BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – You’ve got the special glasses and a prime viewing spot, but will you have cell service during the eclipse? With thousands of people relying on their phones to share the once-in-a-lifetime event, there’s one thing state officials want to avoid.
“There’s a possibility that if someone tried to use a cell phone and there were too many individuals on that tower, that it just wouldn’t go through,” said Eric Forand with Vermont Emergency Management. With 150,000 people expected to flood Vermont on April 8th, Forand worries that cell service could be overwhelmed. “Vermont does not have 100% cell phone coverage before this event. It will not have it during the event. We’re trying to make sure that we have as much coverage as possible but it won’t be 100%.”
To boost service, the state is bringing in satellite trucks and cell towers on wheels — aptly named “cows” — that are specifically for emergency calls and that regardless of your phone carrier, will push calls through to 911.
Other municipalities are working directly with network operators to employ cows. “We’re gonna have two of them in the Burlington area, strategically located to try to boost service for this weekend,” said Zach Williamson with Burlington City Arts.
The area’s largest cell carriers say they’re confident their 5G coverage is up to the task. In an email statement, AT&T said they’ve improved their network since 2017′s eclipse to accommodate more users. Verizon says they have also. “We’re confident that the additional capacity that we’ve layered into the network over the last few years — especially on our 5G networks — will accommodate any increase in data usage,” said Verizon’s Chris Serico.
Emergency management says they’re still determining where to set up the additional cell equipment. Despite this service boost, they encourage viewers to use as little data as possible. “We’re working to ensure that they have safety, not that they’re necessarily going to be able to stream the live shots to their friends in California. It’s more about making sure that 911 calls go through, making sure that first responders get through,” Forand said.
Wherever you’re viewing the eclipse, emergency management officials say keep your phone charged and make a plan in case you don’t have service.
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