Virginia Earthquake Drops Voice Calls

Very little damage was reported following the 5.8-magnitude earthquake in Virginia on Aug. 23, 2011, but wireless circuits wound up jammed, as you would expect. The four major wireless carriers in the U.S. reported disruptions to their voice services following what one called a “mass-calling event,” leaving text messages and wireless data services as a more-reliable way to communicate, some would argue.

For at least an hour or two after the earthquake struck at 1:51 p.m. Eastern Time, trying to make voice calls from major cities on the Eastern Seaboard was pointless, users on the east coast say.

Earthquake Drops Voice Calls, Data Gets Through