T-Mobile offers free Wi-Fi and battery charging to everyone impacted by L.A. wildfires
T-Mobile has sent out an update for those affected by the California wildfires. One T-Mobile store in South Pasadena is offering free Wi-Fi connectivity and 24/7 device charging to any member of the community ravaged by the wildfires. The location of the T-Mobile Freemont & Huntington retail store is 1318 Huntington Dr., South Pasadena, CA 91030. You do not have to be a T-Mobile subscriber to take advantage of the carrier's largesse.
In addition, T-Mobile says that it is working with the American Red Cross to help bring Wi-Fi connectivity and charging to shelters and other locations. Last week the carrier offered the connectivity and charging at five different locations including the Pasadena Civic Center and Malibu Equestrian Center.
To help restore wireless service in Southern California that has gone down, T-Mobile is deploying a 100-man crew that includes field engineers, technicians, and others working around the clock with innovative technology and equipment including:
- Satellite Cell on Light Trucks (SatCOLTs) and Satellite Cell on Wheels (SatCOWs)-These are mobile cell sites that are driven into the impacted area to restore or even boost service. The SatCOLTs are parked in Pacific Palisades at Los Angeles Fire Department Station 69 and Loma Alta Park in Altadena.
- "Very Small Aperture Terminals" (VSATS)-These are small satellite dishes that can be set up quickly to provide temporary wireless service by receiving and sending data from the T-Mobile network. Microwave solutions are also being used to offer high throughput and low latency for improved data usage while portable power generators provide the power to run the temporary sites. T-Mobile is also permanently installing generators and batteries in cell sites, data centers, and switching centers in the region.
T-Mobile's emergency crews are working hard to restore service in the area of Southern California impacted by wildfires. | Image credit-T-Mobile
As we told you a few days ago, T-Mobile activated an early test version of Direct-to-Cell in L.A. This allows T-Mobile subscribers unable to connect their phones to a cellular or Wi-Fi network make a call or send text messages to friends, family, and emergency contacts using Starlink satellites. This is taking place as the carrier has started allowing some subscribers who signed up for the beta version of Direct-to-Cell to send and receive texts, including 911 emergency messages, via satellite.
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