Cingular Tower in Gambier, OH

Cingular is soon to begin installing panels on the water tower in Gambier, OH. There is a college in Gambier, which explains the install (currently only VZW serves Gambier). Cingular does have licenses for Knox County but doesn't have a network here. Would Cingular actually just build this one tower with no network in the surrounding area? TMO has a network around here, so would Cingular sell service here and just let people roam on TMO? Or would they have service here to let students buy the phones at home on the East Coast, and just use them in Gambier letting them roam on TMO when the leave campus?

Anyone with any insight I'd appreciate it...

 

They do...service isn't great though.

What I find interesting is that Cingular is building one tower when they ahve no others anywhere near here.

 

Hillbilly,

First, I'm not questioning how wise it is to build this. The water tower will be more than enough to cover the campus of Kenyon College. Kenyon would be a great place for a new carrier to cover, like I said currently only VZW and Alltel cover it. Alltel scores almost none of the student business becasue most students are affluent east-coasters and Alltel doesn't servce, DC, Philly, NYC, Boston etc.. so 99% of students have VZW.

Cingular doesn't seem to be building anything else around here. My guess is that they're willing to let students roam on TMO when they leave campus and don't go home. Since Cingular is PCS I don't think they would be able to do much on existing sites. Sprint has a so-so PCS network North and West of Knox County but nothing East of it and VZW and Alltel are both on cell band so I don't think Cingular could get enough coverage out of that.

I'm just curious to see if this is a regular thing for carriers to do and if anyone knows when the tower will be live.