There is an article in today’s Chicago Tribune about how the cell phone network failed when that bridge collapsed.
Back in College (I am an electronics engineer) we were taught about how cellular and regular phone lines work.
Did you know the phone networks are only designed to carry, at best, 10% of its subscribers at any given time? This means if they have 100,000,000 users, only 10,000,000 can make a call at the same time. This is true for land lines and cell phones equally. The problem with cells is exacerbated because each cell tower can handle so many calls. If too many people call from one cell, which covers about 1 square mile, the system can take no more calls.
Why is the system designed that way? For one, it would be insanely expensive to build that has 100% coverage. Secondly, you would have to have a cell tower on virtually every corner and you would have to run 10 times as many wires and build 10 times as many central offices to run it all. Pus, at any give time, only 3 or 4% of your network is being used. 96% of your infrastructure is standing idle. We could do it, but your cell phone bill would be $600 a month and your home phone bill would be about $450, even if you made no calls. So, if an emergency strikes, don’t always expect your phone to work, be it a cell or land line. At least you are not paying out a grand a month to make sure your calls go through.
Telco’s Dirty Little Secret
There is an article in today’s Chicago Tribune about how the cell phone network failed when that bridge collapsed.
Back in College (I am an electronics engineer) we were taught about how cellular and regular phone lines work.
Did you know the phone networks are only designed to carry, at best, 10% of its subscribers at any given time? This means if they have 100,000,000 users, only 10,000,000 can make a call at the same time. This is true for land lines and cell phones equally. The problem with cells is exacerbated because each cell tower can handle so many calls. If too many people call from one cell, which covers about 1 square mile, the system can take no more calls.
Why is the system designed that way? For one, it would be insanely expensive to build that has 100% coverage. Secondly, you would have to have a cell tower on virtually every corner and you would have to run 10 times as many wires and build 10 times as many central offices to run it all. Pus, at any give time, only 3 or 4% of your network is being used. 96% of your infrastructure is standing idle. We could do it, but your cell phone bill would be $600 a month and your home phone bill would be about $450, even if you made no calls. So, if an emergency strikes, don’t always expect your phone to work, be it a cell or land line. At least you are not paying out a grand a month to make sure your calls go through.
Posted by admin on August 4, 2007 in General Comments
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