Rarely does a week go by without a news report of a wireless network outage. Just now, the lack of wireless access in Western North Carolina adds insults to the injuries from massive rainfall generated by Hurricane Helene, despite being 400 miles from initial landfall and diminished in classification to a tropical depression. See, e.g, https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/2024/09/29/cell-power-outage-north-carolina-helene-att-verizon-tmobile/75441408007/.
We reluctantly expect that it will
take days or weeks for electric power restoration to millions of subscribers
after an earthquake, wildfire, or other natural disaster. Ironically, the vulnerability of wireless networks
exceeds that of the electric power grid, even as most wireless subscribers
appear surprised and angry that their handsets do not work. It may take weeks before complete wireless
service is restored, even in the city of Asheville, N.C. Until then, access will remain spotty, with islands
of connectivity, based on which individual tower sites regain electric access.
“Can you hear me now” has a new
meaning in the storm ravaged south. The
weak link is the vulnerability of tower sites to power cuts, coupled with a
quite limited span of time during which on site backup power generation can support
“emergency service.” Just as wireless
subscribers cannot charge their handsets when the power grid fails, carriers
equip tower sites with a limited amount of diesel fuel to power on-site
electric generators.
Outside of urban and suburban locales,
cell towers typically are located on high ground and tall towers in remote
places. Wireless carriers often had to
secure a dedicated wire link to the power grid.
If that link gets cut, there is no backup for access. Even if the link itself did not fail, the interconnection
with the electrical grid might offer nothing due to outages in that network.
Every time I experience a wireless
outage, I recall how my wireline connection rarely failed. The telephone network was self-powered, originating
at facilities impervious to many harms.
Much of the wireline telephone network travels underground in urban and
suburban locales offering greater reliability.
Additionally, that network has built in resiliency and redundant routing.
I do not long for a return to tethered
phone service. But I offer this reminder
that with technological innovations there are tradeoffs that reduce the much
touted enhanced value proposition.
