Phone providers confident eclipse tourists won’t disrupt network
CLEVELAND (WJW) — As Ohio prepares for a rush of tourists for the total solar eclipse, phone providers report their networks can handle the traffic.
“We’re making sure the network is good to go and it is,” Verizon spokesperson Jeff Kew said. “We feel really good about the capacity we’re going to handle with the influx of people.”
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In a statement on their website, AT&T said the eclipse itself will not have a direct impact on network operations.
Since the 2017 eclipse, the company has expanded its network and bandwidth. AT&T experienced an hours-long U.S. outage in February due to a technical issue, the company reported.
Kew said the Verizon network is tested routinely during massive gatherings like when the Cavs and Guardians play on the same day.
“That’s tens of thousands of people attending those games and then you’ve got the entire downtown population so that’s 100,000 plus on any given day, on those occasions, and we don’t even think about the network,” he said.
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The path of totality will hit several major cities nationwide including Cleveland, as well as smaller Lorain County townships where phone network coverage could be spotty.
“When you hit the southern part of the county here Wellington, some of the small townships, it is very rural so there are limited cell towers down there,” said Dave Freeman, Lorain County Emergency Management Agency Director. “Some overload could potentially affect those towers.”
Freeman said in the past the Lorain County Fairgrounds had coverage issues, however, towers have been updated in the area.
With so much uncertainty surrounding how many people will flood Ohio to witness this phenomenon, the best advice experts recommend is to prepare for the unexpected.
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“Have yourself a paper map just in case you are not familiar with the area,” said ODOT Press Secretary Matt Bruning late last month. “You’re not relying on Google Maps, or Apple Maps or Waze, that may not work if the cell phone networks are over capacity.”
According to Freeman, emergency responders have other methods of communication available including routine radio use in the event of an issue.
“We feel really good about the network and we’re confident that it’s going to be in good shape,” Kew said.
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