Cingular to add 60 cell sites in Louisiana

Article published Feb 25, 2006
Cingular to add 60 cell sites
Arnessa M. Garrett
agarrett@theadvertiser.com
Spotty reception in some rural areas could be a thing of the past for cell phone users as Cingular Wireless plans to add new cell towers at many sites across the state.
Representatives of Cingular Wireless said Friday the company is planning a $165 million investment in its statewide network, including nine new cell sites in Acadiana.

Everett Bergeron, business sales manager for Cingular, said the new cell towers will increase the coverage area for Cingular customers, as well as add capacity to the network.

"When someone gets wireless service, that's the biggest issue. They want to be able to use their device where they live, where they work and where they travel," he said.

Bergeron said the plan is subject to regulatory approval, and the company does consider the community concerns when deciding where to place the sites. But these days, the towers can be hard to spot.

More than 60 new cell sites are planned in the entire state. This will benefit residents even in areas that don't get new towers, the company said, because they will be able to count on having Cingular service as they travel.

"If you live in Acadiana and you drive to North Louisiana, you're going to benefit from that investment, as well," Bergeron said.

Added capacity also will help when usage suddenly spikes as it did following hurricanes Katrina and Rita, when many relied on cell phones to keep in touch with relatives during evacuations, Bergeron said.

"The additional influx of people, the network wasn't built to handle that, no one's network was built to handle that," he said.

Cingular also is buying 150 permanent generators to add to certain cell sites around the state, said Cingular representative Dawn Benton, so if power is lost, the sites can keep running.

The company also continues its integration of cell sites that once belonged to AT&T Wireless, which merged with Cingular in October 2004, Benton said. Because of that, service should improve around the Mall of Acadiana, and the area will benefit from five more cell sites that were not used previously.

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Cingular Wireless plans to boost infrastructure

By CHAD CALDER
Advocate business writer
Published: Feb 24, 2006

Cingular Wireless will invest $165 million in its Louisiana infrastructure in 2006, up from $144 million last year. The money will go toward 60 new cell sites, new generators and integrating the network of the former AT&T Wireless and new switching facilities to improve call routing.

In the six-parish Baton Rouge area, Cingular will build eight towers and integrate 24 of AT&T’s cell sites. In the five-parish Lafayette area, it will build nine and integrate six. In the area including Katrina-ravaged parishes, as well as Lafourche and Terrebonne, Cingular will build four and integrate 62 towers.

Cingular spokeswoman Dawn Benton said that figure represents new investment, not repairs after Hurricane Katrina, which have been completed. Benton said Cingular is bullish on Louisiana despite the uncertainty wrought by Katrina, saying Cingular is going to make its investments with a long view. In the wireless game, she said, it’s all about keeping up the quality of the network.

In Baton Rouge, Cingular will build four towers covering LSU’s campus, and one each for Walker, Zachary, Baker and River Road and Brightside Drive.

The integrated AT&T sites in East Baton Rouge Parish will be at Florida Boulevard and North Foster Drive; Government Street and Goodwood Boulevard; Interstate 110 and Choctaw Drive; Interstate 10 and O’Neal Lane; Laurel and North 15th streets; Government and South 15th streets; Airline Highway and I-10; South Acadian Thruway and I-110; Hooper Road in the northern part of the parish and Hooper Road near Greenwell Springs; and two at LSU.

There will be one in Ascension Parish north of Gonzales on Airline Highway; one in Assumption Parish near Labadieville and La. 1; one site in Iberville Parish in Grosse Tete near I-10; and two sites in Gramercy.

In the Denham Springs area, Cingular will integrate former AT&T wireless sites at I-12 and Juban Road; Florida Boulevard and Walker South; La. 16 and Harris Road; I-12 and South Range Road; and Lockhart Road northeast of Denham Springs.

In West Baton Rouge Parish, three former AT&T sites will be integrated near Port Allen.

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