16 May 2008 China Mobile has established mobile communication links to all counties of Sichuan Province, including the epicentre, Wenchuan County.

Using satellite base stations, fibre optic lines and emergency communications vehicles, China Mobile technicians are now able to patch calls to the mobile communications network.

After roads were finally cleared China Mobile emergency communications vehicles were able to make their way to Wenchuan at 1:15 am on May 16th where satellite emergency base stations had been earlier airlifted. The first mobile phone call to the outside world in four days was made from Wenchuan at 8:30 in the morning.

More than ten repair crews have arrived in Pingwu County where they expect to have ten permanent base station repaired soon.

In Beichuan county four base stations have been repaired and in Lixian county seven permanent base stations have been put back into operation.

As of 4 p.m. Friday, 1,234 base stations were still out of service. Since the May 12th earthquake which registered 7.8 on the Richter scale, 3,323 mobile base stations have been put back on-line.

In Gansu Province 208 base stations have resumed service, and in Shaanix Province 709 are now back in operation.

CM has provided 35 satellite phones to rescue command centers, 300 generators and 15 emergency communications vehicles.

Relative News