Persistent heavy rainfall from Typhoon Maysak has caused severe flooding in Guangxi, leading to a critical situation at the Liulan Reservoir in Hengzhou City. The resulting floodwaters inundated low-lying areas in multiple downstream townships, severely damaging roads, power grids, and telecommunications infrastructure.
Consequently, Zhenlong Township, located in the mountainous Zhenlong area, was cut off for several days. With roads washed away and fiber optic cables severed, the township was left isolated, without transportation or communication links.
Faced with this urgent communication blackout, China Mobile's Guangxi branch swiftly activated its emergency response plan. At 4 PM on July 8th, a rapid-response team of 10 technical experts set out from Liulan Village in Hengzhou. With vehicle access completely blocked by floods and landslides, the team had to proceed on foot.
Carrying repair tools, power banks, a 20-kilogram portable satellite backpack base station, and five satellite phones, they embarked on a grueling trek towards Zhenlong Township. Their path was obstructed by landslides, fallen trees, mud, and a collapsed irrigation channel blocking the road.
Battling through mud and debris with their heavy equipment, the team's journey took nearly 20 hours. They finally arrived at the Zhenlong Township government offices around 11:30 AM on July 9th.
By noon, China Mobile's 4G/5G network signal was restored at the township government location. Work is ongoing to gradually restore mobile network coverage in other affected areas.
During their arduous trek, as the team passed through stranded villages like Datian Village, they promptly deployed the portable satellite backpack base stations. These compact units are essentially mobile cell sites, containing a satellite antenna, power supply, and signal processor.
Wherever satellite signals are available, these devices can temporarily restore mobile network coverage within a 100-meter radius in just five minutes, enabling phone calls and internet access.
"Wherever our people reach, the signal must follow," said Tang Xiangyi, deputy general manager of China Mobile's Nanning branch and the team leader. With the activation of these backpack base stations, residents who had been cut off for days were finally able to contact the outside world, reassure their families, and facilitate the precise delivery of subsequent relief supplies.
Simultaneously, China Mobile mobilized an integrated "air-space-ground" response, dispatching equipment like the Yinglong medium fixed-wing drone and satellite communication vehicles to support the disaster-stricken areas of Hengzhou. These assets worked in coordination with ground teams to comprehensively clear the final hurdles in re-establishing critical disaster relief communications.
The effort to restore communications in Zhenlong Township represents a microcosm of the broader rescue operation. China Mobile Guangxi has stated that its communications support teams are a dedicated force, committed to keeping pace with rescue efforts and ensuring that connectivity is restored wherever it is needed for the people.
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