AT&T adds 75 new NY metro cell sites in 2008 and Q1 2009; notice any difference?

By on Apr 23, 2009 at 1:51 PM
Opinions April 23, 2009

According to a new email blast AT&T is currently in the midst of sending out, the company has been hard at work in 2008 and through Q1 2009 improving its service in the New York metro area. In fact according to the email, the carrier added 75 new cell sites across New Jersey, New York and Long Island during the 15-month period. Specifically, AT&T lists the following areas as key improvements in 2008:

  • Along I-78 in Hunterdon County west of Exit 11 and between Exit 33 and I-287 in NJ
  • Aong the West Side Highway from 7th Avenue to West 10th Street in Manhattan
  • The Sprain Brook Parkway from Route 100C to 100 and I-684 near Goldens Bridge in Valhalla, NY
  • The Long Island Expressway near Exit 51 in Huntington Station, NY
  • Perrineville, Prospect Plains, Union Valley & Applegarth Roads all in Monroe Township in Middlesex County, NJ
  • Main Street and Ocean Avenue in Northport, NY
  • The Southern State and Sagtikos Parkways in Bayshore, NY

A few more areas are also listed as recipients of even more recent coverage improvements:

  • The NJ Transit line in Glen Rock, NJ
  • Todt Hill Road in Staten Island
  • Howells Road and the Sunrise Highway in Bayshore, NY
  • Greenwich Village from Washington Square Park to East 12th Street, Central Park South
  • The Upper East Side from East 82nd to East 91st Street in Manhattan

While we applaud AT&T’s continued efforts in the region, we’re still hearing from an unending stream of readers, colleagues and friends wondering what is going on with AT&T’s service in the NYC area. Of course people love to complain much more than they do praise so to be fair, we also talk to plenty of people in the area who live and die by AT&T’s service and seemingly have no problems at all. Consider this an informal third party survey — those of you with AT&T service in and around New York… How’s it hanging?

Hit the jump to see the full email and then hit the comments section to be heard.

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  • NYCNY

    How is big blue back when they have some of the worse ratings out there? Verizon has some of the top phones of 09 that will be out this summer. Verizon doesnt usually comes out with new “cool” phones until summer and on.

  • JustAGuy

    The only place I seem to have any problem anymore is on MetroNorth RIGHT before entering Grand Central Terminal. Since that is officially in the middle of a dark deep tunnel, I can deal with a little blackout there. Other than that, I seem to have a strong 3G signal almost anywhere in the NY metro area from Fairfield CT to Newark NJ and everywhere in between. I used to get just an EDGE signal on the train a LOT, but in the last 6 months that has improved a lot.

    Oh, and @ G-Money, 3G takes more battery than EDGE, so turning off 3G increases battery life, big time. Therefore, your example actually shows that AT&T IS 3G in the tri-state. Last summer, before AT&T had launched 3G in Maine (the whole state, it sucked), I went a whole week without plugging in my iPhone while visiting my parents in Kennebunk. Then, at Thanksgiving, bang, 3G and normal 1 and a half day battery.

    So, as a former long-time Verizon Wireless customer, who was REALLY nervous about switching to AT&T, with all the horrors I had heard, I have to say, except for battery life, which I realize is a function of UMTS vs EV/DO, I have been noticed no difference between the two at this point, except that I like my iPhone, and my roommate hates his Storm!

  • NoWay

    I guess there will never be the best of both worlds. Good service = Verizon. Cool phones (iPhone) = AT&T. Good thing for AT&T, Verizon was too stupid to pick up the exclusive on the iPhone when they had the chance. Nothing new here, I’m still pissed! I would love an iPhone, but can’t sacrifice service quality and reliability to get it! Can’t we all just get along!

  • Joki

    I have never (or can’t remember) not had service in the NYC area, besides the subway of course, which at times I do have service. On the other hand I’m usually the only one with service out of my friends (they all have t-mo…I def do live and die by at&t since I was 14 lol.

  • Crunch

    75 sites in ONE year?? I have no idea as far as what each tower covers, but I know it’s not too much when the tower runs at 850MHz, and 1,900MHz is better for freeways (Expressways, etc.).

    Did AT&T really only install 75 sites in NYC?? In a whole year + one quarter, so 21 months??

    Or is this just a local paper, where AT&T is basically getting a favorable “review”, and getting advertising in the form of a report? lol…

  • David

    I live on the Armonk,NY/Greenwich, CT border about 1/2 hour north of NYC. There is no cell service at my house or in the immediate neighborhood. No ATT, VZW, Sprint, T-Mo, etc. We all have to go 1/2 mile up the road before we get any service. That’s why I wish ATT would finally release their Microcell!!!

  • Kyle

    3G is still a crap shoot if it’ll work in Manhattan, IMHO. Not so bad in Queens this past year and I have noticed a nice update in coverage in Long Island.

    Still needs work.

  • CC

    I have gen 1 Iphone. There are times I literally want to hurl it out the window. I can vouch for the Sprain parkway. Service is fine. As for Manhattan, there are times I can’t even get a signal. Which is totally insane. And there is a stretch of road in Westchester County (I-684 as it approaches I-84) where I have a better chance of contacting someone telepathically than I do with the Iphone.
    AT&T blows the biggest moose ever.

  • Mani

    The coverage in Jersey city is really bad. Maybe there are not enough cells to make all the connection because I see evey other person with an iphone. It’s so eeatic I have a mark on my desk to show the 3g side a normal side and one without data.

  • Queen

    I live in midtown Manhattan, work in Brooklyn and travel in and outside of the US a couple times a year.
    I have absolutely no problems with my ATT service and I have no reason to switch. I have noticed the improvements in service especially in the subways.
    I have been with them for over 10 years and I’m satisfied. Oh and I own a BB pearl, soon to upgrade to the Bold.

  • Dakota

    *ahem* AT&T, 3G in northern NY, please…

    … I’m sick of EDGE when only an hour south I can get the all holy 3G. SUUUUUURE you sold me the 3G phone with its’ nice mobile TV, video sharing, etc, but I. CAN’T. USE. IT. ON. EDGE.

    /rant

  • http://none brushsyn17

    How many of the iphone signal complaints have jailbroken phones? You will see less signal, terrible battery (and longer charge up) and sluggish performance compared to a non jailbroken phone.

    just my two cents.

  • terryjohnson16

    My iphone 3G is not jail broken, or unlocked.

  • terryjohnson16

    LOL, AT&T sent that out as an email to everyone.

  • tyler

    NYCNY. IF VERIZONS LINEUP IS SOO GREAT FOR 09 THAN WHAT ARE THE PHONES GOING TO BE

    Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).

  • Chadonna

    The reception around the Newport area of Jersey City is so spotty. I get really good reception by Newport Mall (not surprisingly, since there is a huge AT&T store there), but sometimes when you turn the corner or go too close to the Hudson, you get little or no reception. Come on, AT&T, I’m talking about an area that’s highly populated and highly populated with business people and higher-income residents who probably own a lot of iPhones. It’s an area that right across the Hudson from lower Manhattan. Some service improvements near the Hudson is needed. A lot of people besides me are complaining, believe me!

  • Lolo

    So is the iphone a good bet for rockland county? i love verizon but we have the itouch and it’s great. i’d love to get it as the iphone.

  • Lolo

    I’d rather have service everywhere i go than worry about having “my parents cell phone carrier”

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