Customers to get preview of improved cell towers

EDITOR'S NOTE: The amount that AT&T has spent in the Cape Girardeau and Jackson area has been corrected.

As the Cape Girardeau City Council prepares to take votes on the second and third reading for the approval of a special use permit for a cellphone tower on William Street, AT&T plans to bring in temporary communication towers to give customers in the downtown area an idea of the increased service they can expect to receive.

The temporary towers are known as Cells on Wheels, or COWs. Typically, they are deployed by the network in areas that have experienced a natural disaster or have a sudden influx of people due to an event, such as a state fair or major league championship game.

"We typically don't deploy the COWs for the reasons we need them in Cape," said AT&T Missouri regional director Marsha Haskell. "But it's growing so much and there are so many customers constantly accessing the network that we felt we needed to bring them in to provide better service."

The network plans to bring in two of the self-contained towers. One will be placed behind city hall at 401 Independence St., where it will provide temporary coverage for the downtown area until the permanent structure is complete at 418 William St. The other will be at 3004 Gordonville Road near Saint Francis Medical Center.

Choosing the location was based on "coverage and capacity" Haskell said.

"Those are two huge areas that attract people to restaurants, shopping and all these other things," she said. "And when people are out they want to share their experiences through text messages, photos and status updates on social media sites."

The temporary tower that would be placed behind city hall will specifically address the coverage gap that exists in the downtown area. The other tower will serve two purposes, Haskell said.

"First, it will provide temporary immediate relief where we know, based on customer feedback, that there is a coverage gap," she said. "Second, it will allow us to collect critical data to determine the best location for a permanent structure in that area."

Haskell said there is no doubt the area needs better coverage, but the network wants to take the time to research the optimal location before taking any permanent measures.

For now, AT&T is waiting for the city council to approve special-use permits for the COWs before they can be deployed. At its last meeting, the city unanimously approved the first round of voting for the permit and the next round will be held at its Monday meeting.

Haskell said the temporary towers likely will be deployed by October or "sooner if we can make that happen." Although they are smaller than a permanent tower, she said they would provide the same coverage, even giving customers the full 4G LTE experience.

The structure behind city hall will be removed after the permanent structure on William Street is complete, likely sometime in January, Haskell said.

The COWs are a continued part of AT&T's efforts to build up its networks in Southeast Missouri. According to Haskell, the network has spent $35 million on the Cape Girardeau and Jackson area since 2009.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

418 William St., Cape Girardeau, MO

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO

3004 Gordonville Road, Cape Girardeau, MO