Emergency Preparedness

Cingular Offers Wireless Tips to Help Consumers Prepare for Tropical Storm Ernesto

BOCA RATON, Fla., Aug. 28, 2006

Cingular Wireless realizes the important role wireless communication plays in emergency situations, such as Tropical Storm Ernesto, and offers the following tips to help consumers prepare for the storm:

  • Program all emergency contact numbers into your wireless phone. Store numbers for the police department, fire station, hospital, as well as your family members so you don't have to think about it during and after an emergency.
  • Have a family communications plan in place. Designate someone out of the area as a central contact, and make certain all family members know  who to contact if they become separated.
  • Keep your wireless phone batteries charged at all times. Use your car charger to charge your wireless phone when power is out, or pick up a disposable battery that will give you an hour of talk time without any charging.
  • Keep your wireless phone dry and protected. The biggest threat from hurricanes is water versus wind damage so keep your equipment safe from the elements by storing it in a plastic sandwich or freezer bag.
  • Forward your home number to your wireless number in the event of an evacuation. Since call forwarding is based out of the telephone central office, you will get incoming calls from your landline phone, even if your local telephone service is disrupted at your home. In the unlikely event the central office is isolated, call forwarding may not work.
  • Try text messaging, or SMS (Short Messaging Service). Most wireless phones today are text messaging capable, and often times during an emergency situation such as a hurricane, text messages will go through quicker than voice calls. More importantly, using text messaging helps free up the voice lines for emergency officials.
  • Keep non-emergency calls to a minimum. Remember to limit your calls to the most important ones. Chances are that if there is severe weather, many people will be attempting to place wireless calls to loved ones, friends and business associates. If the landline phones are not working, this probability increases.
  • Wait 10 seconds before redialing a call. On many wireless phones, to redial a number, you simply push "send" after you've ended a call to redial the previous number. If you do this too quickly, the data from the phone to the cell sites does not have enough time to clear before you've resent the same data and may contribute to network congestion.
  • Use your wireless phone to access weather information. Many homes lose power during severe weather. If you have a wireless phone that provides access to the Internet, you can watch the Weather Channel and its new Severe Weather Mode service through our Mobi-TV service or though My-Cast Weather.
  • If you have a camera phone, take, store and send photos of damaged property to your insurance company from your device.

The nation's largest wireless carrier has invested more than $60 million this year hardening its network in preparation for the 2006 hurricane season. In addition to adding 1,200 permanent and portable generators to cell sites in hurricane-prone areas, Cingular has expanded its emergency response plan to include two new state-of-the-art mobile command centers and two emergency communication vehicles that can be brought into an affected area quickly, providing full communications capabilities.

"Cingular's goal is to be as prepared as possible whenever and wherever disaster hits," said Rich Guidotti, Cingular vice president and general manager for South Florida.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at att.com.

Cingular Wireless Announces Enhanced Emergency Preparedness Program for 2006 Hurricane Season

Company rolls out mobile command centers to help restore service when disaster strikes

 Outside in the rain.
Cingular Wireless's Tina Brown, Director, Continuity Planning and Crisis Management (R) and Kevan Parker, Director National Emergency Response Program (L) take part in a Cingular Wireless disaster recovery exercise 5/17 where the company announced its $60 million expanded emergency preparedness program for the 2006 hurricane season. At the heart of this multifaceted program are two mobile command centers that can be brought into an affected area quickly, providing full satellite communications capabilities as well as working and sleeping quarters for Cingular employees. (Photo: Michael Pugh)

TAMPA, Fla., May 17, 2006 – Cingular Wireless today announced an expanded emergency preparedness program for the 2006 hurricane season. At the heart of this multifaceted program are two new mobile command centers that can be brought into an affected area quickly, providing full communications capabilities as well as working and sleeping quarters for Cingular employees. The objective: Making sure wireless service can be restored as quickly as possible.

Cingular is investing $1.8 billion this year to enhance and improve its network coverage in the Southeast, including adding more than 800 new cell sites. That investment includes more than $60 million for hurricane preparedness to harden the network with additional generators and to implement Cingular’s enhanced emergency response program.

“Cingular’s goal is to be as prepared as possible whenever and wherever disaster hits; to be able to restore any wireless service outages as quickly as possible; and to assist with overall relief efforts as much as we possibly can,” said Ralph de la Vega, chief operating officer of Cingular. “We continue to invest millions of dollars in our networks, our systems and our emergency response efforts to be better prepared for hurricanes and other disasters.”

This year, Cingular will introduce two new two mobile command centers called Mobile Access Command Headquarters (MACH 1 and MACH 2) to its hurricane and disaster relief efforts.These fully-equipped, completely self-sufficient centers can be rapidly deployed into an affected area where they can be set up and operating within two hours of arrival. They are equipped with generators, a satellite dish for constant communications, LAN connectivity and a PBX phone system. More than 30 technicians can work in and from MACH 1 and MACH 2.MACH 1 is a 53-foot tractor-trailer that expands on each side to reveal 1,000 square feet of workspace. MACH 2 is a 38-foot gooseneck trailer that can be transported to more remote locations.

“Nearly 60 years ago, test pilots broke the sound barrier and achieved Mach 1. Today, Cingular is breaking another kind of barrier with our MACH 1 and MACH 2 mobile command centers, which will enable us to respond rapidly to hurricanes and minimize their impact on our customers,” de la Vega said.

Other elements of Cingular’s enhanced emergency preparedness program include:

  • Permanent and portable generators. Cingular has added 1,200 permanent and portable generators, bringing the total to more than 4,500. Cell sites located in hurricane-affected areas are equipped with these generators, and can run for up to 36 hours without refueling during commercial power outages.

    Two emergency communications SUVs. These house military-grade satellite communications with access to the Internet, multi-channel voice over IP capability, radio communications and satellite news and information.

  • Cells on Wheels (COWs). These are self-contained mobile cell sites that can be towed or driven into an area to provide extra call capacity or to restore communications following a disaster.

  • Cells on Light Trucks or (COLTs). These are trucks that can be driven to a location where a mobile cell site is needed and include two masts for microwave antennas.

  • Mobile Sales Office. This is a mobile store stocked with batteries, chargers, and replacement phones; inventory that first responders need most in emergency situations.

  • A four-person R.V. This can support up to four technicians for several days who are working to restore service.

  • Full hazardous materials capability. This consists of equipment and training that enables Cingular emergency responders to work on any hazmat event in partnership with BellSouth’s SABER (Service Assurance Brigade/Emergency Response) team.

  • Generators. These will be deployed onto flatbed trailers and then transported to cell sites, retail stores, switches, offices, call centers and anywhere else back-up power may be needed.

  • Base camp. This includes two sleeping tents with floors, carpet, showers, bathrooms, and washers and dryers, air conditioning and heat for more than 80 people. Base camp staff will have access to a full kitchen and dining facility, and Cingular has already pre-ordered 12,000 ready-to-eat meals. In addition, the camp will be staffed by a full-time nurse.

All of Cingular’s enhanced emergency preparedness equipment, which is housed near Atlanta, can be deployed in just two to four hours, the company noted. Atlanta is also the location of the company’s regional network operations center, which monitors and maintains Cingular’s network 24/7 and allows Cingular personnel to assess and begin to act on an emergency situation within minutes.