Satellite COLTS and State-of-the-Art Trailers part of drill
Atlanta, Georgia, March 19, 2013
Tornadoes, violent storms, floods, even man-made disasters – Atlantans have seen their share. AT&T* recognizes the importance of reliable communication during a disaster and that’s why its Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) organization will conduct a technology recovery demonstration, March 17-21 in downtown Atlanta. The drills include establishing emergency communications channels from the site – using equipment such as Emergency Communications Vehicles, satellite COLTs (Cell on Light Trucks), and state-of-the-art trailers.
A total of 15 pieces of recovery equipment will be on-hand, including:
- Two Technology Trailers
- Hazmat Response Trailer
- COLT (Cell on Light Truck) – a cell tower than can be moved anywhere via truck
- Emergency Communications Vehicle
- Emergency Communications Auxiliary Trailer (ECAT)
- Incident Command Trailer and a Rehab/Team Support Trailer Power Trailer and Power Distribution Trailer
In its two decades of service, the team has been deployed more than 70 times – including recent deployments for recent Hurricanes Sandy and Isaac in Louisiana. The NDR team deployed to Alabama and Tennessee after a series of spring tornadoes swept through the area in 2011.
“We chose Atlanta for this exercise, in part, to help local and regional first responders understand NDR’s role in restoring communications for an area impacted by a disaster,” said Mark Francis, VP, Network Operations. ”NDR exercises are a global effort – they are conducted in the United States and abroad to maintain the readiness of the team and its equipment.”
NDR exercises are designed to test AT&T’s ability to respond to a disaster impacting a telecommunications central office. The drills include establishing emergency communications channels from the site – using equipment such as Emergency Communications Vehicles, satellite COLTs (Cell on Light Trucks), and microwave radio links.
AT&T has invested more than $600 million in its U.S. NDR program and another $15 million internationally. Team members have spent more than 125,000 working hours on field exercises and deployments over the last two decades. AT&T is the first company nationwide to receive United States Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Private Sector Preparedness Program (PS-Prep) certification.
For more information about AT&T’s NDR program, please visit the Network Disaster Recovery page.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T, news, filings) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s largest 4G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T |DIRECTV brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.
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