"Wireless Carriers Caution Of Blockages Tuesday"

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

And our last word in business today is: reach out and text someone. That's what wireless companies are asking people to do this Tuesday if they are among the huge crowds expected to attend the inauguration. The companies are adding extra lanes on their wireless highways, using mobile cell towers like this.

Ms. TANYA LIN (PMP Manager, Logistic and Program Management, Sprint Nextel Corporation): This is an F6 chassis. We've got the actual cell tower, equipment built onto it. You've got a mass that extents 65 feet with a height of the vehicles about 70-foot mass. So, you can provide a very large bubble of coverage.

MONTAGNE: That's Tanya Lin of Sprint Nextel. She says, despite this added capacity, those using mobile phones are still likely to run into blockages. And the worst time to make a call? Not necessarily the moment Barack Obama raises his hand to take the oath of office.

Ms. LIN: It's when people are waiting. So, what do you doing when you're waiting, you're bored? And you take those pictures; you send the text messages; you get on the phones, like, you will never believe how cold it is.

MONTAGNE: Tanya Lin says people maybe too focused on the speech and swearing in to click, snap or text their friends. Whenever you do use your devise, carriers asked that you text. And if you take photos, wait until later in the day to hit the send button. That's the business news on Morning Edition from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.