Dead Zones: Cell Phone Reception in the City

SEPTEMBER 4, 2008

Can you hear me now? Why your cell phone doesn’t always work when you want it to.

Ever stepped into an elevator or your apartment while talking on your cell phone, only to lose service? Why, in one of the world’s biggest cities, does your mobile phone turn useless in your living room.

For one, New York’s skyscrapers create “canyons” that challenge wireless company engineers. Concrete and brick building walls absorb the radio waves and cause signal loss—up to 99% of reception. Having plenty of cell phone towers isn’t enough. In fact, that may make things worse. More towers require less power to cover a smaller area, so signals are actually weaker.

In a pinch, standing near a window may be a solution. Some larger buildings may have special “repeater” systems installed to boost signals, while some carriers have tried putting receivers in taxicab trunks to gauge reception strength throughout the city.

For the moment, choose a carrier based on a reputation for strong coverage. Make sure you get up-to-the minute network updates from carriers. Though it may be tempting to go for cool phones and great deals on minutes, they’re hard to appreciate if the person on the other end of the line can’t hear you!

Find out about coverage, service and reception in your area
http://www.wirelessadvisor.com/

Find out more about phones, carriers and the latest in mobile news
http://www.howardforums.com/

See what others have to say about carriers’ reception in your area
http://www.mobiledia.com/guides/page2.html

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Dead Zones: Cell Phone Reception in the City

SEPTEMBER 4, 2008

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