Nationwide 911 Service Outage Caused by Network Failure
A 911 service outage wreaked havoc across much of the U.S. on June 15, 2020. The root cause of the interruption was a network outage that occurred over much of the T-Mobile wireless network, which prevented customers of certain cell phone carriers from being able to make outbound cellphone calls.
Impact of the 911 Service Outage
Obviously, a 911 service outage is unacceptable, especially during a pandemic and heat wave. Luckily, some carriers sent alerts to their mobile phone users to warn them about the issue, and some local government agencies disseminated similar notifications as well.
Many of these alerts instructed users to call 911 from a landline phone, or a different cellphone in the hopes that it would be utilizing a different network. Some also condoned sending text messages to 911 (texts did not appear to be as problematic as voice calls), utilizing third-party calling apps like FaceTime, or calling ‘non-emergency’ numbers.
These notifications certainly helped minimize the proverbial damage, but when dispatchers and callers got disconnected, it proved difficult for them to reconnect. Overall, it was a difficult situation.
This got me thinking about the dependency that utilities have with wireless networks. Any wireless outage can negatively impact outage restoration activity because it can prevent damage assessment personnel from relaying information, reduce the accuracy of OMS data, and even reduce the effectiveness of employee and crew deployment and coordination.
For this reason, wireless connectivity problems should be accounted for in emergency plans so that alternative communication tactics can be identified. These tactics might include using a HAM radio, landline communications, or even runners to convey information. This information is critical from an emergency preparedness perspective, especially considering that the frequency of wireless outages is on the rise.
The bottom line is that June’s 911 service outage was a huge inconvenience, but it does shine a light on the need to account for network outages in emergency plans and protocols.
