Millions of tourists are expected to flock to the path of totality during the solar eclipse on April 8 – and experts warn the influx could disrupt cellular activity.
Up to one million are set for Texas, 500,000 in Indiana and Ohio and nearly 400,000 people could travel to New York – and state officials fear the increased demand could trigger connection delays or dropped calls.
To ease the burden on American towns, T-Mobile is deploying additional cell sites that will be on standby in areas expecting high tourist traffic.
And in a small Ohio town, which could see an 250,000 visitors, Verizon is setting up a portable tower ahead of the cosmic event.
Up to one million are set for Texas, 500,000 in Indiana and Ohio and nearly 400,000 people could travel to New York – and US network providers fear the increased demand could trigger connection delays or dropped calls
The total solar occurs when the moon completely blocks the face of the sun, briefly turning the outdoors dark during the daytime
Rebecca Owens, director of the Richland County Emergency Management Authority (EMA), told the Richland Source: ‘Cell phone (reception) will be very, very sketchy.
‘There will be lots of issues with connectivity and that type of thing.’
The total solar occurs when the moon completely blocks the face of the sun, briefly turning the outdoors dark during the daytime.
The spectacle will be visible to an estimated 32 million people along a narrow path through North and Central America.
It will mark the first total solar eclipse visible anywhere in the world since December 2021, and the first seen from the US since August 2017.
Whatever your location along the path of totality, the total eclipse should be visible for about four minutes.
AT&T analyzed network traffic during the 2027 eclipse in the US, finding a more than double spike in SMS activity during the 24 hours of the eclipse path of totality versus the previous Monday.
Data showed a 40 percent increase in text messaging and a 15 percent jump in voice calls within those 24 hours.
Ulf Ewaldsson, president of technology at T-Mobile, said: ‘T-Mobile is working hand-in-hand with state and local authorities to address the anticipated surge in network traffic to guarantee seamless connectivity for all.’
Millions of tourists are expected to flock to the path of totality during the solar eclipse on April 8 – and experts warn the influx could disrupt cellular activity
To ease the burden on American towns, T-Mobile is deploying additional cell sites that will be on standby in areas expecting high tourist traffic
Arkansas is along the path of totality, where state officials are preparing for the tourist boom that could see the current three million population double in size.
Rep. Davis Whitaker, from Fayetteville, said during a legislative meeting in December: ‘I’m concerned about cellular communication.
‘Are the cellular providers in the state part of this plan?’
AR Division of Emergency Management Director A.J. Gary told council members communication continuity will be one of the top challenges during the eclipse.
‘Cell companies are involved in the communications. We also can bring in additional cell-on-wheels to boost that capacity,’ Gary said.
Up north in Maine, Franklin County is also holding discussions to prepare for limited or even no smartphone service where tens of thousands of visitors are expected, worrying that ‘cell coverage is scarce as it is.’
Franklin County Emergency Services Coordinator Rob Demarse told Adirondack Daily Enterprise that the town is working with the Department of Homeland Security to map all roads for cell coverage.
And in Texas, which is set to see more than one million out-of-towners, officials are advising people to enable Wi-Fi calling in the event of service interruptions.
The Lone Star state could also see a significant drop in solar generation.
Hugh Cutcher, a data scientist for solar power forecaster Solcast, said: ‘Individual assets will lose up to 16 percent of their daily irradiance.
He also predicted there will be an over all 11.7 percent loss of the state’s total daily solar generation.
Like any eclipse, it’s important not to look directly at the sun with the naked eye while the event is happening – not even through sunglasses, binoculars or a telescope.
A simple pinhole projector, solar eclipse viewing glasses, which can be purchased online, or special solar filters are much safer.
