Wireless Network Resilience on Tap at FCC

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One of the wireless items the FCC is set to vote on at its December 15 meeting concerns mobile wireless network resiliency, especially before, during and after emergencies. Several wireless carriers submitted a road map for accomplishing this goal and that’s what commissioners will consider.

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon as well as CTIA developed the five-point plan to enhance coordination. It provides for roaming under disaster arrangements when technically feasible and fostering mutual aid during emergencies. Increasing consumer readiness and preparation and improving public awareness and stakeholder communications on service and restoration status are also part of the plan, according to CTIA.

Disasters impacting wireless networks can vary greatly depending on their geographic location, the trade association told the FCC earlier this year. “The framework will permit carriers sufficient flexibility to tailor network resiliency and continuity of service plans to the unique needs of individual localities,” CTIA said. 

The Competitive Carriers Association and the Wireless Infrastructure Association support the plan. Of the roaming portion, CCA told the Commission: “During an emergency, CCA, on behalf of many of its members, commits to offering roaming arrangements where feasible when: (1) a carrier’s network has become inoperable and has not been fixed by any reasonably feasible means; and, (2) the home carrier can offer roaming capabilities without harming its own subscribers.” CCA agrees roaming arrangements during an emergency should be temporary and contingent on the requesting carrier taking all reasonably feasible steps to restore its own network before initiating a roaming request.

WIA understands the diverse concerns each carrier must evaluate to deploy and maintain a reliable network. “The heterogeneous nature of today’s wireless networks and the push towards denser networks ensures a high degree of redundancy that contributes to survivability of service. Relatedly, the wireless infrastructure industry has also continued to offer new services and products to provide additional network reliability through the use of neutral-host, shared backup power solutions.”

December 12, 2016

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