The real question of course is can network overload be prevented?
All of us who have lived through California's earthquakes, such as Tuesday's 5.6 magnitude earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area, realize quickly that all services go awry. In this last earthquake, the number of cell phone calls on the Verizon Wireless network skyrocketed.
The normal load is 300,000 calls between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. in an area of Santa Clara County, however, post-earthquake, the call volume soared to 2.3 million.
People were trying to reach their loved ones, but most calls did not go through.
Can our communications systems be re-engineered so that all calls are completed?
It is not an easy answer.
The wireless carriers could solve the problem but at a hefty price. The network would be huge and only used a few times in the case of emergencies.
Local communities can increase their capacity, allowing of course for those places where the required increased number of towers are acceptable and the community will absorb the added expense.
In the San Francisco example, Verizon had all systems back to normal within 30 minutes and none of its cell phone towers were damaged or lost power.
One work-around in an emergency is to send short text messages, which use less capacity on the networks because they pass through in bits and bytes instead of requiring a dedicated circuit as an actual phone call does.
Emergency first responders have cell phones that use codes to automatically route their calls to the highest priority to ensure they get through. They are not using the same call waiting system as regular users.
The days are past when regular users could be relegated to play second fiddle. Users are dependent on cell phones for business and steps should be taken so that work more effectively during emergencies. If not, this is a huge gap in our communications systems, and is subject to attack as a vulnerable point.
Alternatives should be explored. Several have been suggested, such as metering cell phone use in emergencies so that all users can get some time to make their important calls. A second option is a callback service, like those used in the 1950s, where if a circuit is busy, the customer gets a phone call back when the circuit is available to make a call.
If the government can be kept out of an intrusion oversight posture, communities and businesses with critical interest in the service and continuity should take the lead. Emerging areas and companies can show others how it is possible, and necessary to make phone use ubiquitous.
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