**Clarification: AT&T is adding 74 cell sites in the Los Angeles area this year, not just in Orange County. **
**UPDATE, 9/5/08** AT&T offers list of South OC cities below in bold.Also, AT&T offers update on North OC status.
If you’re an AT&T Wireless user living or working in South Orange County, consider yourself special. The company just upgraded service there so that its subscribers will get better cellular signal inside buildings.
This is part of a $310 million investment AT&T is making this year in the greater Los Angeles area, which spans from San Clemente to San Luis Obispo. This should improve cell signal for voice and data calls.
South OC was considered high priority, said Geoff Mordock, an AT&T spokesman. He couldn’t elaborate as to why South OC is special to AT&T, as is Bakersfield and Palm Springs where the improved service has also launched. But, apparently, not high priority is North OC. (South OC, as AT&T defines it, includes Irvine and anything southward.) But North OC “is in our plans, ” he said.
And the upgrade, he added, has nothing to do with reports of unsatisfactory 3G iPhone service.
Technically, the improvement came about because AT&T added the wireless frequency of 850 Megahertz, which supplements its existing 1900 Mhz service, Mordock said.
Now, 850 MHz is a frequency that has been reserved for analog cell phone users since the 1980s, said Charles Golvin, who tracks the mobile industry as a principal analyst at Forrester Research. The newer 1900 MHz started in the 90s and is used for digital service (Sprint uses just 1900 for its all digital service). Over the years, the technology has been tweaked so service and features have improved. While most cellular carriers use both frequencies, they may use different ones depending on region. AT&T has now chosen to offer both here in parts of OC.
“Over time, AT&T and Verizon offer the same thing because they both have 1900 and 850. They have gradually transitioned their services and technologies so in any market that you travel into, you may be using 1900, maybe 850 or both but not simultaneously,” he said. “But the main point is 850 Mhz penetrates buildings better.”
AT&T turned on the service this week. By the end of the year, the company will have added 74 new cell cites in OC in the Los Angeles area (corrected 9/10/08) to boost its high-speed services. Most are already online, the company said.
Update 9/5: AT&T says the cities affected are Irvine, Foothill Ranch, San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest and Aliso Viejo.
Mordock also wants to reiterate that North Orange County is important too. “I confirmed that we expect to roll out 850 coverage in that area over the next several weeks (expected completion is by mid November). Please understand that this takes considerable resources and that not all areas can be completed at once,” he said.
Any South OC AT&T users out there? Has the service improved? Please share your experience with the rest of us!
Image from AT&T
Past AT&T posts:
- DSL down to $10/month from Verizon and AT&T
- How iPhone users can save money overseas
- Make Outlook Express work with AT&T e-mail
- Get tech help in your home from AT&T
- AT&T offers $10,000 to help catch copper-wire thieves
- BillShrink quickly shows how to save on cell bill
- Did AT&T yank free Wi-Fi for iPhone users?
Tamara 'the Gadgetress' Chuang
I’ north (of) OC (sfv). Signal inside my house went from 0-1 bars, to 5 bars of 3G, over night.
I live in Irvine next to the Spectrum and I still cannot use my AT&T cell in my apartment. I get about 2 bars and most of my calls get dropped. I pay an extra $25/month for a landline! Please bring a tower over here! Other than my apartment I get service almost everywhere else.
Placentia/North OC - signal is poor to moderate with some 3G areas. But, there is little signal to none indoors. Nice iphone brick I’m holding in my house.
AT&T - Please continue to add more bars in more places.
Thank you.
[...] recent comments UPDATE: AT&T improves indoor cell signal … for some of O.C. - Alt+Save with the Gadgetress… on AT&T will improve North OC indoor service this yearNetteligent on Canon covers bounced [...]
depends where you are…can’t get any signal inside south coast plaza…but if you step out, signal is ok…can’t get any consistent signal in irvine…you have to walk around until you get something sporadic…
I live in Lake Forest and my AT&T service it terrible. In the house it is consistently ZERO bars and if I walk outside to use my phone the reception is very sporadic. If it wasn’t a company phone I’d have switched long ago. My kids have Verizon and it works great in the house. My 2 cents!
[...] UPDATE: AT&T improves indoor cell signal … for some of O.C. [...]
Wondering if there has been any improvement since this was announced 9/5, and we are now at 10/5…really want an iphone but if the at&t service in irvine homes and businesses is not good, then that isn’t smart buy.
AT and T service indoors is a big problem. Our company made the decision to explore iPhones for all executives and had to cancel teh switch due to AT and T not being able to get a strong signal into our building. AT and T just kept responding that we were in a dead zone and they had no immediate resolution to our service problem.
Sorry Apple, we had to go to Verizon and Blackberry
DugKnight — According to AT&T, outside the Orange Curtain, AT&T has so far improved indoor service in cities in Kern County (Bakersfield), Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Santa Barbara County and Ventura County. — Gadgetress
Where can I find a list of cities north of the OC curtain? The article mentions LA County, but I don’t see which cities. I get terrible service at home (in the house), which is in Long Beach.
Signal is still bad in Aliso Viejo around Chase And Pacific Park
I get incredible service here in Laguna Niguel. San Clemente is another story- as you get near the State Park anywhere on the south side of the freeway is a dead zone. Don’t blame iPhone. It works great when there is a signal for it. Complain loudly to ATT if your service is subpar in your area. That is the only way they will do anything about it. They promise to address all complaints.
Gadgetress, you are correct. I just want to post the technical details of what AT&T “supposedly” announced. They still have a ways to go to reach the coverage that legacy Cingular had before they disolved their partnership with T-Mobile and assumed the old AT&T network. For those of you wondering about the whole AT&T to Cingular to AT&T scenario…once upon a time AT&T Wireless was its own company. Cingular and T-Mobile were a joint venture partner in their CA, NV, and NY networks. When Cingular bought AT&T Wireless, the feds made Cingular divest network assets in the many markets including our market. Cingular opted to keep the legacy AT&T network due to the masive amount of spectrum they held, and had T-Mobile buy out Cingular’s portion of the joint venture. There’s no question that the T-Mobile network (old Cingular network) is built out well. AT&T customer’s really got the short end of the stick, especially when AT&T discontinued roaming on most T-Mobile sites (there are exceptions such as UCI).
For those that not only have poor coverage from AT&T but other carriers are typically in an area that is NIMBY (not in my back yard) or have major real estate/zoning issues. In that case, there’s not much any carrier can do other than play the games which can take years before a site is appoved and built out.
-Safedriver
Safedriver — If you read the post again, it does say that 850 frequency has been around since the 1980s, but the companies have been tweaking the technology all along. Turning it back on with new & improved (?) technology is what AT&T announced this week. But, apparently, it hasn’t helped the signal strength for many readers. Hopefully, AT&T will continue to address concerns. — Gadgetress
Same lousy service here in Laguna Niguel…A T & T should be ashamed of themselves advertising about what great coverage they have! Not only is there bad service in my area but they spent an hour having me turn off and on my phone as if that would actually improve something….then the technician spent another few minutes pounding on his keyboard (for my benefit I’m sure) and told me he had “fixed” the problem. Guess what…it’s the same terrible service it’s always been folks!
Saddleback College area: still 1 to 2 bars, often dropping to zero, and my phone tells me it’s connected to a 3G tower.
AT&T phones are not the only phones to have trouble in the area. Everybody has trouble in this area (Verizon, T Mobile, AT&T, Nextel). The real culprit may be the power lines.
I live in Aliso Viejo. I still get no signal inside or outside. I’m getting sick of it.
I live in Talega in San Clemente and my service stinks!!!! No bars at all. Could just be this lousy iphone I guess
Mission Viejo - Marguerite & El Toro no difference, still unusable inside my office.
Mission Viejo - Oso & Felipe…..no change to signal - which is pretty much ZERO bars inside the house…and 1 bar outside the house. Texting BARELY works….and I can’t switch cell carriers due to a contract. HORRIBLE
I just updated the post with cities. Please continue to keep me posted on service so I can continue to nag AT&T. - Gadgetress
I would bet that ATT only improved the areas that are serviced by Verizon Land Lines.
Thanks all — I’ll double check those cities to make sure AT&T considers them South OC — Gadgetress
Checking in from work in Laguna Hills - 2 Bars - Same as before. So what actual house did ATT improve the coverage at?
I’m in RSM and work in Tustin. No improvement that I can see at all — In most places, my iPhone got significantly worse with 2.0 and it has not improved with updates, coverage upgrades… it sux, hate it, worthless.
Lake Forest Same 1 bar as before (El Toro/Trabuco).
Just linked my boyfriend to this article. He lives in Ladera Ranch and he says he’s getting full bars in a room where he used to get 2/5.
service has improved in a place where i couldnt even text