(CNN) — As darkness engulfs millions of people during Monday’s total solar eclipse, viewers will hold their mobile phones to the sky to capture the moment. But could increased mobile phone use cause networks to be affected?
In both city centers and rural towns, network providers and public officials say they are preparing for a significant increase in traffic on mobile phone and Wi-Fi networks, as the rush of tourists through The eclipse will put pressure on major online network providers.
The path of the total eclipse – where it is possible to see the Moon completely blocking the face of the Sun – will attract thousands of tourists to states in the US, from Texas to Maine. Travelers will rely on the network infrastructure in those areas as they use social media, livestreams and video calls to commemorate their experience.
The eclipse itself does not affect wireless networks. But the influx of tourists into cities and towns creates an atmosphere similar to that of a football game or a concert in a packed stadium: the larger the crowd, the harder it can be to get a cellular connection.
“Anywhere in the center of the total eclipse path will see a significant increase in cell phone use, especially during the period of totality and shortly after,” said Caty Pilachowski, professor of astronomy at Indiana University. in Bloomington, in an interview with CNN.
Bloomington, which last recorded a total eclipse in 1869, will be in the path of the total eclipse on Monday and could welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors.
“An eclipse is often seen as a shared activity,” Pilachowski said, noting that people will take photos and videos and share those images.
Eclipse on mobile phone networks?
AT&T expects an increase in network traffic as people “take out their devices to capture and share content” during the total eclipse, according to a company spokesperson.
When the last total solar eclipse crossed the United States in 2017, AT&T reported network usage spikes of up to 15% around certain cell towers in the path of the total eclipse. But the company, which experienced an outage that affected millions of people in February, says it is ready for this Monday. “The eclipse itself will not have any direct operational impact on our wireless network,” an AT&T spokesperson wrote in an email.
And other large providers such as Verizon and T-Mobile echo AT&T’s confidence in Monday’s celestial spectacle.
Verizon says it has built out its US infrastructure along the path of the eclipse over the past year. Serico said the wireless carrier has built and activated 19 new cell sites in Niagara and Erie counties in New York — locations along the path of the total eclipse — since early 2023.
In Northeast Ohio, Verizon has activated 60 new cell sites in six counties located in the path of totality. In the Dallas area, Verizon has activated 375 new cell sites.
“We are confident that the additional capacity we have added to the network in recent years will be able to cope with any increase in data usage in areas where people gather to witness this event,” Serico said.
T-Mobile says it is also deploying additional temporary cell sites that will be on standby in areas where a large influx of tourists is expected. These portable sites – cells on wheels – are called COW for short.
Major mobile carriers are also benefiting from 5G innovation since the last eclipse. AT&T has expanded its 5G network to reach more than 295 million people in up to 24,500 cities and towns across the United States.
“All 5G launches and upgrades have been rolled out to our network since the last solar eclipse swept across the United States in 2017,” Verizon’s Serico said.
Preparations for the eclipse
In New York, which will experience its first total eclipse in nearly a century, state and local governments say they have been coordinating with wireless providers for more than a year to prepare for the event.
“Operators are aware of the influx of people expected to visit New York for this event and have conducted site audits and evaluated coverage maps,” Heather Groll, a spokeswoman for the Security Division, said in an email. National and New York State Emergency Services.
However, New York authorities expect a large influx of visitors: in Buffalo there could be up to 1 million tourists, and in Rochester between 300,000 and 500,000 are expected, according to Groll. This means that residents in those areas may experience regular service interruptions.
“Visitors and New Yorkers alike should expect coverage to be limited where there are large gatherings and plan accordingly,” Groll wrote in an email.
While some cities may experience outages, it all depends on the number of people using a tower and the specific capacity of the area, according to NASA program scientist Lisa Winter.
“It can be difficult in a busy area if many people use the same towers,” Winter explains in an email.
According to Rick Dietz, director of Bloomington’s Department of Information and Technology Services, the city has coordinated with service providers to deploy the portable facilities in low coverage areas.
He said providers are indicating that regular calls should go ahead, but data services may be strained or unavailable.
In Little Rock, Arkansas, city officials say they are not worried about disruptions to cellphone service.
“We know that the state and federal governments have allocated resources primarily for rural areas of the state that may have limited access to the cellular network,” Little Rock spokesman Aaron Sadler said in an email. “The city of Little Rock does not have the same coverage concerns and we hope there will be no network issues next week.”
Tips for the eclipse
People traveling to see the eclipse should plan ahead, downloading maps and directions beforehand to have on hand in case the connection is poor.
With or without a phone, the most important thing, according to Pilachowski, is to enjoy the experience.
“A total solar eclipse is unlike any other experience that a human being can live. It deeply connects us not only with nature, but with the universe,” he explains. “We are connected to the Sun and the Moon and the entire wide universe in a way we don’t normally experience. It’s a profound moment we want everyone to feel and share.”