AT&T has announced it will be replacing some 17,000 batteries used as backup power in cabinets housing equipment for its U-verse television service, following two fires—and two explosions—with the equipment in the last year. Although some damage occurred to nearby property, no one was hurt in the incidents.
The problematic battery units are not located in U-verse equipment in consumers’ homes; rather, they’re installed at facilities AT&T uses to host equipment for its U-verse service. The backup batteries being replaced were all manufactured by Avestor; however, the company went bankrupt in October 2006 and ceased operations by the end of that year. Scientific consulting firm Exponent has reportedly found that the fires and explosions were due to manufacturing defects in the batteries, rather than a fundamental design problem. AT&T says it stopped installing Avestor-made batteries in its equipment in early 2007.
The first explosion occurred in October 2006 near a Houston suburb, followed by a similar fire 20 miles away in January 2007. AT&T has recently disclosed two other incidents toward the end of 2007: one a small cabinet fire in the Cleveland area, and another cabinet explosion in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, on December 25.
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