Cellular Network Crashes In Norway...Again

June 22, 2005

According to a brief account by the Associated Press this early afternoon, Norway’s No.2 mobile phone service provider, NetCom, experienced its second network breakdown in the span of 10 days. The breakdown left approximately 200,000 subscribers without service for several hours today.

An initial outage, in most of the country’s northern half, was reported by NetCom to be caused by human error during work on an exchange.

OK. Human error? Not a tech kink or quirk that occurred with the network’s infrastructure due to God-sent disasters? But human error? Leaving an entire half of a country without service of their cell phones for one to three hours, resulting in the inability to make calls or send text messages?

Even Homer never melted down the Springfield power plant.

(“Uh, I think it’s the red wire.” “No, no, it’s the blue one.” “Careful with the coffee!” “Oops. I think it’s OK. Uh, Svein, you think a few drops of coffee on that wire will cause any damage?”)

Another breakdown on June 11 left about 20 percent of NetCom’s 1.2 million subscribers without service for more than a day, leaving subscribers without the ability to call or text message -- for more than a day!

According to Norwegian news source, Aftenposten, regarding a NetCom network folly: “NetCom officials themselves had to resort to using their arch rival Telenor’s service, while several corporate customers scrambled to re-install the permanent telephone lines that were removed when they went over to strictly mobile operations.” Even a government minister in charge of communications and transportation issues was unable to use her cell phone.

See AP’s coverage below.

---

DRB

Breakdown Causes Norway Cellular Disruption

A second network breakdown in 10 days for Norway's No. 2 mobile phone service provider left about 200,000 subscribers without service for several hours Wednesday.

NetCom said in a statement that an initial outage in most of Norway's northern half was caused by human error during work on an exchange based in Oslo. It lasted one to three hours, depending on location.

Another breakdown on June 11 left about 20 percent of NetCom's 1.2 million subscribers without service for more than a day until the problem was repaired.

In both cases, subscribers were unable to make calls or send text messages.