http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/01/19/1743829.aspxA cell-phone-generated blizzard of voice calls, text messages and pictures swept through the nation's capital as President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration neared - sparking scattered reports of delays and blocked calls. Wireless service operators said the problems weren't any worse than they expected, and they repeated their advice for keeping the voice and data traffic running smoothly.
Cell-phone crush
By some estimates, millions of mobile-phone users have converged on the Washington area for Tuesday's inaugural ceremonies. To cope with the expected crush, service providers have been adding as much capacity as they can to the area's wireless networks, said Joe Farren, spokesman for CTIA, the wireless industry's trade association.
That includes bringing in portable cell-phone switching equipment on mobile trailers ("cell on wheels," or COWs) and trucks ("cell on light trucks," or COLTs).
Despite those measures, the wireless companies still expected some glitches to crop up. "If 3 or 4 million people show up, and they're all trying to get on the Internet to send pictures, there could be congestion," Farren said.
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