When disasters strike, communications become even more critical

Today throughout the developed world we largely take instant communications for granted. Only when they are disrupted do we realize how important they are to us – the ability to speak to family and friends is a core human need.

Unfortunately, loss of communication often occurs at time of greatest need – when our homes and families are at risk through natural or man-made disasters. There are many theories as to the fundamental cause of the tragic wild fires sweeping through California, but the same flames that are destroying people’s homes are also taking out cell sites and other critical infrastructure – depriving communities of communication just when they need it most – the call to emergency services for help; or hopefully, the reassuring call to loved ones that says “don’t worry – we’re safe.”

CLICK TO TWEET: When disasters strike, communications become even more critical.

At CommScope, we can’t do much about the cause of such fires, but what we can do is work with service providers to rapidly replace equipment, such as antennas, with the shortest possible lead time to get damaged sites back operating as quickly as possible. We do this by designing products, such as our new USX and HX series microwave antennas, in a modular way so we can leverage our global network of manufacturing facilities to deliver materials in a timely manner. This is allowing us to deliver replacement equipment to our customers in the California area quickly.

The real heroes in all these situations are the emergency services, who work tirelessly to protect the rest of us, and the local service providers, whose crews get fire ravaged sites back up and operating in an amazingly short time. It is up the rest of us to give them the support they need and deserve.