December
2009 Unicoi County, TN - By
Lesley Hughes. AT&T cell phone and broadband users in Unicoi
County will now receive additional coverage thanks to the activation
of a new cell site in the Town of Unicoi.
The new site is located eight miles south of Johnson
City and enhances wireless broadband coverage not only to the Town
of Unicoi, but along Interstate 26 between Johnson City and Erwin
to Limestone Cove Road and Marbleton Road.
"It's great news to see a local provider like
AT&T investing to boost wireless coverage in Unicoi County,"
said Sen. Steve Southerland. "This new tower will increase
public safety and help improve wireless convenience as more and
more of our citizens rely on their mobile phones."
AT&T officials have worked with the Town of
Unicoi leaders for several months, since the implementation of the
cell tower began nearly two years ago by Pegasus Tower Company.
Unicoi Mayor Johnny Lynch was pleased on Wednesday to know the cell
site was not active and residents in the town with AT&T service
will now experience enhanced coverage.
Unicoi City Recorder Larry Rea said up to six different
cellular service providers can hook onto the tower. Leaders are
working on a letter-writing campaign to Verizon to request that
company join the tower. Rea invited citizens to write Verizon and
express an interest towards this effort. Send letters to Verizon,
Attn: Bill Callahan, 575 Hickory Hills Boulevard, Whites Creek,
TN 37189.
As an AT&T customer, Rea said he has personally
noticed the signal is much stronger in Unicoi and said on behalf
of the town, that leaders were happy to help assist in bringing
better service to the citizens in the town.
The change also helps travelers on I-26. Prior
to this, drivers could experience dead spots or have calls dropped
and signal return just seconds later.
From 2006 to 2008, AT&T's total capital investment
in its wireless and wired networks in Tennessee was more than $1.2
billion. The new cell site is part of AT&T's ongoing efforts
to drive innovation and investment to deliver the benefits of smartphones
and mobile broadband for customers. More smartphone customers have
chosen AT&T over any other U.S. competitor, and AT&T is
committed to driving continual enhancement of network capabilities
to meet these customers' ever-growing mobile broadband needs.
"A strong telecommunications infrastructure
is key to the economic vitality of our communities," said Alicia
Summers, director of the Northeast Tennessee Valley Regional Industrial
Development Association. "This investment in wireless connectivity
will benefit Unicoi County by creating new opportunities for residents
and business owners."
"Our goal is pretty simple: we want you to
have an extraordinary experience when you make a call, check e-mail,
download a song or video, or surf the Internet on your AT&T
device," said Gregg Morton, president, AT&T Tennessee.
For more information about AT&T's coverage in
Unicoi County or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit
www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/.
The online tool can measure the quality of coverage based on a street
address, intersection, zip code or even a landmark. For updates
on the AT&T network, visit www.att.com/networknews.com.
