Can You Hear Me Now?

On 9/11 cell towers were lost with the towers and many cell phones didn't work. I remember discussions about portable towers that could be quickly deployed, perhaps on blimps. This would make a lot of sense as cell phones proved to be the only technology that prevented one of the planes from reaching it's target and would have aided in rescue efforts.

One of the problems in the Katrina areas are that phones don't work, neither cell phones or land lines. Without power, cell towers don't work and cell phones can't be recharged. I assume most land lines were affected by wind or water. This hampers relief efforts and prevents families from contacting each other. Reporters are using satellite phones and people ask them constantly to borrow them.

So what happened to those blimps with cell towers? No one made them. In the US since we don't have a standard cell phone system like in every other country, each provider would need their own. But with cell phone companies competing fiercely for customers, wouldn't this be a good relatively cheap differentiator? Wouldn't you be more likely to use a cell phone from the company that advertises, "works when you really need it" and was shown prominently at disaster sites? They could also provide phones to victims. The other problem is charging a cell phone when power's been down. Add on devices that work from regular standard batteries would also be a nice addition.