AT&T users on campus finally have something to celebrate: construction on the distributed antenna systems has officially begun.
Crown Castle International, a communications company that builds cell phone towers and distributed antenna systems in the United States and Australia, is installing distributed antenna systems at Zable Stadium and at the William and Mary Law School. The construction was approved by the Williamsburg Planning Commission in September 2009, and contracts with cell phone carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and Sprint have been deliberated in the past eighteen months.
“We got through all the contract issues and finalized the work permits,” Courtney Carpenter, chief information officer of Information Technology at the College, said. “They’re building it as we speak.”
The construction will not becompleted until mid-March at the earliest, Carpenter estimated. Additionally, the College has asked Crown Castle to do the work that requires cranes over spring break in order to disrupt campus as little as possible. Ellen Webner, a spokesperson for AT&T, declined to predict when coverage for AT&T will improve, but said that they are serious about satisfying their customers at the College.
“All I can say is that we are making every effort to work with Crown Castle to improve coverage in the area,” she said.
There is no definitive date for the completion of the systems. However, both the College and Crown Castle are working to build the towers and finalize contracts with wireless carriers as soon as possible. AT&T users on campus will simply have to remain patient, the day is fast approaching when a text will arrive the moment it is sent and a long phone conversation can be held inside.