Town Wants Tower Fast and AT&T Accommodates in Two Months

On September 22, AT&T announced plans to build two towers in Frisco, CO after residents voiced concern over declining service. In August, AT&T had already begun making software and hardware upgrades to some of its existing sites while planning two new rooftop tower installations, reported the Summit Daily.

“We started hearing some pretty significant complaints from citizens in July regarding AT&T coverage in town, and it felt like something had just changed, and coverage had gotten significantly worse,” said Frisco’s Marketing and Communication’s Director Vanessa Agee. “At that point, we got in touch with AT&T, explained what the issues were, and they started working on solutions.”

The Summit Daily reported that funding was approved last week for the project, and the towers will be located at the public works building and the fire station. The new towers will “cover 1,600 people doing something on their cell phones, whether it’s texting or calling,” added Agee. “It takes pressure off that macro tower and should decrease some of those issues they’ve had with traffic on that tower.”

According to Guillermo Lambarri, state director of external and legislative affairs with AT&T, “These changes and future investments, along with recent software upgrades, will bring improved coverage to Frisco residents, visitors and first responders through faster speeds and better voice quality with 4G LTE.”

According to Agee, the permitting process is a small hurdle, and she expects the towers to be operational within the next two months. In addition, Agee noted that the town is investing in a fiber network, taking advantage of its “dig once” policy. 

The town has budgeted $200,000 for communication infrastructure projects in 2021. AT&T also plans to install two small cells on Frisco’s main street next summer, reported the Summit Daily.

“It’s really nice when you can dial your phone, and it works,” Agee said. “We’re excited for our citizens to get the service they’re paying for, and we commend AT&T for jumping on it so quickly.”