Mississippi-based carrier helping customers establish contact with friends and families, encourages text messaging to maximize system
JACKSON, Miss. - (August 31, 2005) – Cellular South began Monday to restore wireless service across the three most populated areas along the Mississippi Gulf Coast hard hit by Hurricane Katrina: Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties.
Cellular South's network maintained a signal in some of these areas following Monday's storm and never lost service in parts of Biloxi and Hattiesburg – areas that suffered major hurricane damage.
Immediately following Hurricane Katrina, Cellular South Emergency Task force deployed Monday evening and has made significant progress in restoration of service. Cellular South increased service to areas of Jackson County (Pascagoula, Ocean Springs) by Tuesday morning and Harrison County (Biloxi, Gulfport) by Tuesday afternoon. Service to parts of Hancock County (Bay St. Louis-area) was available by Wednesday morning. Privately held Cellular South's network stretches from Memphis, throughout Mississippi and along the Alabama Coast and into the Florida Panhandle. The company serves more wireless customers than any other provider in some of the most stricken areas in Mississippi.
"Keeping people in touch with family and friends in bad times and good times is what Cellular South does best," said Hu Meena, Cellular South president. "We know the last few days have been emotionally trying for hundreds of thousands. Our technicians and engineers – some who have also suffered personal losses – are feverishly working to restore our network to capacity as quickly as possible."
In hardest hit areas, the company deployed COWs (Cellular on Wheels) as temporary cellular sites that support service in areas where power is lost or network damage has occurred. Wireless crews from around the country are assisting with restoration.
"Demand for our service is high. Immediately after a tower comes back on line, it is loaded with the maximum number of calls that the newest available technology can handle," said Meena. "We recognize that many customers have not talked to loved ones in days but do ask that everyone understand the delays this can cause our network as it is overloaded with calls.
"If text messaging is a possibility, we ask that customers utilize this means of communication as it places less demand on wireless networks than voice calls."
Cellular South was the first to offer wireless service to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1988 and is the only major wireless provider headquartered in Mississippi.
Some retail locations to service customer along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and on the Highway 49 evacuation route will begin to open Thursday in the affected areas. Central Mississippi, Alabama and Florida locations are open as of today. Customers may dial #STORM from their Cellular South phone, dial toll-free 1.888.790.7211, or visit cellularsouth.com for more information.
About Cellular South
The company is the largest privately held wireless provider in the U.S. and is licensed to provide wireless service – to a total population of more than five million people – on its network stretching from the Memphis Metropolitan Area, throughout all of Mississippi, along Coastal Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Walton County. The company has been named Mississippi Business Journal's Salute to Business and Industry 2005 Large Retailer. For more information, contact Cellular South at 1-877-CSOUTH1 or visit cellularsouth.com.
Contact:
Tanya Rankin, Cellular South (601) 974-7134 trankin@cellularsouth.com
