Incoming crowds for the Halloween weekend will likely leave most without cell phone service
You should probably brace for some cell phone outages this weekend for Halloween when Athens’ population is expected to almost double and the area’s towers become cramped.
Sprint will once again this year try to slightly improve connection for its customers, according to city officials, by adding more service. A representative from Sprint could not provide further comment by press time.
Similar to a highway system, when too many people use their cell phones it causes a traffic jam, effectively making communication through cellular devices impossible. The only way to combat the lack of service is to install more cellular stations to spread out the flow of data coming in and out.
Athens City Police Department Chief Tom Pyle said officers have the same difficulties communicating as everyone else, and that they too are looking forward to Sprint improving the signal.
“We have the same issues the public has, but it’s a lot better than it used to be. Sprint sets up what’s called a ‘Cow,’ and they lease property from the city to double their coverage that weekend,” Pyle said.
The cell phone coverage might not be great but Pyle believes that huge strides have been made in recent years.
“Ten years ago, you’d flip your phone open and you were getting a busy signal right away. Now it’s hit or miss, and it’s peaking off,” Pyle added.
Now, you might be worried you can’t text your crush, send a tweet, post a picture on Instagram or message a match on Tinder; however, bigger problems might arise this weekend because of the spotty connection.
That’s why the Ohio University Police Department said the expected cell outages should prompt Halloween partygoers to rely on good ol’ human-to-human contact.
“Watch each other’s back,” OUPD Chief Andrew Powers said.
Athens Halloween Block Party is notorious for its size, alcohol use and poor cell phone connection. Those three combined can create some dangerous situations.
With a crowd size sometimes peaking over 30,000 during the Block Party, Powers said it’s important for people to go Uptown in a group. He said it’s a good idea to set a meet-up point if a member of a group wanders off.
The lack of cell phone connection this weekend makes staying with your friends and keeping away from risky situations even more important.
“It’s a grin-and-bear-it situation for the whole weekend,” Pyle said.
@MCUDS
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