Milton seeks better cell service

Anyone who has visited downtown Milton and checked their cellphone has probably noticed that their bars are few and far between.

It’s a problem the town is well aware of.

Town Manager Kristy Rogers said, “The town is trying to work with providers to get cell service. It is taking some time, as approvals are needed by governmental agencies before they can present to towns. I hope we get some resolution soon. It’s definitely needed for our town, our businesses and our citizens.”

The cell carriers are also aware of the situation and say they are installing infrastructure for better service.

Verizon Wireless spokesman David Weissmann said earlier this month Verizon activated a new cell site on Route 30 and the southwest side of Milton that should improve coverage and capacity.  He said Verizon is working on additional projects that should improve coverage, but he said it's too early to provide details.

Roni Singleton, spokeswoman for Sprint, said the company is upgrading its 4G cell site on Union Street with an 800-megahertz and 2.5-gigahertz frequency to get faster and more reliable service. She said the work on the upgrade should be completed this spring. She said the 800-megahertz frequency will extend voice and data coverage into more locations, including indoors where most wireless traffic is generated. The 2.5-gigahertz frequency will provide faster data speeds for downloads, video streaming and app services.

The “G” in 4G refers to the generation of a cellphone - 1G is original analog phones; 2G is early digital phones, which enabled voice calls and text messaging. 3G networks enabled data and access to the internet. 4G is intended to be high speed, enabling the user to watch video and use multiple apps at the same time. Most smartphones are 4G; cellphone carriers have begun working towards 5G service.

Weissmann said the strength of cell phone coverage usually depends on the proximity to the cell site and the site’s capacity, meaning how many users are on the site at a given time. Cell sites can be macro sites, like a tower or equipment installed on the roof of a building, or small cells, which Weissmann compared to a more powerful version of a Wi-Fi router.