Mobile carriers have been preparing intensively for the inauguration day, yet the millions of people in Washington faced delays on Tuesday while trying to make phone calls. The operators said the surge was not as high as expected, and it caused problems mostly in the first half of the day.

 

Some reported not being able to make immediate phone calls in the morning hours or at noon, however after several attempts, they did manage to get through. Cell phone users faced the same delays when they tried to send text messages as well.

 

The Washington cellular networks have been optimized to handle the increased traffic, and their capacities have been increased by adding portable sites, such as Cells on Wheels (COWS) and Cells on Light Trucks (COLTS), throughout Washington.

 

The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association warned about the record-breaking crowd expected at the event, and pleaded for patience and the wise use of cell phones during the historic event.

 

Cell phone owners have been advised to send text messages instead of making voice calls, in order not to overwhelm the networks. In addition to that, they have also been advised not to send videos or pictures via their cell phones until after the ceremony is over.

 

It is not unusual for an event of such amplitude to force mobile operators to enhance their network capacities in order to handle the traffic. According to some estimations, the usage was 5 to 10 times the normal traffic.

 

But, some carriers, such as Verizon Wireless, reported that even in the most crowded areas, some calls went through at first attempt. Overall, the carriers seemed pleased with how well their performance was during inauguration day, but the people attending the event that were unable to get through might think otherwise.