Cingular Adds 90 New Sites - New Mexico

[jones]

Cingular To Invest More Than $25 Million In Its New Mexico Network In 2006
Monday April 10, 8:03 am ET
90 New Cell Sites, Enhanced Voice/Data Quality and Capacity, Expanded Retail Outlets


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless carrier, today announced that it is expanding operations in New Mexico this year to support its growing number of customers. Cingular is investing more than $25 million for network enhancements, extending wireless services, call quality and coverage. In addition, Cingular is adding six new retail locations and 20 RadioShack locations making it even easier for customers to purchase wireless products and services. The expansion has created more than 80 full-time jobs in New Mexico as Cingular, along with its contractors and authorized retailers, hire people to build cell sites and work in new retail locations.
"As Cingular grows its business in New Mexico, our customers and the economy benefit," said Jeff McElfresh, vice president and general manager, Cingular Wireless. "This investment demonstrates Cingular's strong commitment to provide New Mexico customers with the best wireless experience possible -- which includes unmatched coverage and quality of service."

Off to an impressive start this year, 20 new cell sites are on-air to date in the Albuquerque Metro Area alone. Overall, the 2006 investment in Cingular's New Mexico network will bring:


* 90 new cell sites, the addition of portable and permanent generators,
and other enhancements to Cingular's ALLOVER(TM) Network*, which is the
nation's largest all-digital voice and data network.
* Increased capacity for more calls with a 30% increase in Cingular radio
channels
* Additional enhancements in Albuquerque including extending service from
Rio Ranch through the Cedar Crest area of Sandias
* New coverage in Santa Fe
* Improved quality of service along the I-25 corridor.

In 2005, Cingular spent $6.5 billion on its network nationwide and plans to invest nearly that amount in 2006, bringing its overall investment since the company's 2004 acquisition of AT&T Wireless to nearly $13 billion.

[larry]

I can't imagine needing 90 new sites in New Mexico. It's an area that's relatively easy to cover and does not typically need that many towers. If they needed to add that many sites then there coverage must have been lousy to start with. An 800 Mhz provider should be able to cover the entire state's populated areas with less than 90 towers.

[Andy]

With less than 90 towers? lol, that must be a joke.
I agree that their coverage over there must have not been that great, and from friends traveling to the area they agree with this statement, so those 90 sites should help make the network quite good.

[larry]

Originally Posted by Andy84094

With less than 90 towers? lol, that must be a joke.
I agree that their coverage over there must have not been that great, and from friends traveling to the area they agree with this statement, so those 90 sites should help make the network quite good.

The terrain and population in New Mexico doesn't require a lot of towers. It's a fact. Check the Sprint tower maps and you will see that Sprint only has about 90 towers (no I didn't actually count LOL) in New Mexico total. And they cover all populated areas. Sprint would never need to add an additional 90 towers no matter how many customers they would add. This just doesn't make much sense to me unless like I said they had really limited coverage to start with.

[Andy]

So even assuming that cingular had really crappy coverage down there, are they wanting to cover every square inch of the state even though there's no population or what?
Having already added 20 sites in Albuquerque should make the network there perfect, even if it was shotty to begin with.

[larry]

Originally Posted by Andy84094

So even assuming that cingular had really crappy coverage down there, are they wanting to cover every square inch of the state even though there's no population or what?
Having already added 20 sites in Albuquerque should make the network there perfect, even if it was shotty to begin with.

Who knows but I just think it's odd that would need to add 90 towers. I don't think they are covering remote areas with them either.

Even adding 20 new towers in New Mexico sounds like a large number to me.

[jones]

Originally Posted by Andy84094

With less than 90 towers? lol, that must be a joke.
I agree that their coverage over there must have not been that great, and from friends traveling to the area they agree with this statement, so those 90 sites should help make the network quite good.

Hey, its the Network.

[bobolito]

Originally Posted by larry

Sprint would never need to add an additional 90 towers no matter how many customers they would add.

Never say never. Capacity goes hand-in-hand with coverage. Cell sites are not added just for coverage, but also for capacity. That's a fact too. Maybe Cingular has much more customers than Sprint in that area.

[jones]

Cingular is Commited to 90 New Cell Sites

http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/bu_local...612850,00.html


The Albuquerque Tribune
Cingular plans $25 million investment
By Mike Tumolillo
Tribune Reporter
April 11, 2006

Cell phone users tired of dropped calls and garbled connections might find some relief with Cingular Wireless' $25 million investment in New Mexico.

The company's 2006 investment is designed to increase the reach and reliability of its cell phone network in the Land of Enchantment. It will mean enhancements to the network and 90 new sites that transmit cell phone calls.

"This creates tremendous additional depth of signal, depth of coverage," Jeff McElfresh, vice president of Cingular's Desert Southwest Region, said Monday.

To reach more customers, the company will increase advertising and add six retail outlets and 20 locations in Radio Shack stores.

The investment - in stores and boosting infrastructure - will bring more than 80 jobs to New Mexico, most in Albuquerque.

McElfresh said Cingular expects double-digit growth in New Mexico. He likened Albuquerque to fast-growing Las Vegas, Nev., and Phoenix.

"This is a growth-oriented investment," he said.

The company plans to make similar investments in New Mexico in 2007 and 2008, although dollar amounts are not yet announced.

Glimpsing the cell sites - the antennas and hardware that move phone calls around - might prove challenging.

"Things are getting smaller and more powerful," said Mark Appel, executive director of network services for Cingular's Desert Southwest Region.

So small, in fact, that one cell site went inside a flagpole.

[larry]

I still say it sounds a little far fetched to me but obvisouly I can't prove anything either way.

[Etorres777]

Originally Posted by jones

Hey, its the Network.

LOL, that sounds like a bad Verizon WS comercial.

[drockmar]

Some insight on building cell sites in New Mexico & other thoughts:

1. New Mexico's terrain is not flat. Most people who have never been in NM assume it is mainly flat desert. For example, Albuquerque (largest city in NM) varies from around 5000' around the Rio Grande to about 6500' at the base of Sandia Mtns. In addition, Albuquerque is centered on the Rio Grande river valley which makes it very easy shoot RF from one side of the city to the other (interference & bad for frequency reuse). This leads to using a lot of 2 sector sites for a good performing network. But this also means you lose approx. 1/3rd of coverage area of a typical 3 sectored site...hence, more sites needed to cover the same area of flat land.

2. Many of the jurisdications in New Mexico are very restrictive on new towers. For example, Santa Fe County imposes a 36' height limit on all cell towers and insists on stealth designs for everything. Albuquerque will allow a maximum of 65' but often insist on lower heights and stealth designs. In an enviroment of highly varying terrain, a height of 36' or even 65' sometimes doesn't get you very much coverage.

3. In terms of population and size: NM ranks 36th in population (1.8 million +) and, I think 5th in size (120,000+ sq. miles). So its a big state but relatively low population...however, some people have speculated that it will become the next Arizona in terms of rapid population growth (esp. for baby boomers). It does have some of the key ingredients: very mild climate, low cost of living, etc.. Perhaps Cingular is building these sites and investing the money with the long-term future in mind?

I think its a smart investment even if the population at this time may not justify it. Working in this industry for several years, it always seemed that $$$ for building new sites always came a little late and not nearly enough to make all the needed improvements. In this case, I think Cingular's New Mexico network should be very solid and not in need of major investment/new sites for a number of years.