T-Mobile Readies To Keep Customers, Communities and First Responders Connected As Hurricane Milton Approaches Landfall

BELLEVUE, Wash., October 9, 2024 /3BL/ - T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) has activated its emergency operations and preparedness plan as Hurricane Milton approaches Florida, mobilizing its emergency teams to help keep customers, communities, first responders and others connected. In summary:

• T-Mobile’s network has been hardened to withstand anticipated extreme weather conditions along Milton’s projected path and the company’s experienced emergency response teams are preparing portable generators and heavy-duty network equipment to provide support when and where needed.
• T-Mobile’s emergency response team is actively working with federal and state public safety agencies as well as Florida’s State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Tallahassee to identify early prioritization needs immediately following the storm.
• To keep employees safe, T-Mobile has temporarily closed stores, a Customer Experience Center and a T-Mobile for Business Virtual Business Center, all of which are located in Milton’s path. Customer calls will be rerouted to other locations. The company’s community support team is on standby to deploy relief supplies as conditions allow.
• T-Mobile and Starlink asked for and received a second Special Temporary Authority (STA) from the FCC to operate our T-Mobile Starlink Direct-to-Cellular service over Hurricane Milton’s projected path. Wireless emergency alerts and SMS, including the ability to text 911, are now enabled in Florida as well as the areas previously impacted by Hurricane Helene.
• T-Mobile also stands ready to support cross-carrier roaming requests from other wireless providers as needed.

Network Modernization, Technology and Hardening

T-Mobile continues to make investments in its network nationwide to prepare for the unpredictable and challenging nature of extreme weather. This includes tapping into the capabilities of AI and data to help support real-time response and faster recovery. An experienced T-Mobile team who has deep familiarity with the challenges associated with massive storms like Milton is at the ready in Florida and knows what it takes to quickly recover network impacts. The team has taken steps to harden its network, using extensive analysis of historical data, customer density and meteorologist experts to proactively strengthen the network’s infrastructure to help reduce interruptions. This includes adding overlapping coverage, installing back up power sources to towers and key network sites, building redundant backhaul routes for cell sites and core network, and performing ongoing inspection and maintenance of all facilities.

T-Mobile’s network modernization employs innovative technologies that aim to improve resilience, including:

• Cognitive Self-Organizing Network (SON): A “smart” network that automatically assesses, manages and optimizes performance during disasters, redistributing resources across the network and “healing” coverage gaps by adjusting nearby towers.
• 24/7 Automatic Coverage Optimization: Continuously re-configuring antenna patterns to optimize signal and expanding coverage area during service interruptions – over 100,000 tilts took place throughout Hurricane Helene.
• Guided Digital Antenna Tilting: Allows engineers to remotely fine-tune coverage, boosting signal for critical areas such as rescue operations, Incident Command Centers, shelters, reunification centers and hospitals.
• Automated Parameter Changes: AI enabled real-time network performance monitoring to adjust site parameters to avoid congestion and increase data performance and connectivity.
• Spectrum Layer Management: Automatically optimize power level on multi-band 5G network during commercial power outages to extend backup generators and batteries runtime.
• Network Hardening: Proactively strengthens network infrastructure to reduce interruptions using extensive analysis of historical data, customer density and meteorologist experts. This includes adding overlapping coverage, installing back up power sources to towers and key network sites, building redundant backhaul routes for fiber, satellite or microwave, and performing ongoing inspection and maintenance of all facilities.

This multi-faceted approach helped keep a vast majority of customers connected in the midst of Hurricane Helene recovery: approximately 10% of T-Mobile customers in the path experienced coverage loss in the first 24 hours following the storm even though 30% of T-Mobile’s network sites were impacted. Within 72 hours, less than 1% of customers remained affected, primarily due to power outages and other challenging and unsafe conditions.

Equipment Ready to Deploy

T-Mobile’s emergency management team, local teams and National Operations Centers are working together to monitor the network around the clock. Local network and market teams and field technicians use knowledge of the area to provide critical understanding of potential impact and implement real-time mitigation strategies. The teams are also pre-staging a fleet of equipment and relief supplies at our emergency response facilities in Live Oak, Florida and Plant City, Florida along with our Everglades Mobile Switching Office in Sunrise, Florida for rapid deployment and activation as conditions safely allow that will provide critical network connectivity, power and Wi-Fi for first responders, disaster organizations and communities at locations such as fire and police departments, incident command posts, shelters reunification centers, hospitals, local government facilities, stores providing community support and much more.

T-Mobile’s fleet includes:

• Mobile Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs): Large RVs with network management and monitoring equipment
• SatCOLTs and SatCOWs: Satellite cell-on-light-trucks and satellite cell-on-wheels that teams can drive to impacted areas to temporarily restore or boost service.
• Heavy Duty Wi-Fi and Charging Vehicles: A fleet of trucks and towable trailers equipped with 80 charging ports that can be quickly deployed to provide Wi-Fi and device charging to anyone who needs it, even if they aren’t a T-Mobile customer.
• Quick-deploy and Portable VSATs: Satellite dishes called “Very Small Aperture Terminals” that can provide a layer of coverage across broad areas and quickly provide temporary wireless service to send and receive data from T-Mobile’s network.
• Microwave Solutions: Network technology that offers high throughput and low latency for better data usage.
• Portable Generators: Portable power solutions that can be quickly set up to power sites and help customers.
• Search and Rescue and Heavy-Duty Drones: Search-and-rescue (SAR) drones are equipped with infrared and thermal imaging cameras used to find people and objects. Heavy Lift Drones can fly for up to an hour, cover up to 60 miles and carry up to 50 pounds to provide imaging, deliver supplies or illuminate an operation.

Late last week the teams at T-Mobile and Starlink asked for and received Special Temporary Authority (STA) from the FCC to operate our T-Mobile Starlink Direct-to-Cellular service over parts of North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene. T-Mobile and Starlink have once again asked for and received STA from the FCC to do the same for areas in Florida affected by Hurricane Milton. In these areas, Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are on and the teams have enabled basic texting (SMS), including the ability to text 911. While SpaceX's direct-to-cell constellation has not been fully deployed, this early test version could provide vital support as teams work to get infrastructure and services back online and help first responders with rescue efforts.

T-Mobile also stands ready to support cross-carrier roaming requests from other wireless providers as part of the FCC’s Mandatory Disaster Response Initiative to help ensure that emergency roaming is available.

Public Safety and First Responders

T-Mobile for Government is coordinating with federal, state and local authorities including first responder agencies and the Florida State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Tallahassee to identify high-impact priorities for coverage restoration. The team is already preparing to deploy to support requests from first responders for additional network coverage and capacity once conditions safely allow.

First responders, emergency officials and other eligible critical infrastructure customers can register for Wireless Priority Service (WPS) to get priority access and preemption on T-Mobile’s network at no cost. When seconds matter during times of emergency or network congestion, WPS moves critical communications to the front of the line. Agencies needing communications assistance can also reach out to T-Mobile’s 24-hour emergency hotline at 888-639-0020 or email at ERTRequests@T-Mobile.com.

Employees, Retail Stores, and Community Support

T-Mobile has connected with all potentially impacted employees and will continue to support them as needed. With their safety in mind, the company has decided to temporarily close all retail stores that are located within Milton's projected impact area, as well as a Customer Experience Center and T-Mobile for Business Virtual Business Center. Customer contacts will be re-routed to other locations. Future updates on local store operations and hours will be available at the company’s store locator. When it is safe to deploy, T-Mobile teams will roll relief support trucks full of charging supplies, including cables and battery packs, into communities where they are needed most. Locations may shift daily and are posted at https://www.t-mobile.com/news/emergency-response.

More Information

For more information on T-Mobile’s emergency response efforts and for tips to stay connected visit: https://www.t-mobile.com/news/emergency-response. Follow @TMobileNews on X, formerly known as Twitter, to stay up to date with the latest company news.

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