Hawaiian Telcom Needs To Make A Stronger Efffort

[PaulW]

I wasn't referring to Skype, if I have a landline and want to phone someone, I just dial.

Even though landlines are a rip-off and you have to deal with HawTel, they sure are nice to have when the power is out - as long as you also have an old-fashioned phone handy!

[Devany]

Paul, cell phones work fine in an outage too and there are no long distance fees. I think the original poster was worried about the economic viability of Hawaii Telcom in general... which seems to be walking on some shaky ground. We were discussing life without Hawaii Tecom, which is a serious possibility. The various alternatives are promising compared to Hawaii Telcom.

Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany

www.myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com
www.eastbaypotters.blogspot.com

[DickWilson]

Devany; most cell towers have a very limited backup power system. Only a very few are on a UPS system with generator capability. During an extended outage most towers will go out of service when their battery backup runs down. Some towers do have PV capability, but not most. The landlines are powered from the phone company, who do have UPS and generator systems to provide power. While I'm not a fan of Hawtel, they do have a point about their lines working during disasters. But you do want a corded phone, portables are useless in a power outage.

dick wilson
"Nothing is idiot proof,because idiots are so ingenious!"

[janet]

Re: Cell phones during a disaster

I was in Manhattan on September 11, 2001. When the Tower with the cell phone antenna collapsed, ALL cell phone service in Manhattan and parts of Queens, Brooklyn and New Jersey went out. The land lines worked. As a result, most first-respnders, who at that time were moving to depending on cell phones, changed the emphasis of their systems to include both.

An earthquake, hurricane or tsunami could easily take out antennae on the Big Island. Therefore, we should consider the need for some sort of land-line company to continue to serve us.

[Bob Orts]

Don't worry folks, Hawaiian Telecom is an ILEC. If the FCC believes it's on the verge of collapse, they will step in, assume control of the infrastructure and assets that are required to provide dial-tone, and assign another ILEC or CLEC to assume control over the landlines. Landlines via a regulated carrier will always remain operational.