Wireless Coverage Conundrum
Andrew Seybold's latest Commentary 4Mobility presents a great overview of the challenges faced by US wireless operators to improve their network coverage. As wireless voice prices plummet subscribers are using their phones more and want better coverage. Ironically, many of the same people who are crying for improved coverage are the same people who are fighting installation of towers in their neighborhoods. Seybold mentions one plan to get around this problem:"In one city (which shall remain nameless to protect the stupid), they were about to pass legislation that all cell sites had to be built underground, including the antennas!" The wireless industry needs to do a better job of educating subcribers and local governments about how networks work and enlist them in the process of improving coverage.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
