tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92310582011-12-14T22:03:09.839-05:00Updates and Info on Cell Sites and Cellular and PCS Carriers in the Eastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire Area, Including Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Cingular Wireless, AT&T Wireless, Sprint Nextel, MetroPCS, and US Cellular. Check out my full site at www.cellulartower.com !!petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-5539533039496523432009-03-22T11:21:00.003-04:002009-03-22T11:31:03.142-04:00

I have found a number of town meeting/ selectman/ Zoning Board meeting minutes that wireless carries have to go to in order to win town approval to build or add onto an existing site. It usually gives some advance info on where local sites will be built (and where I can keep an eye out to get some photos!).In this example, from the town of Methuen, Mass Zoning Board, there is some expanded

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-71361839702115276942009-03-21T14:32:00.002-04:002009-03-22T11:20:41.206-04:00

TMobile continues their build in New England, with a solid coverage map now thruout Eastern Mass. Most new sites I see being built (and have photos that I am preparing to update on my cellulartower.com site)are TMobile sites. Usually, they have been building sites at 2 or 3 times the pace of other carriers (just by my observations). I don't have them as a carrier, but I assume that customers

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-24703549082446030662009-02-05T21:44:00.005-05:002009-02-05T22:49:07.672-05:00

MetroPCS has finally launched their Boston service after approximately a one year build out. By using their web sites coverage finder, it looks like the current covered area is primarily inside Rte 495, with mainly the major routes covered, as well as the major population centers. If you live in the outskirts of a town in the suburbs, you are probably out of luck for getting a signal. It reminds

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-53697588187681679632009-01-23T23:56:00.003-05:002009-01-24T00:03:38.517-05:00

I meant to write this a few days ago, but here it is a few days after the inauguration and I'm just getting to it now. There was some great coverage about the work all the major providers in DC were doing, and the build up to make sure calls, texts , and photos were going to go thru OK. It looks like most of the providers used COW and COLTs to provide additional coverage, and with the exception

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-6190920943406324872009-01-23T23:35:00.003-05:002009-01-23T23:55:04.092-05:00

A monopole cell phone tower off Rte 9 in Wellesley, MA caught fire today (Wellesley Townsman) and collapsed. I understand a crew was doing some welding on the tower, which ignited the coax cable. The fire burned for about a half hour, before the tower collapsed. Of course, the incident was caught on nearby cell phone cameras. Here are some links to various news outlets coverage:WCVB , VIDEOWHDH

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-54592626899335775352009-01-12T09:34:00.003-05:002009-01-12T09:42:22.024-05:00

Here is an article from the Lawrence Eagle Tribune regarding MetroPCS (along with TMobile) trying to add a cell site in a church steeple in North Andover, MA. They are trying to rapidly build out their network, and may be finding that with five other networks already built up here in Massachusetts, it's not as easy to find towers with space available on them. The article mentions that the

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-87657804112522332942009-01-11T00:02:00.005-05:002009-01-11T00:15:14.602-05:00

I have been on the lookout for the Sprint 'Clear' (formerly Xohm) WiMax antennas and base stations in the Boston area. I have been reading that they are building out their network throughout the area. As soon as I have some photos and information on the antenna configuration, I will be posting it here, and on Cellulartower.comI also believe that MetroPCS is getting closer to launching in the

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-90977460521990778882008-11-21T21:37:00.002-05:002008-11-21T21:40:52.911-05:00

Good article from the Boston Globe on cell sites in the city. I really believe that providers have to work a little harder to integrate the sites into the city, and make them invisible for residents and guests!

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-28638757386848201082008-10-16T23:15:00.003-04:002008-10-16T23:27:17.938-04:00

I seem to have discovered a quick and simple way to get two cell phone companies to place a cell tower on your land to get yourself better reception. Be very rich, and then run for president!From a recent article, it seems like this is an optimum way to get better reception for yourself! I had to write a quick snippet about this on my blog, because I do get a fair amount of people asking me if

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-14039309266431760342008-07-21T21:40:00.003-04:002008-07-21T21:44:41.610-04:00

I'm looking forward to the episode on Dateline tonight that will feature the guys who climb the communications towers I blabber about on my site. It's named Tower Dogs! It should be interesting!

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-72159006890365667952008-05-07T22:46:00.004-04:002008-05-08T09:53:26.598-04:00

T Mobile is working on placing a cell tower in a cemetery in Framingham, MA. As I spoke about in earlier blogs, T Mobile is being very creative in building out it's New England network, with alot of work going into filling the 'dead zones' for the wireless network.Local Framingham residents are up in arm's, as reported in a recent Boston Globe article. It always seems that people question the '

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-24789270911119601422008-04-30T09:11:00.003-04:002008-04-30T09:25:44.279-04:00

MetroPCS is hopping in on the two DAS systems in Massachusetts to help them build out the area network a little quicker. The Andover system is already built and running, but the Brookline system seems to be a source of controversy. A local newspaper article gives some insight into the turmoil that surrounds this system build out. Distributed Antenna Systems can eliminate the need for cell towers,

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-82785583575031200502008-03-11T19:34:00.006-04:002008-03-11T23:59:38.420-04:00

I was doing some research on other types of cellular sites, and came across info on Distributed Antenna Systems. Imagine my surprise when I realized that there was a system installed relatively close to my hometown. I have added a new page to my main site for the Distributed Antenna System system built in Andover, MA by National Grid Wireless. Check it out.Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) work

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-58983310003556438952008-02-29T23:21:00.002-05:002008-02-29T23:40:15.264-05:00

Wow, things move quick!As I started looking around after finding that MetroPCS is on the verge of building a completely new, independent cellular system in New England, I have found that they have already applied for permits for a number of sites!Locations in Boston, Haverhill and Beverly, MA have already been selected and they have appearances at town meetings to gain site approvals. It looks

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-66690453222276949892008-02-28T23:04:00.003-05:002008-02-29T23:20:35.400-05:00

As a follow-up to a post I made November 21st 2004, It looks like my prediction was close to being on target. If the current trend continues, more towers will be popping up around the area for a variety of reasons I mentioned three years ago, as well as two recent events.As another carrier enters the New England market(see my previous post regarding MetroPCS!), they will need to place more

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-28904841871816347282008-02-26T22:47:00.006-05:002008-02-27T09:19:10.128-05:00

Is MetroPCS a cell phone provider that primarily offers service in Florida, California, and Texas coming to New England? On January 25th, MetroPCS was looking for a VP of Network Operations for a Chelmsford, MA location. The job description is looking for someone to : " Plan, organize and direct the process of the Fixed and Field Network Engineering, RF Engineering. Manage the leasing, zoning,

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-55336747659656340572008-01-28T18:42:00.000-05:002008-01-28T18:51:46.389-05:00

I have just updated my main site with an unusual T Mobile site in Arlington, MA. This site is indicative of the type of unusual sites that T Mobile is adding in the area to boost their network in New England. The site is located at the Winchester Country Club, and when I saw the location, I was kind of surprised. To step back a little, one of the ways I find sites is to troll th cellular

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-64857328524514269362008-01-26T23:32:00.000-05:002008-01-28T12:09:04.358-05:00

I have noticed that a number, even a majority of the new sites I have been photographing and that I will be updating on the cellulartower.com main site have been TMobile sites. This is exactly what I discussed would happen in my Oct 2005 blog post, having had some good information from a former TMobile (Omnipoint) employee who had told me that with a influx of capital from Deutches Telecom, they

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-65421964189496885212007-12-27T09:25:00.000-05:002007-12-27T09:47:36.786-05:00

There have been alot of changes in the wireless business since my last post. AT&T Wireless is back as the former Cingular Wireless. The Sprint/Nextel merger really hasn't amounted to much. They still run two different networks, and coverage is really not much improved for either. I will start updating hopefully on a more ongoing basis, until then, I think I still have alot of info in my

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1144015444842958702006-04-02T17:50:00.000-04:002006-04-02T18:04:05.800-04:00

Well, it's been a while, but I have made some updates to my web site. For one, I had to take my actual email address down from the site because of the incredible amount of spam I have been getting. I would say I get 800 to 1000 spam mail messages a week. It clogs up my email, and makes me have to sort thru them to make sure a 'real' email to me from a reader hasn't been swept up by my spam filter

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1130686376636628482005-10-30T10:18:00.000-05:002005-10-30T10:32:56.653-05:00

As I stated in my last post, Cingular has disappointed me with their service problems re:TDMA. I am not sure if there GSM is any better, although I suspect they are having capacity issues, which is leading to these dropped calls and faulty handoffs (my phone now has a tendency to drive into a new site and not hand-off to a new tower, indicative of cells over capacity).I have it on good authority

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1130376364198784032005-10-26T21:09:00.000-04:002005-10-26T21:26:04.210-04:00

Cingular Wireless seems to be slowly eliminating it's existing TDMA towers, and running only the GSM towers in thier place. I currently have a TDMA Nokia phone that I purchased from AT&T Wireless. I was always able to recieve a TDMA signal, even after the aquisition by Cingular. My girlfriend has a GSM phone from the former AT&T. I often use my phone near an Arlington tower. Within the last two

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1127096661545109232005-09-18T22:14:00.000-04:002005-10-30T10:35:38.463-05:00

Wow, you don't hear this everyday: Dave (who was checking out my website) complained to Verizon Wireless about the coverage in his area, around Wilmington, MA. Within two days, Verizon called him back, and said they knew they had bad coverage in that area of Wilmington, and that they were working on a new tower that should be going up in early 2006. That is in sharp contrast to my provider

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1124672590145790122005-08-21T20:34:00.000-04:002005-08-21T21:03:10.170-04:00

Wow, the Sprint / Nextel merger is complete. Who would have believed it would have happened so quickly?This leaves us with four 'nationwide' cellular carriers: Sprint/Nextel, Verizon, Cingular and TMobile. I don't think we will see any reductions in celltowers from these carriers. If anything, I think we will see renewed buildouts in the near future.In the New England area, the cellular companies

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1120497299128968882005-07-04T13:09:00.000-04:002005-07-04T13:14:59.133-04:00

Wow, Its summer here in New England, and a great time to find some new towers. With the news coming out slowly on the Nextel/Sprint merger, and more consolidation in the tower industry, we should start to see more activity as the summer moves on.There has not been alot of activity with the Cingular/AT&T merger, but I am sure we will start seeing the effect of that as well. I have not seen any new

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1116900105976333332005-05-23T21:53:00.000-04:002005-05-23T22:01:45.980-04:00

I am very impressed with a new mapping system that T-Mobile has just rolled out that gives very accurate mapping and cell phone strength/coverage. The system overlays contours for signal strength over street level maps, giving users a rough idea of what the can expect for coverage. Check it out here on T-Mobiles site. I usually do not push one service, but this should be helpful for people trying

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1115528383991455162005-05-08T00:54:00.000-04:002005-05-08T00:59:44.006-04:00

Wow, with a 3.8 Billion dollar deal, the cell tower management companies are reduced by one. American tower is on its way to being the dominant cell tower owner in the US, if not the world! A few years ago, people were predicting doom for the cell tower companies. I guess they were wrong. Let's see what happens next!

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1115173865696841662005-05-03T22:26:00.000-04:002005-05-03T22:31:05.726-04:00

Wow! I am finally done and have gone live with my new cellulartower.com site. I have tried to make it easier to navigate, and a little more 'professional' looking than before. It is still just a hobby, so don't expect tons of new content, but I will be adding some sites that I have had my eye on for a while! Stay tuned for more changes, and feel free to email or post comments with ideas and

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1111632323056060062005-03-23T21:35:00.000-05:002005-03-23T21:46:00.440-05:00

Gov. John Baldacci of Maine has put forward an initiative to improve cell phone coverage in the State of Maine. The governor understands that in the year 2005, good telecommunications infrastructure is important for the growth and economic development of the state. Maine has an extensive tourism economic base, and good cellular coverage can only help. Residents of Maine would benefit from the

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1111631215353134542005-03-23T21:13:00.000-05:002005-03-23T21:26:55.353-05:00

It has been a while since I posted last, but with the revamp of my site going on, I felt it is time to get back in the game.The Supreme court has ruled that wireless companies cannot sue towns for denying applications for building wireless facilities. Cities cannot be sued for damages for refusing to permit a cell tower. We will see what this means to the development of new wireless sites. Over

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1106078617168418312005-01-18T17:46:00.000-05:002005-01-18T15:03:37.176-05:00

My phone (a TDMA Nokia 6560) has always shown AT&T on the main display when the phone is in idle mode. Today my phone began showing 'Cingular' on the display. When I went to the network monitor screen, sure enough, it now shows system 4105 Cingular. The conversion is in progress. In the near future, it will be worth it to switch to GSM, as the GSM side becomes more robust, and system resources

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1105711542525551892005-01-14T05:46:00.000-05:002005-01-14T09:05:42.526-05:00

In the small town of Sudbury, MA (not very far from me), a Cingular (formerly AT&T) flagpole type celltower recently lost a few fiberglass panels during some very windy conditions. It amused me that the people who appeared on the local TV stated they felt that Cingular should remove the tower, because it was unsafe for their grandchildren (the tower is located a few hundred feet from their

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1104846174448468252005-01-03T20:35:00.000-05:002005-01-04T08:43:36.863-05:00

The latest is that AT&T Wireless will return, selling its service using the SprintPCS network. Although the merger with Cingular will result in the assets of AT&T Wireless going to Cingular, AT&T will retain the rights to the name 'AT&T Wireless'. Wow. They can now use Sprints network, selling the service and the phones, without having to maintain and expand that pesky network. Why didn't I think

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1103862147060747472004-12-23T23:20:00.000-05:002004-12-23T23:22:27.060-05:00

Another good article from the Boston Globe about the trouble setting up cell tower sites in Massachusetts.

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1103858772882669882004-12-23T22:07:00.000-05:002004-12-23T22:26:12.883-05:00

There was a great article in today's Boston Globe about the technical problems that will be presented by the merger between these two wireless companies. The article does a good job going over some of the technical differences between the 'iden' network used by Nextel, and the CDMA technology used by Sprint. Compared to the GSM used by both Cingular and AT&T Wireless, this will be a difficult

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1103166598921051312004-12-15T22:04:00.000-05:002004-12-16T08:55:04.823-05:00

The merger between these two companies will make the combined company the number 3 wireless provider in the US. I was more than a little surprised with the quickness of this deal, especially with the recent Cingular/AT&T Wireless deal, but it really makes sense. My guess is that within the next 6 months, T-Mobile will be merge or be absorbed by another carrier. They will be the little guy on the

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1103119268091766242004-12-15T05:59:00.000-05:002004-12-15T11:48:40.800-05:00

Wow, with all the activity over the last few months with Cingular and AT&T Wireless, who would have guessed that Sprint and Nextel may be next!?! The merger would have some major benefits to both companies, but there would be some major technology issues to work out. Sprint uses CDMA technology to carry its signal, while Nextel uses the proprietary iden system from Motorola. The benefit to Nextel

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1101476586835524932004-11-25T20:53:00.000-05:002004-11-26T08:43:06.836-05:00

Wow, this is a tough topic, but one of the most crutial when purchasing a new cell phone, or deciding to switch service. I want to start by saying that each persons needs for coverage area are different, and one plan that is perfect for someone else, may not be the right plan for you. A salesman who travels all over the country is going to have different needs than the person who wants to use

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1101085698340133262004-11-21T19:43:00.000-05:002004-11-21T21:31:26.923-05:00

In the future, I think the amount of wireless towers around us will increase dramatically. As wireless technologies evolve, more towers will be needed to provide the many services we will see introduced over the next few years. I really wish I had spent the money a 10 or 12 years ago and purchased a piece of property with a cell tower on it. Companies like Towerstream and other wireless data

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1100977905451265922004-11-20T13:56:00.000-05:002004-11-20T14:11:45.453-05:00

I'm curious. What will happen to the leases for AT&T (or Cingular) Wireless sites where there is a close overlap between the two? For instance, near my house, there is a Cingular Wireless site mounted on a old, unused smokestack, and across the street is a similar site that is a AT&T Wireless Site. I am sure once the merger is complete, they will want to eliminate one of the two sites, and

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1100870996420177152004-11-19T06:14:00.000-05:002004-11-19T12:07:51.886-05:00

Cingular is now letting former AT&T Wireless customers move to one of the Cingular plans without incurring any 'early termination' penalty! I believe you just pay the standard $36 activation fee. I think we will see some big network improvements in the near future. Cingular and Verizon will both be locked in a head to head battle over customers over the next few months. Who ends up the winner

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9231058.post-1100835905777637142004-11-18T22:38:00.000-05:002004-11-18T22:45:05.776-05:00

Welcome to my blog. I plan to share info and news for the cell towers and carriers in the New England Area. Check out my main page, cellulartower.com

petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09816258641857500083noreply@blogger.com1