Charlotte’s South End, one of the city’s busiest sectors, had been considered the Bermuda Triangle of cell phone service by locals. To residents, it’s not just a matter of connectivity but of safety. On social media sites like Reddit and Twitter, locals are asking the question of how coverage can be improved for everyone’s benefit. But whose shoulders does it fall on, carriers or the city?
The city told Axios they “have no control or knowledge around the cellular network throughout the City or ‘dead zones,’” and their “only role with the cellular providers/utility companies is to permit their intended installations in a manner that matches our guidelines. Network capacity/coverage is not something within our regulatory control so it is not contemplated within our guidelines,” the city said in an issued statement.
Verizon responded by saying it is in the process of solving the problem with the placement of two small cells. The company said it plans to increase the number of the backpack-sized nodes in the area over the next six months, according to Axios, as well as throughout the city.
According to Eric Lia, VP of Engineering and Operations, Verizon was limited to using only 60 MHz until this year. Now, Lia told Axios, they will have the capacity to use 150 MHz by the beginning of next year.
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