Verizon, AT&T say cell network back up after Sandy

Nov 15, 2012 by Peter Svensson

(AP)—Verizon and AT&T say their wireless networks are fully back up after Superstorm Sandy blew into the New York and New Jersey on Oct. 29.

says its network is at pre-storm levels, while AT&T says that "as of today, we're pretty much back to normal."

Federal regulators said Sandy knocked about 25 percent of cell towers belonging to all carriers in a coastal area spread over parts of 10 states.

Verizon appeared to do better than average, saying that 6 percent of its towers were out of action immediately after the storm. AT&T and T-Mobile USA joined in an "unprecedented" arrangement, letting their customers roam for free on both networks to make up for gaps in coverage due to blacked-out cell towers.

Explore further: Verizon says Sandy effects could be 'significant'

not rated yet
add to favorites email to friend print save as pdf

Related Stories

Sandy takes out 25 pct of cell towers

Oct 30, 2012

(AP)—Federal regulators say Hurricane Sandy knocked out a quarter of the cell towers in an area spreading across ten states, and the situation could get worse before it gets better.

FCC: Communications slowly improving after Sandy

Oct 31, 2012

(AP)—Federal regulators say that wireless networks are slowly coming back to life after Hurricane Sandy, with about 1 in 5 cell towers still being out of service Wednesday in a storm-hit area stretching from Virginia to ...

Irene takes out some East Coast cellphone service

Aug 29, 2011

(AP) -- Wireless networks fell quiet Sunday in some coastal areas of North Carolina and southern Virginia, but calls were going through in most areas affected by Tropical Storm Irene, the Federal Communications Commission ...

Phone companies prepare for Sandy

Oct 29, 2012

(AP)—Phone companies on the eastern seaboard are preparing Monday for the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy by topping up fuel for backup generators and lining up disaster recovery trailers to move into flooded areas after the ...

Recommended for you

As online video thrives, TV companies push back

May 14, 2013

The evolving TV and video industry faces uncertainty as it embraces new technology like wireless streaming, as traditional US broadcasters urged lawmakers Tuesday to help preserve their marketplace primacy.

Improving communication during disasters

May 13, 2013

A small armband which can be attached to the injured. An information board containing a complete visual record of events. This is technology helping to improve communications during major national disasters.

Samsung announces 5G data breakthrough

May 13, 2013

Samsung Electronics said Monday it had successfully tested super-fast fifth-generation (5G) wireless technology that would eventually allow users to download an entire movie in one second.

User comments : 0

More news stories

German energy shift faces headwinds

Tense engineers have their eyes peeled on complex colour-coded diagrams on a wall-sized screen that makes their control room look like the inside of a spaceship.

Internet in 'coma' as Iran election looms

Iran is tightening control of the Internet ahead of next month's presidential election, mindful of violent street protests that social networkers inspired last time around over claims of fraud, users and ...

China police billions spell profit opportunity

Mannequins in riot gear, armoured cars and drones line a police equipment and "anti-terrorism technology" trade fair in Beijing as vendors seek to profit from China's huge internal security budget.

Morocco to harness the wind in energy hunt

Morocco is ploughing ahead with a programme to boost wind energy production, particularly in the southern Tarfaya region, where Africa's largest wind farm is set to open in 2014.

Honeybees trained in Croatia to find land mines

(AP)—Mirjana Filipovic is still haunted by the land mine blast that killed her boyfriend and blew off her left leg while on a fishing trip nearly a decade ago. It happened in a field that was supposedly ...

Mice, gerbils perish in Russia space flight

A number of mice and eight gerbils sent into space in a Russian capsule destined to find out how well organisms can withstand extended flights perished during their journey, scientists said Sunday as the ...