Sprint Extends Hurricane Irma Support for the Florida Keys, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Customers
Sept. 15, 2017 – Sprint today extended its waived text, call and data overage fees for Sprint, BoostMobile and Virgin Mobile customers in the Florida Keys, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands through September 22, 2017. As previously announced, customers throughout the rest of Florida will have their text, call and data overages waived through today. Fees will be proactively waived during the specified timeframe.
Customers on Unlimited plans will continue to enjoy their unlimited data, call and text benefits.
Customers are encouraged to use text messaging when possible due to high call volumes and possible network congestion in the local area.
Sprint Network Update, September 13
Today, Sprint’s network teams are making good progress at restoring wireless service in many parts of the region that were impacted by Hurricane Irma including Atlanta, Myrtle Beach, along the Georgia/South Carolina coast, the Florida Panhandle, Orlando and Tampa.
There are many areas that continue to present challenges and hazards due to widespread power outages and debris. Our emergency response and recovery teams continue to assess the situation and are deploying temporary resources and equipment in the hardest hit areas.
We continue to work around the clock and as quickly as possible to restore wireless service to customers.
Across the southeast and in Puerto Rico our network is currently 75 percent operational.
Sprint Network Update, September 12
Progress is being made to the Sprint network as commercial power is gradually restoring across Florida. Sprint has fixed generators at our sites which are helping to provide service to some customers. Additionally, our network crews continue to assess any damage, refuel generators, and work to restore wireless service to customers who may be impacted. As it becomes safe, we will continue to deploy more crews, portable generators and satellite trucks providing temporary wireless coverage across the area.
We are reminding people to continue to use text messaging rather than voice calling to help relieve network resources.
Provided they can do so safely, we invite all wireless consumers who may have loss power due to Hurricane Irma and need to charge their device to stop by any of our open stores to get them charged again. Some Sprint stores may not be open due to loss of power, so please check our store locator to find out if a store near you is open.
Sprint Network Update, September 11
The severe weather conditions, resulting in commercial power loss and/or site damage may be causing service disruptions for some customers in areas of Florida that were hardest hit by Hurricane Irma. Many of our sites are currently working on generators and batteries but impacted cell site counts will continue to fluctuate depending on commercial power outages.
We understand how important communications is for our customers so our crews are currently assessing the network, and where conditions allow they are working to deploy and refuel generators to get any impacted sites back online as quickly and safely as possible. Our emergency response team is also providing assistance to local government agencies in response to this major weather event.
We appreciate the patience of our customers during this time and remind everyone to use extreme caution.
Sprint Expands Support For Customers in the Path of Hurricane Irma
September 8, 2017 – Sprint is waiving all text, call and data overage fees for Sprint, BoostMobile and Virgin Mobile customers in Florida today through September 15, 2017, and extending the same previously announced waived overage fees for customers in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands through September 15, 2017. Fees will be proactively waived during the specified timeframe. Customers on Unlimited plans will continue to enjoy their unlimited data, call and text benefits.
The company will also waive all international call and text overage fees for Sprint, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile customers in the U.S. to the Bahamas, and roaming voice and text overage charges for Sprint customers in the Bahamas, effective today through September, 15, 2017. Customers can sign in to their My Sprint account to enable international calling before attempting to make a call. They can also chat with a Sprint International Representative. Customers may cancel international calling at any time following the effective period.
Customers are encouraged to use text messaging when possible due to high call volumes and possible network congestion in the local area.
For those customers preparing for Hurricane Irma, Sprint offers the following tips:
- Keep wireless phones and backup batteries charged, but be aware that an interruption of wireline and commercial power could affect wireless calls.
- If possible, have extra batteries on hand and charged.
- In times of commercial power outages, a car adapter for your wireless phone should enable you to recharge the battery.
- Keep phones and necessary accessories in a sealed plastic bag to avoid water damage during flooding.
- Load family and emergency numbers into your wireless phone.
- Use your Sprint camera phone to take digital pictures or video of your property and valuables before the storm hits. Upload the images to your cloud so you have “before” pictures in the event of any storm damage.
- WiFi service in your homes may be impacted. It is advisable to activate hotspot service on your mobile phones if possible, to have alternate access to your computers and other WiFi devices at home.
Sprint continues to ensure devices and equipment are ready to deploy to areas that may be impacted by Hurricane Irma.
Sprint Waiving International Fees for Hurricane Irma
September 6, 2017 – As Hurricane Irma impacts the Caribbean, Sprint wants to help its customers stay connected with loved ones. Effective today through September 9, 2017, Sprint will waive call, text and data overage fees for its Sprint, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile customers in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Customers on Unlimited plans will continue to enjoy their unlimited data, call and text benefits.
For Sprint, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile customers in the U.S., the company will waive all international call and text overage fees to the following: Anguilla, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Turks and Caicos, and British Virgin Islands. For the same period, Sprint will also waive roaming voice and text overage fees for its customers in those locations. Fees will be waived during the time specified. The company will continue to monitor the impact of the storm and may adjust its offerings.
Customers are encouraged to use text messaging when possible due to high call volumes and possible network congestion in the impacted areas.
“The country is only beginning to wrestle with recovery efforts from Harvey, and already, residents of Florida and the Caribbean are bracing for another potentially devastating storm in Hurricane Irma,” said Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. “During times like these, the cost of staying connected to friends and loved ones should be the last thing on anyone’s mind, and we want to do what we can to support our customers across impacted areas.”
Customers can sign in to their My Sprint account to enable international calling before attempting to make a call. They can also chat with a Sprint International Representative. Customers may cancel international calling at any time following the effective period. More information is available in the Sprint Community forum.
Sprint Is Ready for Hurricane Irma
MIAMI, Fl. – September 5, 2017 – Sprint (NYSE: S) has made extensive network preparations in advance of Hurricane Irma making landfall in Florida, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. These measures include:
- Investing millions of dollars in new cell site equipment, back-up batteries and greater fiber backhaul in hurricane-prone areas.
- Performing routine maintenance checks and fueling fixed and portable generators in the event of commercial power outages.
- Pre-staging COWs (Cells on Wheels) and COLTs (Cells on Light Trucks), and crews across if additional wireless capacity is needed following the storm.
- Standing ready to deploy incident management teams, as needed, to assess impacted areas, inspect local wireless networks, and make any repairs after the event.
Customers can check the Sprint Store Locator to confirm which stores near them are open. It is recommended that customers first call the store to verify it is open and check the local conditions before traveling to stores. Business customers can contact us through our local customer service department at 1-800-809-9801 or 787-525-3004 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to receive any specific orientation or service to their accounts. Additionally, customers can check for Sprint Hurricane Irma updates in the newsroom or on social media here: https://twitter.com/Sprint_PR, https://twitter.com/Sprint4FL and https://www.facebook.com/sprintpr/.
“Based on the current track and intensity of Hurricane Irma, our network and emergency response teams are doing everything they can to help ensure Sprint meets any response needs before, during and after the storm makes landfall,” said Claudio Hidalgo, Sprint President for Florida, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. “During times of weather emergencies when wireless networks may experience heavy traffic, we also want to remind our customers use text messaging rather than voice calling.”
“We will keep all of our customers with the most recent information regarding the operation of Sprint stores in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands as Hurricane Irma updated progress is received”, said Patricia Eaves, general manager of Sprint Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands. “We urge the population in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to stay informed with communications issued by the government and news agencies regarding Hurricane Irma warnings and safety instructions.”
Sprint Emergency Response Team
Sprint’s Emergency Response Team has activated its Disaster Support Program which allows for state and local government agencies, in Florida and states that issue a proclamation for a State of Emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Irma, to request up to 25 mobile devices, with up to 14 days of service from the date of declaration, free of charge to these agencies.
In addition, Sprint ERT maintains approximately 10,000 devices in its inventory. Other government, tribal, non-governmental, healthcare and private sector organizations requiring temporary equipment, such as handsets and mobile broadband devices, that do not qualify for the Disaster Support Program, can request additional temporary use equipment and service through Sprint ERT’s rental program.
Storm Preparation Tips
Sprint recommends wireless consumers prepare for Hurricane Irma by considering these tips:
Store these emergency and weather-related apps on your phones:
About Sprint:
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 53.7 million connections as of June 30, 2017 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America for the past five years. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
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Media Contacts:
Roni Singleton, Sprint – East Area (U.S.)
404-649-8354
Yoly Torres-Cuesta, Sprint – Puerto Rico & USVI
787-525-3652
yolanda.torres-cuesta@sprint.com
Oscar Meza, Sprint – Hispanic Media (U.S.)
817-680-2795
Adrienne Norton, Sprint – National
425-256-7014
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