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Software glitch cuts off phones

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, March 3, 2004 | 9:37 a.m.

A software problem at Sprint's downtown Las Vegas office disrupted phone service for all area cell phones and about 5 percent of the local land lines for about an hour Tuesday, according to a utility spokeswoman.

The disruption started at 11 a.m. and was over by 12:20 p.m., Sprint spokeswoman Detra Page said.

The software problem prevented most, but not all, calls from going through, she said, adding that 911 calls were not affected. She said the problem was not caused by a computer virus.

The disruption affected about 41,000 of Sprint's 900,000 land lines in the Las Vegas Valley. All cell phone users also were affected because that Sprint office handles calls for its competitors, Page said.

Verizon Wireless spokeswoman Jenny Weaver said calls from cell phone to cell phone were OK because those calls are routed through Verizon and not the land lines that Sprint oversees.

For some the disruption was a big problem.

Marlena Sasari, 21, a real estate agent, said the lapse in service meant she would have to call about 15 of her clients who were waiting on word of timely transactions such as going to escrow on properties.

"It will cost me time and time is money," she said.

No major problems were reported by area authorities.

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