By: jackie.sauter

AT&T may have had a national ad campaign claiming its network has the fewest dropped calls (video below), but a new survey reveals that Verizon Wireless comes out ahead – with an average of only 2.2% of customers experiencing a dropped call over a 90-day period.

With more cell phone towers underway nationwide, numbers are improving across the board. But what happens when three to four million spectators converge on Washington, D.C., and want to call their Mom to tell her all about the Inauguration?

“It’s the mother of all demand,” said a senior member of Washington’s wireless trade group.

Spectators are being advised to text message rather than make calls to clear up traffic, and to send rich media – like videos – later in the day rather than earlier.

Sprint is preparing for the increased demand by reinforcing existing cell phone towers and adding additional telephone line connections.

My concern is more vital in nature: What if there is a medical emergency among the sea of people and calling 911 is not viable due to the high concentration of cell phone traffic?

RICHARD SIMON, Multimedia Reporter

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