Company’s wireless network sees record minutes of usage since Katrina
JACKSON, Miss. - (September 13, 2005) – Cellular South announced that its wireless network in South Mississippi, including the Mississippi Gulf Coast, was fully operational as of Friday, September 9, three days earlier than previously estimated. Despite Hurricane Katrina’s destruction, the Mississippi-based company never lost service in parts of the most storm-ravaged areas, particularly in Hattiesburg and Biloxi, and had teams in place that began immediate repairs of cell sites and infrastructure following the storm.
The reliability of the Cellular South network after the storm is reflected in the fact that the company has seen a 256 percent increase in the number of minutes carried on behalf of other carriers’ customers since the storm in the affected area. That increase equates to more than 8.5 million minutes of usage (MOU) from other carriers’ customers, following the storm.
"Cellular South employees, some of whom were dealing with their own personal losses, knew that communication was critical for hurricane victims and evacuees and they did everything they could to fully restore our customers’ ability to reach loved ones or call for emergency help in the aftermath of the storm," said Hu Meena, company president. "As just one example, the Washington Post noted in one of its stories a Cellular South network technician in Biloxi who literally crawled out of his home that had been destroyed by a fallen tree, got his family to safety and then traveled to the nearest cell site to begin repair work."
Generators and COWs, portable cell sites on wheels, were strategically pre-positioned so that crews could be deployed immediately after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Following is a timeline of Cellular South’s disaster recovery plan.
Friday, August 26 – Sunday, August 28
- Cellular South's Emergency Task Force was placed on stand-by status for immediate post-storm deployment to hardest-hit locations. Retail store closings were planned, based on the hurricane’s projected path.
- The company began distributing hundreds of loaner phones to disaster relief personnel, public service agencies and Red Cross shelters.
- The company activated a free pound number for customers to call on the status of its network and retail locations, #STORM.
- Cellular South’s customers used text messaging for much of their communication, resulting in a 25% increase on the peak evacuation day, August 28.
Monday, August 29
- In spite of the hurricane, Cellular South never lost service in some of the hardest-hit areas, particularly in Hattiesburg and Biloxi.
- Within hours of Katrina passing through the Mississippi Gulf Coast, network technicians began around the clock restoration of service.
- Additional generators and portable cell sites were brought into areas as needed.
Tuesday, August 30
- Service restored to areas of Jackson County by Tuesday morning.
- Cellular South’s headquarters in Jackson, Miss., became a logistics center to secure and transport fuel and supplies to a temporary staging center on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
- Relief personnel made their way to South Mississippi and the Gulf Coast to re-open retail locations, where possible.
- Daily shipments of water, ice, fuel, food, bedding, clothing, personal care items, and other basic necessities were sent to employees affected by Hurricane Katrina, as well as relief personnel.
- Restoration of the network continued with increased service to parts of Harrison County by Tuesday afternoon.
Wednesday, August 31
- Significantly increased service to areas of Hancock County by Wednesday morning.
- Significantly increased service to the Hattiesburg and Laurel, Mississippi area by Wednesday evening.
Thursday, September 1 – Friday, September 9
- Cellular South began offering service at Free Call and Cell Phone Battery Charging Centers for any customer, regardless of their wireless carrier.
- All of Cellular South employees were safely accounted for and the company offered special disaster relief programs to assist those affected by Katrina.
- On September 6, the company handled over seven million MOU in South Mississippi.
- As of September 9, compared to five days before the storm hit, Cellular South’s MOU increased by 18%; number of calls was up by approximately 18%.
- Following the storm, text messaging has maintained a 10 percent increase over pre-storm averages.
- More than 90 percent of the Cellular South retail locations on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and in the South Mississippi were open. Cellular South stores with damage in Gulfport, Pass Christian and Bay St. Louis began operating out of tents for victims to make free calls and charge batteries.
- Cellular South established a pound number - #2HELPMS - for free calls from Cellular South phones for those wishing to contribute to the Mississippi Hurricane Relief Fund.
- By Friday afternoon, September 9, Cellular South’s network in South Mississippi, including the Mississippi Gulf Coast, was fully operational.
- Cellular South has offered to assist other carriers with any security and access issues they are experiencing.
While it is still early to complete a full assessment, estimates indicate the financial impact of Hurricane Katrina on Cellular South are likely to be in the range of $8 to $12 million dollars.
"Our goal has been to do whatever it takes to restore our service for our customers and take care of our employees - both those affected by Hurricane Katrina and those working to restore wireless service," said Meena. "We’ve said from the beginning, this is not about business. It’s about helping the best way Cellular South can – by providing communications during this critical time."
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
