Ohio University tried to send a test text message alert to more than 4,000 students in October, but its alert system ultimately clogged phone lines and kept students and faculty from receiving and placing phone calls, even to 911.LSU has six times more users signed up for FirstCall, its new   emergency text alert system, but won’t face text message traffic problems, said Matt Teague, FirstCall vice president of technology. “LSU is only using text messages that go over local sites, and phone lines aren’t used,” Teague said. “[Ohio] was also using phone calls into the university.” Some Ohio University students didn’t receive text message alerts for hours because of increased cellular use. But FirstCall dispatched 25,105 text messages within 12 minutes to LSU faculty and students’ cell phone carriers in September during its first test.The University switched to FirstCall after its former text message service provider, ClearTXT, stopped providing the alert service. FirstCall sent 2,092 text messages per minute, compared to 900 per minute with ClearTXT.Information Technology Services sent the text message alert at 9:36 a.m., and the messages were received by 9:48 a.m. This was faster than the expected sending time of 20 minutes. Some faculty and students received the message within two minutes of the “go” signal.Teague said messages are handed off quickly to users’ cell phone providers during the drill, but receiving time depends on the carrier.”Once it’s handed to the carrier, it depends on the service and how long it takes them to carry it off,” Teague said. “Usually, it’s instant.”But within 12 minutes, ITS received 2,343 notices of delivery failures from the carriers.The majority of these failures were the result of invalid cell numbers and plans not allowing text messages, said Sheri Thompson, IT Planning and Communications officer.ITS implemented a system to decrease the number of failures by prompting users to update their cell numbers and carrier information twice a year via PAWS. The application will also invite new users to subscribe.—-Contact Leslie Presnall at [email protected]