Verizon, Sprint To Repair Damaged Networks

Verizon continues rebuilding parts of its telecom network at the World Trade Center that were badly damaged by Tuesday's terrorist attack. Sprint works to restore PCS network in Lower Manhattan.

by Ryan Naraine of atnewyork.com [September 14, 2001]

Larry Babbio, Verizon vice chairman and president, Thursday describes the rebuilding phase as "just enormous." Babbio said 10 wireless transmitter sites were destroyed, knocking out service to a large number of landline and cellular subscribers.

"We are still assessing the damage and will work around the clock to restore full service to affected customers as quickly as possible," Babbio said.

Babbio said the company has accounted for the "vast majority" of its 488 employees assigned to the World Trade Center and 40 employees at the Pentagon, where the company maintained certain communications systems for the U.S. Department of Defense.

He said the downtown Manhattan facility contains four call-processing computers serving 200,000 access lines and the equivalent of 3 million data circuits in lower Manhattan.

While some circuits that serve the Wall Street area go through the building, the company was attempting to by-pass the West Street facility for these circuits, the Verizon president said.

He declined to provide an estimate on when the center would be fully operational. "The building has three or four major holes—that means water and dirt have gotten in to sensitive computer gear," he said on a conference call.

Water was being pumped from the basement area at 140 West Street, where the company has its network center. 140 West Street is adjacent to the devastated area.

Aside from the southern Manhattan area, Babbio said the rest of Verizon's networks on the East Coast and nationwide continue to operate normally. In the New York City and Washington, D.C. areas, calls today continued to run at about 340 million calls, nearly double the normal.

"Our network is designed to provide back-up systems, and that redundant capability kept service up for many customers who might otherwise have been out of service ... A good example is New York City's 9-1-1, which is completely redundant and has been working throughout this tragedy."

He said Verizon was providing additional wireline and cellular circuits to emergency workers and investigators at the site of the Pennsylvania plane crash.

Sprint service disruptions
Sprint Corp. this week acknowledged four of its mobile telephone cell sites used to connect calls were out of service in the Lower Manhattan disaster area. Other sites in New York City were also temporarily out of service due to a series of power failures.

The Kansas-based company said its networks were operational a day after four planes were hijacked on Tuesday, three of which crashed into New York City and Washington, D.C., area landmarks. Heavy call volume on its mobile phone PCS network has subsided, Sprint said.

"Our first priority is to restore service and we are exercising all measures to do so—working with various carriers and government authorities," the company said in a statement.

Additionally, some of the cell sites have lost their land-line connections for Sprint's PCS network by other carriers whose systems and facilities were damaged in the attacks, Sprint said.

Two cell sites have been set up near the disaster location and are being used to aid the search and rescue efforts, the company said.

— End

Related articles:
	[Sept. 13, 2001]	Manhattan ISP CEO Asks for Help
	[Sept. 13, 2001]	Tech, V.C. Communities Mourn Losses
	[Sept. 11, 2001]	ISPs Tell Online Customers To Get Off The Phone