*BostonGlobe good article on cellular coverage dead spots*
boston.com
Cell phone coverage less than clear
By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff, 03/19/99
efore you yank out your kitchen phone
and go completely cellular, you should
know something about the new technology:
There are dead spots, more than you might
think, in this region's cell phone coverage.
The maps handed out by most of the wireless
companies show blanket coverage in the
Boston area, particularly within Interstate
495. Whether you're from Cambridge or
Cohasset, Lynn or Lincoln, the coverage
looks the same.
But hiding behind these glossy brochures is
the fact that many suburbs and thoroughfares
have spotty or little service. Phone users find
they can't get a dial tone, their calls are
dropped, or talk becomes garbled.
''The maps are deceptive,'' said Bill Mack, an
advertising salesman from Danvers, who has
had a cell phone with three different providers
over the past 10 years. ''The sales people will
tell you anything to get you to buy.''
Even AT&T spokesman Marty Nee
acknowledges that he often turns off his
cellular phone when he gets to his home in
Cohasset: The coverage is so erratic.
An informal survey conducted by the Yankee
Group, a Boston-based telecommunications
research and marketing firm, cited 18
communities in areas south, west, and north
of Boston that have spotty coverage across
almost all carriers.
It doesn't mean that service is nonexistent, but
that consumers cannot rely on clear and continuous connections from all
parts of these towns or roadways.
In most cases, the poor service is due to the inability of cellular companies
to win approval for enough radio antennas in a town, often because of
zoning restrictions or other community objections. Lincoln, for example, is
well known in the industry for blocking cellular antenna sites.
In fact, while driving and talking on her cell phone with a reporter, Bell
Atlantic Mobile's manager of zoning, Sheila Becker, warned that the call
would probably ''get dropped'' as soon as she entered Lincoln along Route
2. (The call did not get dropped, but the connection wasn't too clear.)
Topography is also a factor, as some hilly terrains can block radio signals
that connect wireless phones. And physical obstructions that are common
in big cities, such as tall buildings and tunnels, can create isolated ''dead
zones'' in sections that otherwise get pretty good coverage.
Mark Lowenstein, who helped conduct the survey for the Globe, said the
maps published by the cellular carriers are often based on the future, not
the here and now.
''They publish the maps as general guidelines and in anticipation of future
coverage,'' he said.
He urged consumers shopping for cellular service to scrutinize coverage,
particularly if they live between Route 128 and I-495. He said service is
most erratic there, while it is consistently better within Route 128.
Within Boston, coverage is generally considered strong, though the lower
number of antennas outside of the downtown area can make for weaker
coverage. The more residential sections of the city also have fewer tall
buildings upon which to place an antenna.
Downtown Boston is not immune to connection problems. Even at
Downtown Crossing, users can experience a dead zone due to the
configuration of tall buildings obstructing radio signals.
Sprint PCS has a multicolored coverage map that is somewhat difficult to
read, but it is perhaps the most accurate in giving consumers a sense of
where their coverage is strong and weak.
Spokesman Rick Pearl said the company ''errs on the side of being
conservative'' because it loses money if customers are disappointed during
a trial period and cancel the contract.
''They turn in the phone and it costs us money,'' he said. [Another strong reason for the G* true, no BS roaming feature...]
Cape Cod and the islands are often depicted on these maps to offer
coverage no different from Boston itself, but industry specialists say service
is spotty on the Cape.
Lowenstein said his informal survey is based on a collection of information
from eight wireless phone specialists on his staff, as well as polling 50 other
frequent cell phone users in the Boston area who use a variety of providers.
He said the list of poor-service towns is ''generic,'' representing areas
where coverage is generally erratic across all providers, not one.
In the mad rush for new customers, cellular providers are loath to admit
they have poor coverage in certain areas. When the major carriers were
interviewed last month, they did not acknowledge any specific gaps. But
when presented this week with specific towns cited by the Yankee Group,
a respected research group on cellular phone issues, the companies could
not dispute many of its findings. One company, Cellular One, declined to
respond to Yankee Group's findings.
Companies say that any coverage map has limitations, given how quickly
they become outdated with the frequent installation of new antennas. Nee
said that AT&T Wireless in the past two weeks won approval for a new
antenna in the Westwood area, which will improve its coverage at the
problematic intersection of routes 128 and 109.
It seems that every week, cell phone service providers announce approval
for a new antenna, whether it be on the sidewalls of the Callahan or Ted
Williams tunnels, the inside of a church steeple, or on a billboard.
Becker said she hopes that consumers realize that ''there are nuances'' in
the coverage maps, so they are not misled about service. She said
consumers used to understand they were dealing with novel, cutting-edge
technology and more easily accepted the imperfections, such as a cut off
phone call.
''But now with more competition and choice, they want - and expect -
better service,'' she said.
This story ran on page A01 of the Boston Globe on 03/19/99.
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.
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