Cell networks handle inauguration volume smoothly

— -- Months of planning by the USA's biggest cellphone carriers paid off Tuesday, with the Washington, D.C., networks of AT&T, Verizon and Sprint handling millions of additional calls, texts and downloads without any major incidents or failures.

Months of planning by the USA's biggest cellphone carriers paid off Tuesday, with the Washington, D.C., networks of AT&T, Verizon and Sprint handling millions of additional calls, texts and downloads without any major incidents or failures.

He said calling volume dropped considerably after the swearing-in ceremony.

"Even in the most crowded areas, the vast majority of calls are going through on the first attempt," Johnson reported, calling in on his cellphone near the swearing-in site.

There had been some concern that massive amounts of picture transmission by enthusiastic crowds, eager to record their own piece of history, might cause network crashes during the swearing-in. But that didn't happen.

"Text and pictures (transmission) have not experienced any delays," Johnson says.

"We have had some congestion, which is no surprise, given the large number of people and heavy usage, but overall, we are pleased," AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said in an e-mail.

All three carriers have been adding capacity — in the form of cell towers and "backhaul" equipment, some temporary, that connects towers to the local land-line network — in downtown Washington for months.