CTIA Warns of Wireless Congestion as Telcos Prepare for Inauguration

The wireless industry is preparing for “record traffic” during the Inauguration and “there will likely be some delays,” said CTIA President Steve Largent. CTIA warned that some dropped calls and network difficulties will be inevitable, especially if crowds exceed projections. To lessen the load on the network, the trade group suggested sending text messages rather than making phone calls, and holding off sending any photos. Text messages and e-mails can get through when voice calls sometimes fail, it said.

Largent said the wireless carriers have made significant investments to expand their capacity to accommodate the expected increased demands. Carriers have assigned additional technicians to monitor their networks and work with all government agencies involved in the inauguration events, he said. Carriers have taken all available steps to improve capacity, including adding new radio channels, providing additional portable sites, and adding backhaul capacity and connections with the public switched telephone network to ensure maximum capacity, he said. But “there is only so much they can do with the spectrum and sites available to prepare for what could be an unprecedented occasion,” he added.

AT&T, whose planning began in August, is well prepared, a spokeswoman said. As part of its preparation, the carrier has spent $4 million on network capacity, she said. The company plans for an 80 percent boost in 3G network capacity and a 69 percent boost in 2G network capacity along the National Mall and parts of Georgetown areas. It invested in 11 in-building systems at popular D.C. area hotels that include the Renaissance M Street Hotel, which is close to the White House. It added two portable cell cites to boost coverage in key traffic areas and deployed additional lines, nodes and switches. The carrier has ramped up staffing by 60 percent during the festivities, the spokeswoman said.

Sprint Nextel’s network wouldn’t have problems handling a two-million crowd, a spokesman said. There will only be minor problems if the number of attendees reaches four million, he said, stressing that public safety responders won’t encounter any problems on Sprint’s network. The carrier, which started preparation in April, has deployed additional phone lines and beefed up equipment at cell towers, he said. It’s boosting its CDMA capabilities by 40 percent and its iDEN capabilities by 90 percent, he said.

Verizon and T-Mobile are doing the same. T-Mobile has added voice and data capacity to some 100 cell sites in the D.C. area, a spokeswoman said. For further high-speed data movement, it has added Tier 1 lines to all of its 3G cell sites around the Mall and surrounding area, she said. It’s configuring its network to support the expected large number of people sending text messages, pictures and videos. It’s working with government agencies to place cells-on-wheels to further cover high-demand spots throughout the Mall area. Its investments to support consumer wireless coverage and emergency personnel at the Inauguration run into millions, the spokeswoman said. T-Mobile’s partners in planning the big event include the D.C. government, National Park Service, Presidential Inaugural Committee, the U.S. Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security and local and federal law enforcement agencies, she said. Verizon’s not revealing the cost of its planning or infrastructure additions at this time, a spokeswoman said.