CHICAGO -- 4G World 2012 -- 8:20 AM -- It was a strange start to 4G World, UBM TechWeb's show in Chicago Monday.
The proceedings were knocked more than a little sideways by the raging storm that continues to pound the Northeast of the U.S. Some speakers, such as Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Ajit Pai, had to deliver presentations via videoconferencing sessions after getting stuck without a flight to Chicago.
I don't really know what to expect when I return to Brooklyn. Certainly some of the flooding in Manhattan and the power outages across the boroughs and New Jersey look like something out of a disaster movie.
But it's really for people closer to the scene to write and talk about that. One place they're updating on the situation is this Facebook page.
I did notice one thing though: Mobile networks seem a lot more stable then during previous disasters, such as 9/11. Back then, all the mobile networks went down very quickly as people jammed the circuits. Only the Ricochet Network was intact for a while.
This time, people in New York were still texting me, messaging me and using social media on their phones and tablets as their power went out.
Now, I don't want to compare the two disasters: In fact, we probably won't even know the full human and monetary costs of Sandy for a while.
I just found it interesting that Sandy doesn't seem to have been the knockout punch to wireless communications that 9/11 or even the blackout was.
It'll be something to ask carriers about here. Just why is this?
Although I also wonder if the advent of texting in the U.S., which really grew in popularity after 2011, helps to smooth out sending reassuring notes to friends and family without clogging the network excessively.
Anyway, If you're in the path of storm, best of luck and let me know how your wireless communications hold up.
— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile
