Val-Com Prepares T-Mobile for Hurricane Season
In an effort to proactively prepare for the upcoming hurricane
season T-Mobile Houston has asked VAL-COM Field Services
to assist them in evaluating the readiness of their network.
VAL-COM has put together a task force to specifically address
the concern of the duration of auxiliary power during a
commercial power outage. In this 2 phase project VAL-COM
will scrub the entire T-Mobile network consisting of close
to 900 sites and then repair any faulty or missing units.
In addition to this VAL-COM will be providing technicians
to troubleshoot any extenuating circumstances that result
in battery backup failure.
Val-Com Aids T-Mobile With Chronic T-1’s
As we all know in the telecommunications business in order
for a cell site to function at 100% a clean and reliable
T1 must be used. There have been many instance’s where
a cell site may appear to be working great but still have
what we call a “Chronic T-1”. This names meaning
comes from the cell sites data phone line which is not functioning
at 100%. When these highly important data transfers are interrupted
and cause problems in the network, then it gets labeled as
a Chronic T1. Early this August we were contacted by T-Mobile
to be responsible for testing T1’s and communicating
with local phone authorities, such as SBC, Verizon, & Alpheus.
Val-Com since then has found numerous data lines with defected
copper, improper grounding, bad circuits, defected transmission
cards, and more. By eliminating such problems allows T-Mobile’s
Houston Network to operate at its’ highest quality.
Such high quality decreases drop call ratio, congestion,
and increases service. Val-Com is proud of its’ numerous
technical teams and is thankful for T-Mobile’s trust
with us and their Houston Network. At this time the Chronic
T1 Task Force is still operating for T-Mobile Houston.
Hurricane Rita and Val-Com
About 3 weeks after the Category 4 Hurricane Katrina devastated
New Orleans, Hurricane Rita that at one point was a Category
5 Hurricane, headed straight for the Texas-Louisiana coast.
There was widespread panic and a sense of distress to the
point that 2.7 million people evacuated the surrounding areas
that caused fuel shortages, long wait times at stores that
were depleted of supplies and extreme drive times. T-Mobile’s
network was in danger of being crippled by this powerful
force of nature. VAL-COM Field Services, Inc. was called
upon to help prepare and recover their network. We aided
preparations by providing sand and sandbags to barricade
and protect the Central Switch from possible flooding; we
also boarded up the windows, prep generators for deployment
and help stock emergency supplies. When the Hurricane made
landfall, over 280 sites were down and the entire eastern
part of the T-mobile Houston Market from the Beltway 8 loop
all the way to Lake Charles was incapacitated. The EOC (Emergency
Operations Center) was established and VAL-COM Field Services,
Inc. provided 24 hr monitoring of their network and network
evaluations that help to direct the recovery effort and select
target areas for recovery. Functional teams were established
to test T-1s, deploy generators, create refueling routes
and assess site and structural damage. Working with the NOC
(Network Operation Center), based remotely in Florida, we
had teams creating trouble tickets, monitoring the network
and escalations to the regional and corporate levels. Shortly
after, T-Mobile coordinated with FEMA and their emergency
operations to help restore communications to the area. T-Mobile
was given access to restricted emergency areas and they were
able to provide mobile generators at key refueling points
and provide cell phones in areas where coverage was restored
and assist local law enforcement agencies with supplies.
At a point in their recovery effort, T-Mobile had over 80
generators deployed at sites providing power and established
coverage over the major cities in that area and their connecting
highways. In little over a week the affected area was over
80 percent recovered and site assessments showed significant
damage to line, antennas, towers and base stations. VAL-COM
Field Services, Inc. turned their efforts onto the demanding
refueling task at hand. We continue to provide support and
network assistance.
NOKIA partnership formed to address
T-Mobile’s EDGE
concerns
NOKIA partnership formed to address T-Mobile’s EDGE
concerns. In the first quarter of 2005, NOKIA came to T-Mobile
to offer its solutions for their EDGE needs in Corpus Christi,
South Texas. VAL-COM Field Services was contacted to assist
their efforts. In a about a month’s time 34 Intratalk
to Ultrasite swap outs were completed. In the second quarter,
NOKIA received the contract for the T-Mobile Houston Market
and VAL-COM was contracted for 44 Citytalk to Ultrasite swap
outs. EDGE technology is designed to integrate into the existing
network. The installed base evolves; it is not replaced or
built from scratch, making implementation seamless. With
EDGE, operators can offer more wireless data applications,
including wireless multimedia, e-mail, web infotainment and
positioning services, for both consumer and business users.
Subscribers will be able to browse the Internet on their
mobile phones, personal digital assistants or laptops at
the same speed as on stationary personal computers. EDGE
will eventually evolve GSM into WCDMA (Wideband Code Division
Multiple Access).
T-Mobile expands their existing network to complement EDGE
development.
T-Mobile expands their existing network to complement EDGE
development. In an effort to provide the best service and
latest technology, T-Mobile has already enriched their Houston
network with close to 50 new sites. VAL-COM Field Services
has been an integral part of establishing a neural net that
is expected to grow past 1000 sites by the end of this year.
T-Mobile Houston is expanding and enhancing every aspect
of their system for optimal performance with some areas even
pushing their maximum limits of capacity and performance.
With the addition of EDAP pools, 32 Kb signaling and other
various software upgrades T-Mobile is seriously pushing to
evolve their GSM network into the EDGE era.
First NOKIA Ultrasite EDGE BTS
With T-Mobile ready to deploy its first NOKIA Ultrasite EDGE
BTS compatible network, VAL-COM Field Services has been chosen
to implement the software upgrade to complete this process.
VAL-COM Field Services was chosen to install and commission
T-Mobile Houston’s first NOKIA Ultrasite BTS. After
beginning the project of network upgrades and BTS swap outs,
we are now ready to activate and integrate the NOKIA Ultrasite
BTS EDGE software which will enable data transfer speeds
comparable to DSL, allowing a faster more effective wireless
internet connection as well as improved text, picture and
video transfer speeds. VAL-COM Field Services is honored
to be a part of this network’s growing experience.
We will continue to strive for exceptional service and customer
satisfaction.
First NOKIA Ultrasite Split cabinet Configuration in T-Mobile
Houston
December 1, 2004 – T-Mobile Houston deployed their
first ever split cab configuration of the NOKIA Ultrasite.
It consists of one site split up with separate battery systems
in different locations at the top of the George R. Brown
convention center (GBRCC) in downtown Houston. The GBRCC
is well known for its political conventions, product exhibitions
and merchandise expos. The task at hand would require the
special efforts of Handyman Movers as well as the VAL-COM
new construction installation team. The site would be installed
inside the building beside the air conditioning units. The
pathway to the installation site would be the service rafter
at the top of the building. With tight clearances and various
ramps to cross, the transport of the equipment would prove
the most challenging. A site walkthrough prior to BTS deployment
aided in addressing any issues that might arise during installation.
As you can see in the enclosed photos, the joint efforts
of Handyman Movers and VAL-COM Field Services provided a
quality installation and a satisfied customer.
Hurricanes harass Florida’s coast
With the devastation of Charley behind them, Floridians weathered
out yet another hurricane, Hurricane Frances. Hurricane Frances’ outspread
weather bands pounded the coast with driving rains causing
even more flooding and damage. With 2 major hurricanes making
landfall in less than a month, Florida’s battered coast
suffered the extended loss of power, interrupted communications
and a shortage of gasoline and clean water. Relief teams
worked hard to restore these valuable resources. The nation
came together to aide Florida. Convoys of disaster relief
vehicles, electrical companies and phone companies were imported
to assist the overwhelmed Floridians. In many instances the
only source of communication was the use of cell phones.
With concerned family members around the world wanting to
know how their relatives were doing, T-Mobile did their best
to restore all their communication systems. Utilizing all
their resources and with the assistance of VAL-COM Field
Services, they were able to shorten the time frame in which
customers had to go without service. This relief served Florida
some of the comfort and reassurance it needed to help them
through this disaster. This was the first step on the road
to recovery.
06/15/2005
“Repair crews restored electricity overnight to 150,000
homes that lost power across seven counties when storms blew
down power lines that triggered an emergency shutdown at
a Montgomery County power plant. High winds from storms apparently
knocked down 16 transmission lines last night” quotes
a local newspaper. “The Houston area was hit….
with a major power outage that left 54 sites without power.
Thanks to some great Operations employees and contractors,
we were able to keep the damage to a minimum. Special thanks….
for reacting quickly, volunteering to work and taking care
of business.” writes Frank Flores, T-Mobile Operations
Supervisor commemorating the joint effort between T-Mobile
and VAL-COM Field Services after a power substation left
many people without power.
