Santa Claus plays a big part in Christmas, and represents the joy, magic, and generosity of the season. The idea of Santa delivering gifts to children around the world brings excitement and wonder. Every year, kids eagerly wait to see what he brings. Now, Verizon is helping the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) make it easier for you to follow his journey on Christmas Eve.
With the NORAD Tracks Santa app and a special hotline, families can see where Santa is or ask questions. Verizon has been helping with the app for 22 years, providing Wi-Fi devices and 5G, among other technology to keep the service running smoothly. Volunteers, including Verizon workers and military members, work together to make it all happen. The app is now available for download on the Google Play and Apple stores.
Verizon is helping NORAD monitor Santa
There are many people who don’t believe in Santa, but NORAD does. The military organization run by the United States and Canada makes it their main job to protect the airspace of both countries. Through the detection and tracking of any possible threats from the sky or space, they’ve consistently done so.
Also, every Christmas since 1955, they’ve tracked Santa’s journey as he delivers presents around the world. They use a special radar system with 47 stations in Canada and Alaska to watch for Santa leaving the North Pole. Once Santa takes off, they use satellites, usually meant to spot missiles, to track his trip around the world.
Verizon is now part of that effort, and is providing Wi-Fi jetpacks, extra routers, 5G technology, backup Wi-Fi, and satellite connections for its continuous success.
Awesome as the jetpacks may sound, it’s not the kind you may be thinking. This one doesn’t fly through the air. Instead, it’s a portable device that uses a cell signal to create a Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing other devices to connect to the internet. It’s a handy tool for providing internet access wherever there’s a cell signal, especially in places where regular Wi-Fi isn’t available.
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Goodies in NORAD Tracks Santa app await you
The NORAD Tracks Santa app is packed with fun features. After downloading and opening it, you’ll see a big countdown to Christmas that shows the days, hours, minutes, and seconds left. There’s a “Who is NORAD?” button where you can learn more about how NORAD tracks Santa every year.
You can also “Chat with Radar” to interact with a virtual radar operator. I asked if Santa was physically real, and it neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, it told me that Santa is alive in the hearts of people worldwide.
In addition to these features, there are icons for different activities, including tracking Santa on a satellite map, reading Christmas stories, listening to holiday music, and playing games. You’ll learn, if you didn’t know already, that Santa Claus is inspired by Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century priest famous for his kindness and gift-giving. The idea is that Santa’s modern gift-giving traditions may stem from Saint Nicholas’s legacy, though it leaves room for mystery.
