Sprint Customers Hurt by Power Failure at NY Site September 14, 2001 2:09 pm EST

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Sprint Corp. (FON.N), the No. 3 U.S. long-distance telephone company, said power failures at a New York switching facility near the destroyed World Trade Center disrupted service to some voice and data customers on Friday, and caused wireless outages in southern Connecticut. Commercial power at the switching facility in lower Manhattan began fluctuating at about 3:30 a.m. EDT, which forced Sprint to alternately switch among battery, generator and commercial power.

Although service for most Sprint's long-distance and wireless customers remains normal, damage to local telephone companies' facilities may make it difficult to complete calls to New York City, the company said.

Sprint said its technicians are working with power companies, other telecommunications companies and government officials to stabilize service at the switching facility. Work also is under way to restore service to Sprint PCS wireless customers in Connecticut. It did not disclose how many customers were affected by the outages.

Tuesday's air attacks on the World Trade Center damaged switching facilities, which route and connect telephone calls, and wireless transmitter sites of several telephone companies.

Sprint had four wireless cell sites in the lower Manhattan disaster site damaged, and other sites in the city had temporarily lost service because of power failures.

Verizon Communications (VZ.N), the dominant local telephone company in the northeastern United States, lost service to a building that handled 200,000 telephone lines, and three million private data lines for the New York Stock Exchange and other clients.

Verizon's wireless telephone arm, Verizon Wireless, lost 10 transmitter sites, which are used to connect wireless telephone calls. Cingular Wireless, the No. 2 U.S. wireless telephone company, said its wireless data unit lost six transmitter facilities in New York.

http://www.iwon.com/home/technology/tech_article/0,2109,165136|technology|09-14-2001::14:13|reuters,00.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), September 16, 2001

Answers

Verizon had better work quickly. Otherwise their will be no stock market opening Monday as billed.

-- Verne (vern@norcross.net), September 16, 2001.