T-Mobile Takes Action to Prepare for Hurricane Gustav
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Aug. 29, 2008 – T-Mobile USA, Inc. is preparing for the potential impact of Hurricane Gustav along the Gulf Coast states, and is fully mobilizing all necessary resources to restore service to its customers and emergency first-responders if its cell sites are affected by the storm.
The T-Mobile Incident Command Team stands ready at the Birmingham Command Center and at locations throughout the Southeast and in Texas to mobilize teams of technicians and engineers as soon as post-hurricane conditions permit.
• In the event of widespread power outages, T-Mobile has thousands of gallons of fuel accessible and ready-to-roll into the affected areas to power cell site generators and company repair/transport vehicles, and for other emergency circumstances.
• To further supplement the fixed and portable back-up generators T-Mobile currently has in place at its cell sites throughout the region, dozens more portable generators are ready to be transported to impacted areas.
• To help protect its core network, T-Mobile is fortifying its network switch operations serving the Gulf Coast – including its switch in the New Orleans market, which remained operational through Hurricane Katrina, as well as in Mobile, Ala.
• Microwave radio equipment has been trucked into the region to facilitate data communication from the cell sites to T-Mobile's network switches, as backup, in the event T1 fixed line service fails.
• T-Mobile has several Cells-On-Wheels (COWs) pre-staged in neighboring markets to move in and provide additional wireless communications capacity in the hardest-hit areas.
• T-Mobile will monitor evacuation efforts and routes, and will take steps to increase wireless capacity in those areas as customers move inland.
• The company also is coordinating recovery efforts with local, state and national officials.
T-Mobile Customer Tips
In order to better facilitate communication between families and loved ones, and to alleviate anticipated network congestion before, during and after any storm, T-Mobile recommends its customers follow these important tips:
• Utilize text messaging to communicate instead of voice calls. Text messaging has a greater success rate in getting through the network during high-usage periods versus voice calls.
• Keep your voice calls short in duration.
• Make sure your phone is fully charged prior to the storm. Consider obtaining a vehicle charger in the event of power loss.
• For T-Mobile Customer Care assistance, please visit http://my.t-mobile.com, call 611 from your T-Mobile handset, or dial 1-800-937-8997.
About T-Mobile USA, Inc.
Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile USA, Inc. is the U.S. operation of Deutsche Telekom AG’s Mobile Communications Business, and a wholly owned subsidiary of T-Mobile International, one of the world’s leading companies in mobile communications. By the end of the second quarter of 2008, 125 million mobile customers were served by the mobile communication segments of the Deutsche Telekom group — 31.5 million by T-Mobile USA — all via a common technology platform based on GSM, the world’s most widely used digital wireless standard. T-Mobile’s innovative wireless products and services help empower people to connect to those who matter most. Multiple independent research studies continue to rank T-Mobile among the highest in numerous regions throughout the U.S. in wireless customer care and call quality. For more information, please visit www.t-mobile.com. T-Mobile is a federally registered trademark of Deutsche Telekom AG.
Contact:
T-Mobile USA Media Relations
(425) 383-4002
mediarelations@t-mobile.com
