Method and apparatus for enhancing the survivability of wireless communication systems in response to catastrophic events

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enhancing the survivability of a wireless communications network in response to catastrophic events. The operation of one or more partitions of wireless system components is monitored, and one or more emergency communications are rerouted through the network when one or more of these partitions of wireless system components is determined to be non-operational. In one embodiment of the invention, catastrophic alerting system nodes are associated with and co-located with each of various types of wireless system components, such as, for example, mobile switching centers, base station controllers and base stations, and advantageously identify segments (e.g., partitions of wireless system components) that are out of service. Then, emergency communications (e.g., “911” calls) may be advantageously rerouted through the network when one or more of these partitions of wireless system components is determined to be non-operational.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.