Sprint wants to put antenna inside cross of Illinois church

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. -- The cross, long a symbol of Christianity, may offer a more worldly service as a prop for a cellular telephone antenna that would serve customers of Sprint PCS.

Sprint has offered to pay Our Redeemer's Methodist Church to encase a cellular antenna inside the church cross towering atop the house of worship in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg.

It is the latest twist in a cellular trend called "stealthing," which describes the locating of antennas where they can improve signals, but aren't readily seen, according to Mark McHale, of Sprint's wireless division.

A church cross is the latest stealth tactic, but antennas have been hidden in flagpoles, high school football stadium lights and in evergreen trees, McHale said.

If Our Redeemer's accepts the Sprint proposal, the cross and antenna would go up sometime next year.

The new cross will be the same height as the existing cross, but six inches wider. The antenna is 12 inches long, and would be invisible to passers-by.