Wi-Max Deployed in Katrina Disaster Area

Spy Handler writes "In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina's destruction of telecom infrastructure in New Orleans, officials are turning to wireless broadband for use by government workers. Intel, a key backer of WiMax, and Cisco are donating wireless equipment to aid disaster workers. This could be a good opportunity to replace an antiquated system of copper wires with brand-new technology." From the article: "Shakouri and other industry experts contend that the devastation of Hurricane Katrina offers a chance to build the sort of modern network that phone and cable companies have promised for years. Such a network -- whether wireless or fiber-optic -- could deliver movies or medical records at speeds hundreds of times faster than current Internet connections. Telecom executives and analysts, though, aren't so sure it's the right time or place."

Comments

Surely anything helps?

[freetipe]

It may not be exactly "the right time and place", but as long as it isn't diverting skills and resources away from more critical, lifesaving activities, surely it can't hurt to have such things available?

Re:*Waits*

[PunkOfLinux]

Indeed -- rather than accepting help, it seems as though they're one of those 'we're going to do it our way, or not at all' type of groups.

Companies: Here's X amount of (free new technology)/(food)/(tp). PLease distribute it and make use of it. FEMA: NO! We're gonna do it our way!!! That's the way the people want it!

not the right time or place??

[HyperHyper]

>>"Telecom executives and analysts, though, aren't so sure it's the right time or place."

Why is it because of the poverty level and they won't have enough clientele? Or because they will lose all the equipment once the next hurricane hits (man vs nature - my bet is on nature but that's another discussion)

Personally, I've heard New Orleans is a big convention city and wouldn't that be a good reason to "hook them up" with this technology.

If the technology is as a good as they are touting, it will draw more people to the area for meetings/conventions would it not?

Huh.

[Sheetrock]

Telecom executives and analysts, though, aren't so sure it's the right time or place.

They had their chance, and handed it to the cable companies by the combined misery of ISDN deployments in the early 90s and DSL deployments in the late 90s. Maybe they can work on correct and complete Caller ID information and shutting down the waves of illegal fax spam until the next communication technology comes around.

WTF!?!

[CrazyDuke]

"Telecom executives and analysts, though, aren't so sure it's the right time or place."

Talk about looting a corpse! Do these people have NO shame? Wait, don't answer that...

Anything for a fucking dollar. That's probably why we're in this shit in the first place.

Re:*Waits*

[Sheetrock]

Well, without defending them too much, it is important to keep in mind that any time you're dealing with a large amount of aid you're also dealing with infrastructure (how and when do the items arrive, where do you store them, how do you prioritize the distribution of funds, who installs and maintains donated technology, is it something that integrates into volunteer efforts without too much training or maintainance overhead to be useful, can the volunteer coordinators fit another thing into the schedule, are there strings attached to the gift, etc.)

Point being, if the help can't be deployed in a way that makes progress, it's better to turn it away than have it sit on the shelf useless or, worse, have it detract from other aid efforts that are more productive.

Re:Truth is

[SlamMan]

"They aren't 'donating' per se -- yes, they're giving it away at no cost, but it's VERY good publicity for them."

So, they're donating it.

Re:Truth is

[Alex P Keaton in da]

NOw, if only FEMA would get with the times and realize that not everyone uses windows/IE...
Believe me- I understand that sentiment. But you have to figure that a lot of people (who had them) lost their computers along with their homes and the rest of their belongings. So I assume FEMA will set up trailers with computers, rooms at shelters with computers, send people to libraries etc. Every library (with the rare exception of a few Macs) has had windows machines. And if you are going to deploy mobile computer labs, why not deploy them with the platform most people are familiar with?
Complaining about using IE for the relief benefits sounds dort of diingenous and shrill. Sort of like a starving person complaining that the meal they are given "could use a more Paprika."

Re:So, when is a good time?

[gui_tarzan2000]

True story - we built a new school building to replace old portables and called Verizon to move the cable over to the new building. It took three "technicians" FOUR hours to pull a 25 pair cable through a 2" conduit 50' and terminate both ends. Then they had the balls to charge us $1400!!!!!

Re:Truth is

[redeyeowl]

What happened in New Orleans is a tragedy and the people there do need help. But let's not forget the people of Florida who have not yet recovered from last year's 4 hurricanes. They need as much help today as they did before Katrina. Don't send all the funds to New Orleans
Peter Kuhn
Lakeland Florida
doublewidetrailer@gmail.com

Re:So, when is a good time?

[danharan]

Just think that you're lucky: $1400 for 12 billable hours and some material is fairly cheap ;)

Re:Wi-Max Infrastructure

[FidelCatsro]

Very much so , A hurricane could literally rip up the existing infrastructure causing immeasurable damage over a wide area .(think tens of thousands of broken lines and switch boxes)
Even if it destroys every Wi-Max antenna in the area it would only take a matter of hours to replace them ,plus it would be a hell of a lot cheaper .(think the man-hours , the cost of the street and cable repairs etc. Vs. the cost of a few servers and a few antennas )

wimax?

[myukew]

I think fresh water, food and a place to sleep are way more important. You'd better donate something more usefull

Re:wimax?

[dbIII]

I think fresh water, food and a place to sleep are way more important.

That is a very simplistic way of looking at things and not necessarily correct. Truckloads of ice and fresh water did not get to the right places in recent days due to a lack of communication. Communications infrastructure, electricity and even computers make it a lot easier to organise fresh water, food and a place to sleep.

We get this sort of simplistic attitude exhibited whenever people mention sending any sort of gadget developed after WWII to impoverished nations, it shouldn't apply there and it shouldn't apply to the southern US - technology that does not appear to be instantly lifesaving does help people live better lives and does save lives.

Re:wimax?

[timeOday]

I think fresh water, food and a place to sleep are way more important. You'd better donate something more usefull

Another one of these comments.

Look, officials have been complaining since day 1 that a big part of the problem is communications:

As powerful winds uprooted trees, power lines snapped and flood waters poured into homes and businesses, members of the New Orleans Police Department and other emergency responders had little more to communicate with than hand-held radios and cell phones. And communication with outside agencies, officials say, was near impossible.
... The radio system "was the only thing working during the storm," Schneider said. But it didn't allow contact with local agencies, he said. The National Guard couldn't get in touch with New Orleans Police Department officers working the city streets.

The military has been aware of this issue for *decades*, that's why they invented the Internet, which allows all kinds of information to be exchanged using a standard set of protocols. That is the key to allowing different parties, that don't usually communicate, to rapidly and dynamically set up new data exchange pathways during an emergency.

Now can I rant for a minute? Every time slashdot reports a communications network is to be set up in a poor country or emergency, somebody complains that communications are superflous in such circumstances. That's insane! Ask yourself - why are cops, soldiers, and emergency responders such heavy users of communications technology? Don't they have better things to do than sit around chatting?

Re:Truth is

[dreamchaser]

So it isn't a donation if it gives someone good press? Sorry but that is BS. A donation is a donation, whether it provides good PR or not.

There's always a silver lining.....

[smchris]

I guess.

Yes, I suppose when a major U.S. city is destroyed, that is an excellent time to follow Africa's paradoxically late "lead" and just pass over copper and even fiber in some cases.

Why?

[gexen]

Why would they try and make this infastructure? So it can also be taken down when this shit happens again? I would not invest ANYTHING in any kind of infastructure down there until local and federal officials decide on a course of action for rebuilding the town in such a way that this won't happen again. If they can't do that, it's time to go elsewhere.

Re:So, when is a good time?

[RevMike]

$240 per line? well when it takes a union worker an hour to screw back in one set of wires...

Massive flooding is unlikely to just pull some wires out from under a couple of screws. The wires themselves are the least of the problem. How much switching equipment was underwater long enough that it needs to be replaced? Probably tens of thorusands. How many poles are down? Probably millions. How many cables were severed and need to be spliced? Thousands.

The $240 a line number is probably an estimate of the entire effort. Some lines will cost only a dollar to restore and others will cost thousands.

LOL

[Zebra_X]

*NOT* The place, and probably not the time.

Doesn't anyone realize that Mississippi and Louisiana are one of the two poorest states in the country? Who excactly would a next gen internet and cable be marketed to? There is also income data here and here. Let's not put our next gen tech. in an area that can't support it economically.

Re:How about finding new homes for Katrina Victims

[NeoBeans]

I agree that relocation is going to be necessary for many of the victims of Katrina... and providing them the option to take over a free farm is a nice idea. It's not a bad idea, as long as it is not forced upon folks.

Now there's an ironic turn

[blair1q]

First they brought you "broadcast".

Then they put your broadcast stations on your "cable".

Now they want to put your cable on a broadcast channel, including the original broadcast stations, but not on their original broadcast channels... ...although it occurs to me that satellite broadcast has been doing this for decades...

Another useless bit of nonsense trumpted on /.

[suitepotato]

Wireless Internet! Yay!

Oh, we forgot... Most of the communications infrastructure comprising the critical backhauls that carry all the traffic of the wireless endpoints have been disrupted. Entire phone company central offices are under water in some places or were. Co-location facilities have been disrupted or destroyed outright. Aerial fiber and copper have been severed all over the place.

Oh, we also forgot that people are in need of drinking water and food to eat and medical supplies to deal with everyday things that they can't deal with everyday and so those issues are mounting. Women need sanitary female supplies. Babies need diapers. Pets need food. There's a lack of electricity all over the place and fetid stinking contaminated water and mud.

Their computers have been waterlogged, their laptops blown to the next state, their PDAs lost someplace in the muck, but we have high speed wireless Internet being deployed. Yay!

(INSERT ROLLING EYES EMOTICON HERE)