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Mobile Cell Phone Towers For Disaster Relief

cerberus4696 writes "According to today's Denver Post, Verizon recently premiered one of its new Cells On Light Trucks (COLTs), a complete, self-contained CDMA cell that can be moved to wherever it's needed, such as the scene of a natural disaster or a large public event. Since a standard CDMA cell can only handle a theoretical maximum of 62 calls at a time (usually less in practice), the network of permanent fixtures can quickly become overloaded in high-use situations. Verizon already uses a larger version of the system known as a Cell On Wheels (or COW; gotta love these acronyms), but as it takes three trucks and the better part of a day to deploy, nimbleness of response has apparently been an issue."

11 of 210 comments (clear)

  1. Chargers by uberfruk · · Score: 3, Funny

    Does it have chargers for the depleted cell batteries?

  2. COWs? by daringone · · Score: 5, Funny

    If you put a cell on a COW, can you tip it?

  3. Bad acronym by hipoppotamus · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wonder why they didn't call it a Cellular User Node Transport? I think that would be nuch better.

  4. Llamas? by op00to · · Score: 5, Funny

    Verizon has taken even more dramatic action to cope with disasters in the past. In 2000, during the Hi Meadow fire near Bailey, the company used helicopters and llamas to transport equipment to the rugged terrain, Weaver said.

    Did anyone else notice this? Llamas. And helicopters. Sounds elaborate. Makes me glad I'm not with Verizon.

  5. Re:Traffic by Crinos · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes, and they would call them Portable Instruments to Get Service (PIGS)

    --
    The Sacred Chao says, "MU".
  6. Mobile Cell Phone Towers For Disaster Relief? by WwWonka · · Score: 4, Funny

    Remember the good ole days when you went behind a tree for diaster relief?

    Those damn kids and their new technology!

  7. News on parade... by k4_pacific · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is News... On... Parade...

    (Queue trumpets)

    Thanks to new advances in radio cullularology, our fearless fighting men in Europe can stay in touch with one another in the field and their commanding officers back at the base. This is accomplished by the US Army's Verizon Corps, who follow our troops across Europe erecting cellular phone towers at key battle sites. This gives our fighting men an advantage over the German oppressors, who are forced to rely on tin cans connected by string. So, when the US Army asks, "Can you hear me now?", America can proudly say, Yes We Can.

    This has been News... On... Parade...

    --
    Unknown host pong.
  8. That's about as bad as... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Cops On Patrol.

  9. Re:wow, only 62 calls at once? by swordboy · · Score: 1, Funny

    These cells on light trucks can do slightly less than 62 - most of them only 45.

    They're known as COLT45s!

    *Ba-dop*

    Thank you! I'll be here in Vegas until the 14th. Try the veal.

    --

    Life is the leading cause of death in America.
  10. Re:wow, only 62 calls at once? by provolt · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hey, what do you think you're doing here!?! You're stating facts, and giving real explainations. If I wanted that, I'd go read a book.

    I come here for uninformed and incomplete comments from college freshmen who think that they know everything about cell phones because they know how to operate the features on a phone. I don't want someone who understands telecommunications. I would prefer someone who know how to program. Because being able to program a PC is basically the same thing as telecommunications. So why don't you just take your "facts" and "knowledge" and just go home.

  11. CDMA? by dykofone · · Score: 1, Funny

    I don't think any slashdot reader should be supporting this, sounds a little too much like a mixed up version of the DMCA...