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The good news is, it appears some help is on the way, according to the New Canaan News.
When it comes to problem cellphone coverage in New Canaan, one of the biggest culprits is Mother Nature, according to the report. Local topography, including hills, valleys, ridge lines and tree density, all contribute to the area's notorious poor cell signal.
Centerline Solutions said its study revealed areas were cellular reception was "substantially absent." These areas included west of Route 124 from Frogtown Road up to the New York State line; northwest, north and northeast of Country Club between Wydendown Road and the New York State line and the Wilton town line; Valley Road and the eastern border of the town stretching from the Merritt Parkway up to the New York State line.
Centerline said AT&T covers 75 percent of New Canaan with data and 66 percent of the area with voice service. Verizon also boasted 75 percent data coverage but only 50 percent voice.
T-Mobile and Sprint lagged far behind the other two, with only 33 percent and 25 percent coverage, respectively.
But two new cell towers could help improve coverage in the area.
The Silver Hill site, which is under construction and set to go online in early 2015, will host antennas for AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Centerline's report says the new tower will help improve signal quality in the northeastern and eastern regions.
Signal quality in the southeastern and eastern parts of town could also be improved if proposed monopole towers for AT&T and Verizon are approved at the Norwalk Armory.
Even with the two new sites, cell coverage in the New Canaan area would still have significant gaps. To improve upon this, Centerline suggested four options including: Traditional Macro sites, Stealth Macro sites, Distributed Antenna Systems and small cells.
Each of the suggestions would help fill in coverage gaps but would come at a cost of some kind, whether it be a financial cost or a potential eyesore on the community.
Local officials will use the report to determine a course of action to improve cell coverage in the area, the New Canaan News said.
Click here to read the full Centerline Solutions report.
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