How To Keep Your Mobile Phone Connected During Severe Weather

C Spire Wireless Offers Tips to Help Consumers Ensure That Their Device Works in any Conditions

Ridgeland, Miss., (August 27, 2012) – With Mississippi and Alabama residents and businesses bracing for an onslaught from Tropical Storm Isaac later this week, C Spire Wireless is offering some timely tips on how to make sure your mobile phone or smartphone continues to work during severe weather conditions.

“We live in a wireless world so when severe weather or a natural disaster strikes, individuals, families and emergency responders depend on their wireless phones as a lifeline to the outside world,” said Eric Hollingsworth, vice president of Network Operations for C Spire Wireless. “We are committed to providing our customers with the best network coverage, but there are some simple steps they can take to ensure that their device works in every situation.”

When severe weather strikes, commercial power often is disrupted and wireless networks must rely on back up diesel generators and batteries. While C Spire’s network can operate for days without commercial power, there is a tremendous increase in wireless traffic volumes during and immediately after a storm as impacted customers use their mobile phones for voice calls, text messages or browsing the web.

“We engineer and design our networks to handle large volumes of traffic, but during these types of emergencies and natural disasters, there is unprecedented demand for service from outside and inside the affected areas,” Hollingsworth said. “By following a few simple reminders, you’ll be able to use your mobile phone in any situation.”

Hollingsworth said there are six easy steps consumers can take to stay connected to family and friends during and after a storm or natural disaster.

• Place voice calls only when necessary; limit non-emergency calls to conserve battery power and free up wireless networks for emergency agencies and first responders.
• Send brief text messages rather than voice calls. Text messages require less network capacity and are more likely than voice calls to reach their destination during periods of high network congestion.
• Charge your primary wireless phone battery in advance of the storm and secure back-up batteries and either a vehicle charger or portable battery charger.
• Keep your mobile phone, batteries, chargers and other equipment in a dry, accessible location. Use waterproof accessories or simple zip-lock storage bags to protect your device.
• Use your phone only when you really need it. When the battery is extremely low, turn phone off unless in use.
• Turn down the brightness on your mobile phone screen and turn off services that you don’t use.

C Spire also has activated its #STORM hotline, which is accessible by dialing #78676 from a mobile phone or by calling toll-free 1.888.276.8845. Customers can also get updates on the network and other news via social links by following the company on Facebook and Twitter.

The company is coordinating its emergency response preparations with local, state and federal agencies, including the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency and the offices of Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley.

C Spire Wireless is a diversified wireless communications company passionately committed to helping customers by personalizing wireless services designed just for them. The company is the first wireless provider in the U.S. to personalize customers’ experience by offering apps that fit who they are, services that anticipate their needs, and rewards for using their phone in new ways – all with seamless ease and at amazingly fast speeds. This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire Wireless and its products and services, visit www.cspire.comor follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire. Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire or Google+.