Don't know if anyone else noticed, but the maps have finally, REALLY, been updated with new towers and what not. FINALLY!
About time! There were many improvements added that never made it to the maps because they failed to keep them updated the past 2 years. Also just an FYI, some of the 'future' tower markers are not going to have actual improvements made. Some of them are just showing where they are going to be combining separate/redundant iDEN and CDMA cell sites into single synergy sites to save on leasing/operating costs. This will not result in added coverage but those sites are showing because they have new site ID's. Obviously the system mistakenly thinks those are going to be entirely new sites for coverage when they already exist. lol
You mean they are taking two towers in an area and combining them on only one? Wouldn that REDUCE coverage? or do you mean if theres both a nextel and a sprint array on a tower they are changing it to just one level on that tower with both antennas?
No coverage will be reduced. They are taking separate iDEN and CDMA sites with 500 feet of each other and combining them into one cell site. That site will broadcast both CDMA and iDEN from the same array so Sprint will only have to pay for one lease instead of two separate leases. Obviously one of the two sites in these target areas will be taken down altogether as it will no longer be needed once they combine the equipment into one site. The online maps show a number of these cases as 'future' towers when in fact they are not going to be improvements because they already exist. In some cases coverage might be slightly improved for some people in those areas if Sprint alters the height of the antennas or changes the azimuths when doing the combining.