Northwest Florida Long-Distance Service Disrupted

Sep. 2–An undersea long-distance telephone switch owned by Sprint Nextel near New Orleans was damaged during Hurricane Katrina, causing disruption to long-distance service in Northwest Florida and other locations.

The disruption is to both wired and wireless connections. Spokesman Nanci Schwartz said the switch had to be turned off.

“Much of Sprint Nextel’s long-distance service is typically directed through New Orleans, thus customers in the Florida Panhandle may find it difficult to place long-distance calls, send data or use the Internet,” Schwartz said.

It was unclear Thursday how widespread an area was affected by the service disruption.

Customers on Sprint’s network found it impossible to make calls immediately after Katrina struck Louisiana and Mississippi. By Wednesday and into Thursday, some calls were being connected, although others received a recorded message that all circuits were busy.

“Obviously, we must wait until it is safe to move into the area,” said Sal Todaro, Southeast vice president of Sprint Nextel.

He said Sprint Nextel also may be connecting through other communications companies which still are not operating. “It is a complex issue,” he said.

Joyce Sanders, public relations director for Sprint in Fort Walton Beach, said Sprint is moving generators and personnel to wireless sites with battery backup to recharge those batteries and activate the sites.

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