T-Mobile Responds to Hurricane Ida

August 31, 2021 /3BL Media/ - Hurricane Ida has caused widespread power outages in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. At the moment, our network is about 70% operational across Louisiana and Alabama. Some customers in these areas may experience intermittent impacts to voice, data and text service. The situation is still very fluid as first responders and utilities assess the damage caused by the storm.

Our engineering teams have a wide range of personnel and equipment to aid our response including additional generators, a fleet of temporary network solutions such as Cells on Wheels (COWs), Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs) satellite infrastructure, small cells, Mobile Command Trailers, WiFi hotspots and a host of other physical and technical capabilities to minimize interruptions for our customers.

The aftermath of large storms is usually a time of high demand for wireless networks as our customers look to stay in touch with loved ones and authorities. We want to remind customers that if they’re unable to make a call, they may still be able request help via text or WiFi calling (if a working Wifi connection is available). Information about WiFi calling can be found here.

Customer Support

To help keep customers connected, through September 3rd, T-Mobile is offering free talk, text and unlimited data for T-Mobile, Sprint consumer and business customers (except Enterprise and Government accounts), and T-Mobile Pre-Paid who are not already on unlimited plans in select areas of Louisiana and Mississippi. As a reminder, Metro by T-Mobile customers always have unlimited talk and text on all plans.

UPDATE: August 29, 2021

T-Mobile continues to track Hurricane Ida as it makes landfall over the U.S. Gulf Coast. Our rapid-response teams are standing by to assist our customers and help minimize any potential service interruptions. In addition, we are working to ensure our employees, stores and facilities are well prepared for the storm conditions.

Store Update

Several of our stores in Louisiana and Mississippi are taking safety precautions and may be closed ahead of the storm’s arrival. If you need to visit us, please reach out to your local store to confirm they are open. You can also call 611 or 1-800-937-8997 from your handset if you need assistance or have questions about your account or service and we will be happy to help.

Customer & Community Support

From August 29th through September 3rd, T-Mobile is offering free talk, text and unlimited data for T-Mobile, Sprint consumer and business customers (except Enterprise and Government accounts), and T-Mobile Pre-Paid who are not already on unlimited plans in select areas of Louisiana and Mississippi. As a reminder, Metro by T-Mobile customers always have unlimited talk and text on all plans.

• Louisiana Parishes: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Concordia, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson, Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Richland, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Washington, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn

• Mississippi Counties: Adams, Amite, Claiborne, Clarke, Copiah, Covington, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Issaquena, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lincoln, Madison, Marion, Neshoba, Newton, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Rankin, Scott, Sharkey, Simpson, Smith, Stone, Walthall, Warren, Wayne, Wilkinson, Yazoo

August 27, 2021

T-Mobile is closely monitoring Hurricane Ida as it makes its way toward the Gulf Coast and is expected to make landfall on Sunday. We know how important it is to our customers to stay connected at times like this, and our teams stand ready to respond when it’s safe to do so. We currently have a range of recovery equipment, including generators, positioned nearby that are ready to deploy. We also will be prepared to be on the ground in local communities with supplies as needed.

Additionally, we recommend that our customers in Gulf states take steps now to prepare themselves for the storm’s potential impact:

• Make a disaster kit. Include things like batteries, snacks, water, first aid kit, flashlight and device chargers.
• Update your family, friends and emergency services contact numbers. Make sure they’re saved and backed up onto a cloud or computer or written down someplace accessible.
• Subscribe to local authorities’ text alerts or connect with local authorities’ social networks to learn about new developments before, during and after a disaster.
• Keep your mobile devices fully charged. Have charging cables handy and consider investing in a car or portable charging device.
• Download emergency-assistance apps from the Red Cross and FEMA.
• Make sure your phone supports Wireless Emergency Alerts and that you have enabled notifications on your device. Visit www.t-mobile.com/wea for details on how to set up alerts on T-Mobile and Sprint devices.
• Set up Wi-Fi Calling on your phone. For Apple phones, go to Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling; for Android phones, go to Settings > More Connection Settings > Wi-Fi Calling.
• If you are in an area that could potentially be impacted, please follow any evacuation orders that may be issued by local authorities and do all you can to stay safe.

More information on how T-Mobile prepares for storms like Ida is available in the T-Mobile Newsroom: https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/2021-hurricane-season

During congestion, heavy data users (>50GB/mo. most plans and 100GB/mo. Magenta) and customers choosing lower prioritized plans may notice lower speeds than other customers. Metro by T-Mobile customers using >35GB/mo. may notice reduced speeds and Metro customers may notice reduced speeds vs. T-Mobile due to prioritization.