Sprint and the Sprint EmergencyResponse Team (ERT) are ensuring customers of their dedicatedpreparedness for the 12 to 18 tropical storm systems the NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently projected forthe 2011 Atlantic Hurricane season, the company said.
According to a release, Spring said that in 2010 and the firstquarter of 2011, it invested close to $36 million to enhance andprepare its wireless networks in the state of Louisiana, includingapproximately $30 million in the New Orleans market.
Additionally, since 2005, Sprint said it has made significantstrides in making clean energy efficiency a priority in its networkmanagement and resiliency during hurricane season. To date, Sprinthas installed 60 hydrogen fuel cell generators at cell sitelocations across Louisiana as a much cleaner alternative to diesel-powered backup generators; are activated when service from the localelectric utility is disrupted during severe weather or other naturaldisasters; and provide extended hours of backup power before needingrefueling versus traditional generators.
For any potentially impactful storm event, Sprint ERT, along withthe company's network and business continuity teams will be pre-staged in hurricane-prone areas of the state with:
-Hundreds of portable generators to provide power to Sprintnetwork assets when local power is unavailable.
-Satellite Cell on Light Trucks (SatCOLTS) and Cell Sites onWheels (COWs) to provide immediate restoration of service and tohelp facilitate wireless and IP communications among disaster reliefand emergency response agencies.
-Experienced and well-trained technicians and engineers who canreadily access and maintain the resiliency of Sprint network assets.
Sprint also has permanent generators - automatic cutover switchesto immediately neutralize any loss of commercial power - installedat:
-All of its wireless and wireline switches - the networkcomponents where wireless data and calls are routed to their finaldestination.
-The company's network Points of Presence (POP) - the facilitieswhere traffic enters and leaves the company's global IP network,which facilitates dedicated data services for Sprint's corporate andgovernment customers, as well as other critical communications.
Since 2001, Sprint said it has worked with Wilmington-basedweather data and hurricane awareness expert, Mark Sudduth ofHurricaneTrack.com on his team's efforts to provide live, immediatereporting during every hurricane season. Over the last 10 years,Sprint has supplied Sudduth and his team with Sprint 3G and 4Gmobile phones and broadband devices to give them mobile Internetconnectivity during their field data collection efforts and onlinevideo reporting. Sudduth is based in Wilmington, N.C., and hasreported on close to 40 named tropical storms and hurricanes alongthe Atlantic Coast since 1998.
"The wireless resources and support from Sprint has been trulyinvaluable to our efforts and HurricaneTrack.com's supporters andfans," said Sudduth. "No matter the storm condition - it can be aCategory 1 or Category 5 hurricane - Sprint's 3G and 4G service hasbeen reliable and always available when we need it."
Sprint Nextel offers a range of wireless and wirelinecommunications services.
More information:
www.sprint.com/hurricaneinformation
www.sprint.com
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