Uniti’s Joint Operations Center (JOC): Disaster Recovery Meets Mobility
We’re excited to share our all-new mobile Joint Operations Center (JOC), recently deployed during 2020’s hurricane season as a means of disaster recovery.
What is the JOC?
The JOC (a military acronym) is a fully mobile, fully functional network operations unit that can be deployed anywhere in our footprint to restore connectivity after natural disasters.
As a Point of Presence trailer in its previous life, this equipment was gutted and outfitted with our most cutting-edge technology and prepared to be deployed in advance of catastrophic storms to any location along our network. The JOC provides a central location for both virtual and human assessment teams to survey the damage, round out the problem set, and restore connectivity to the damaged network. Uniti employees can hook up their equipment to the JOC at a moment’s notice, making it easier to do their jobs when Mother Nature strikes.
JOC History & Hurricane Sally Response
The JOC project had been in the works for a year when it was finally put to use for the first time after Hurricane Sally hit Alabama’s Gulf Coast in September 2020. The equipment just happened to be parked in the exact location it was needed – Spanish Fort – when the storm hit and was quickly connected to a generator for its inaugural test run. After four days of proven success, it was deployed deeper into the hurricane-ravaged area of Orange Beach to restore connectivity there. The entire relocation process from tear down back to fully operational took only a few short hours. Having the ability to deploy quickly, is a key attribute of the JOC.
The City of Orange Beach welcomed the new equipment parked in front of its City Hall, not only as a means of restoration but also as a place for city officials and first responders to plug into our power systems and maintain critical communications efforts. During that time, the Uniti team also found a way to offer complimentary public WIFI (now fondly referred to as the “Internet Café”) via the JOC, providing connectivity to the community.
Keeping Our Customers Connected
The JOC is just the latest proof of our dedication to keeping customers connected. With this new equipment, Uniti is even better equipped to mitigate potential disruptions as they arise and better serve the community in all situations – rain or shine.