Cingular says it Has the Most Cell Site

[jones]

Cingular's Network Is Driven to Perfection


Technicians To Drive Nearly 30 Million Miles To Evaluate Network

ATLANTA, July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Now this is what you call "drive testing."
Cingular said today that technicians, and other third-parties, will drive test
its network nearly 30 million miles in the next year to improve the coverage
and quality of its network. That's the equivalent of more than 50 round trips
to the moon to ensure customers receive the best possible wireless experience
in the United States.
Using specially designed vehicles, hundreds of technicians from third-
party testing companies, infrastructure vendors, and Cingular, will travel
throughout the country testing the signal strength and coverage of Cingular's
ALLOVER(SM) network. Additionally, Cingular has other vehicles, such as
taxis, buses and delivery trucks, outfitted with special equipment that
measures network coverage. The drive test results help to prioritize where
the company will invest more than $6.2 billion to enhance the network quality
and coverage it provides to customers.
"The ALLOVER(SM) network is the foundation for delivering current and
future enhanced wireless services. We'll continue to invest and build our
network to provide the very best possible wireless experience for our
customers," said Ed Reynolds, President - Network Services for Cingular. "Our
current spectrum portfolio enables us to improve the quality, reliability and
coverage of our GSM/GPRS/EDGE network and cost-effectively upgrade to 3G,
delivering wireless broadband services across America."
Along with drive testing its own network, Cingular drive tests
competitors' networks to ensure that its coverage and quality are equal to or
better than others providing service in the area.
Cingular said its network investments and initiatives would give customers
access to over 40,000 cell sites, the most of any US carrier, by the end of
this year and provide coverage to more than 270 million people. Customers can
receive service in every one of the top 100 markets in the United States and
in more than 170 countries worldwide.

Cingular's Network Is Driven to Perfection

[larry]

For now maybe but once Sprint and Nextel combine their sites they will have the most.

[EdwardP]

Gee... There's a supermaket up the road from me that they should pay a visit to. Previously, a Cingular-activated phone brought into this store, would gradually lose its signal as it made its way to the back of the store, then would pick up the signal from the ex-AT&T tower down the street from this same store.

More recently, the phone still loses its signal inside the store, but does NOT pick up the ex-AT&T signal...

In comparison, a T-Mobile phone brought into this same store, displayed full signal strength, even at the back of the store. T-Mobile apparently has equipment on an apartment building behind this same store, based on the recently-updated coverage map.

[bobolito]

They should also pay a visit to the hill that goes up to William Paterson University. That road is a guaranteed dropped call!

[M in LA]

Gee, I can think of MANY places where I live that their service needs major improvements...

[WiggyFife]

Gee, I can think of MANY places where I live that their service needs major improvements...

yeah... really!!! and in-buildings too!!!

[dallison]

Gee, I can think of MANY places where I live that their service needs major improvements...

esp our dead area

[M in LA]

Hmm, I guess their alleged "Allover" network isn't quite allover yet..

[RJB]

30 million miles man I hope they get good gas mileage I saw a car once with 800,000 original miles it was a toyota

[jones]

The Claim is Bragging rights
of Who Has the Most Cell Sites.

[dallison]

most never means quality

[Jerro]

Can't expect them to say they are a fragmented system with lots of holes.
But then again VZW is in the same boat round here.

[jones]

There will be Holes no Matter what.
However, the More Cell Sites a Carrier Has
the More Area it can Cover.
And No Carrier is Making this Claim
except them.

[jrip]

The real question is how many cell sites does Cingular themselves own. I am sure that 40,000 cell site number is including roaming partners. Sprint Nextel will themselves own a little less than 50,000 cell sites. Vreizon I believe owns in the around 20,000-25,000 cell sites.

[larry]

The real question is how many cell sites does Cingular themselves own. I am sure that 40,000 cell site number is including roaming partners. Sprint Nextel will themselves own a little less than 50,000 cell sites. Vreizon I believe owns in the around 20,000-25,000 cell sites.

I think the Cingular number is just ones that belong to them (Cingular native sites) but not 100% sure on that. Sprint Nextel will own more as company but it remains to be seen how many will be converted over to Sprint and vice versa.

[bobolito]

They can't claim having 40,000 sites if they don't all belong to them. So, there's no doubt it has to be only their own sites including those of the former AT&T Wireless. This is not to be confused with claims of having coverage. You can say you have coverage in "X" city but that doesn't mean you own the network. It's kinda like Virgin Mobile claims having coverage in any place in the US. They can claim they have the coverage, but they cannot claim they own any towers.

Now, having more sites may not always mean covering more area. You can have 200 cell sites in NYC and cover much less area than 50 sites in the middle of nowhere in Idaho. It also depends on capacity needed.

[larry]

One thing about Nextel is that their technology required a lot of towers spaced closer together than other typically 800 MHZ networks need. So the combined Sprint Nextel will have all kinds of sites to choose from.

[bobolito]

Yeah, I've noticed Nextel coverage is just as fragile as the PCS carriers in my area (SPCS and T-Mo) and normally where Nextel is dead, so is T-Mo and Sprint as well. They have the same coverage pattern which is totally different than Cingular and Verizon. (Again, that's in North NJ).

[hillbilly44]

One thing about Nextel is that their technology required a lot of towers spaced closer together than other typically 800 MHZ networks need. So the combined Sprint Nextel will have all kinds of sites to choose from.

Unfortunately, you're forgetting one thing and that's Nextel is going to have to give up alot of 800Mhz spectrum due to them getting the 1900Mhz spectrum the got from the FCC due to the public safety interference