News Updates
		AT&T recovery effort  centers on bringing  capacity to customers by Glenn Bischoff Online Exclusive Sep 19 2001 Let freedom ring: NYSE handles record volume by Glenn Bischoff Online Exclusive Sep 17 2001

		September 17 Insight
		Critical  communications by Jason Meyers One of the TV news clips I saw in the wake of last Tuesday's horrific events was of a New York City firefighter talking on a wireless phone, presumably to a family member. He said, "You have to call them and tell them I'm OK. They need to hear your voice, just like you needed to hear mine." More

		Carrier outages, traffic overloads and recovery efforts
		Cingular 400% increase in call attempts in hours after attack Brought in four portable cell sites on wheels in Washington Deployed mobile cell towers in Manhattan Donated more than 2000 phones to the affected areas Global Crossing Activated an emergency operations center in New Jersey Nextel Loaned more than 2000 handsets to government agencies and emergency organizations Loaned 10,000 phones in conjunction with Motorola to assist relief efforts AT&T Network carried on average 4 million calls every five minutes after the attacks, double the normal call volume Donated 6000 wireless handsets to assist emergency personnel and military Loaned 250 wireless handsets and portable cellular facilities to rescue crews in Somerset County, Penn. Verizon CO near WTC serving 200,000 lines severely damaged Calls reached twice the normal daily volume of 115 million calls in N.Y. and 35 million calls in Washington Wireless network experienced 50% to 100% more traffic Will allow free local calls from 4000 Manhattan pay phones until the emergency ends Sprint Four cell sites knocked out in the immediate disaster area 75,000 calls blocked within an hour after the attack Focal Lost about 200 lines in the WTC attacks Foreign carriers BT reports tenfold traffic increase to N.Y. Telstra reports number of phone calls and e-mails sent between Australia and the U.S. surged to three times the daily norm Japan's three largest international telecom carriers said voice traffic surged twentyfold

		September 17 Cover Story
		Crisis puts capacity in spotlight How could an overwhelmed  network have performed better? by Glenn Bischoff The dramatic spike in call volume that taxed telecom systems in the wake of last week''s terrorist attacks in New York and Washington--and the resulting blocked calls, wireless outages and rampant "fast busy" signals--raises important questions about the capacity and durability of networks. As important is whether carriers can prepare for the worst. More

		From the September 17 issue
		Financial fallout creates more funding challenges by Vincent Ryan While N.Y.-based Verizon Communications struggled to restore service and facilitate a re-opening of U.S. equities markets, the telecom world looked beyond the potential short-term dip in price performance to what will be long-term effects of last week's terrorist attacks. More

		From the September 17 issue
		DOD spectrum may be out of reach by Lynnette Luna Last week's terrorist act on American soil leaves the wireless industry in the difficult position of trying to wrangle spectrum from the Department of Defense for third-generation wireless systems as the American mood shifts to its most hawkish. More

		From the September 17 issue
		Attacks disrupt industry conferences Some speculate on recovering costs,  future of wireless shows by Kelly Carroll Industry trade show and conference organizers had mixed reactions to last week's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. While PCIA immediately canceled its annual event in Los Angeles, CTIA Wireless I.T. & Internet 2001 in San Diego and Networld+Interop in Atlanta stayed open. The cable industry's annual weeklong series of New York-based meetings and seminars, known as "Diversity Week," was canceled midstream. More

		From the September 17 issue
		Visa program could face scrutiny Beefed-up security efforts may make overseas recruitment tougher by Donny Jackson In the wake of last week’s terrorist attack, there is some concern that efforts to restrict access to the U.S. could impact the flow of skilled foreign talent that the nation’s telecom companies have relied on heavily over the last few years. More

		Network performance in times of crisis
		Verizon's call volume last Tuesday was one-third higher than its previous record.  A few historic events that have caused a strain on the public network: 1941 Pearl Harbor  The U.S. phone network was quickly swamped with phone calls after the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. AT&T reinforced its long-distance staff with 400 extra operators. All trans-Pacific circuits remained in service until 10:35 p.m. when the circuit to Japan was closed. 1977 New York City blackout  With power knocked out to almost the entire city on July 13, 1977, call volumes spiked in the first few hours, then dropped off as some backup power systems failed. 1991 Outbreak of the Gulf War  Between 7 p.m. and midnight EST on Jan. 17, 1991, call attempts to Israel jumped 3000%. Domestically, call volumes increased to 20% above normal. It was one of the first major events in which the Internet was used to communicate around the world. 2001 Baltimore train tunnel fire  A fire that raged for two days starting July 20 damaged cable running through the tunnel, knocking out many of UUNet's customers from Washington to New York state.