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Story: London blasts leave mobile networks struggling
Posted by: David Wright (Friday 8 July 2005, 8:14 AM)
First off, my condolences to those involved in the bombings yesterday and their families.
It wasn't just the mobile networks, the international lines, at least those routing calls from Europe were also seeing very high demand.
I tried 'phoning family and friends yesterday evening and it took more than an hour to get a connection to the UK, I was constantly getting "Network Segment Busy" errors on my land-line.
It looks like a lot of ex-pats and friends in Europe were 'phoning the UK for more detailed information or UK public reactions from friends and family.
After 911, and again yesterday, some of my American and European friends are flabbergasted at the British general public's attitude to the bombings. I think for many it was the first time they have seen the British "stiff upper lip" in action.
After 911, our client offered to move us from American hotel chains to European, but most of the British said "yes, what a tragedy, but I'm not switching hotels, that's letting them (using much more colourful words than them of course ;-) ) win!" People were amazed at the "life goes on" attitude of the British public.
Whether it is a refusal to let others dictate how we live or we have grown accustomed to such disasters, and while they affect us emotionally, on a practical level we know the chances of us being involved in such an attack are remote, and even if we changed our way of life, it is no guarantee of safety, I don't know.
I do know, that at times like these, I am proud to be British.
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