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rmfebles's profile

Tutor

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3 Messages

Wednesday, August 10th, 2016 3:31 AM

AT&T Mark the Spot App

How many times does one have to report an issue on AT&T's "Mark the Spot" app before the network team gets the hint and a new cell tower is needed in the area to resolve the dropped calls and unusable data speeds?

 

I have been reporting one zone for almost a year, and have yet to see any marked improvement. It is a very densly populated area behind a hill which blocks line of site to the main cell tower site. As soon as I leave the range of my AT&T Micro Cell I drop any calls. Verizon just put up a new cell site in the neighborhood, and it is getting harder to justify spending the money for AT&T when every call beyond the range of my Micro Cell drops. 

 

 

ACE - Expert

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64.7K Messages

8 years ago

I'm sure the network team has gotten the message. It can literally take years to get a new cell tower if that is indeed what is needed. 

Professor

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2.2K Messages

8 years ago

I agree.  Carriers can not simply place a tower wherever they want.  If a new tower is warranted, there is still it's priority to consider compared to other towers that need to be built and that is driven by budgets.  Cell site selection priorities are extremely complex.  There are zoning issues galore to overcome, public ordinances to comply with, and site acquisition or lease negotiations for the site just to name a few.

 

Zoning hearings and the public approval process alone are a minefield to step through.  Wireless carriers can spend $40,000 on a zoning hearing to get approval.  The process can take upwards of 2 years in some jurisdictions and there is no guarantee that approval will be granted.  Seems like any time a cell tower is proposed, the NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) show up at the hearings and complain about the health risks and property depreciation.

 

Coverage is something that one has to consider when selecting a carrier.  There is no way for you to find out how long your situation will continue.  Changing carriers is always an option IMHO.

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

8 years ago

It took close to 5 years to get north western CT covered by cell towers.  

If there is another carrier, then switch.

 

 

Master

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4.1K Messages

8 years ago

It only takes one post of an issue to get a response, but that response may not be "immediate".  I was working at a location in 2013 where there was a problem with one of the towers and I reported it using the Mark the Spot app.  Earlier this year I got a message from AT&T that my report was being resolved by the addition of a new tower in the area.  Yes, it ook nearly 3 years to add a new tower to an area.  In order to add a new tower, AT&T needs to get many, many approvals.  In some areas, it can take 6-12 months just to get an appearance in the local board/council meetings where AT&T can present their request to add a tower.   This doesn't even begin to touch all the discussions, approvals, permits, then the building the tower, certifying it, etc.  In many cases, I would really be surprised if they can get a new tower up in less than 5 years from initial request to tower working live.

Contributor

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1 Message

7 years ago

Mark the Spot is a pacifier to make you think you are making a positive difference. I have walked a 5 mile stretch and marked the the entire 5 miles showing no coverage.

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

7 years ago

@Eadsg1 - see post #5 above.

Master

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3.5K Messages

7 years ago

@OttoPylotDoes anyone see "network news" or anything else, past 11/6/16 in the app though?

I've reported several issues recently myself, and I get a "we'll send the data when connected" message, but it never seems to actually connect, at least based on the "updates".

About 1000% onboard with the tower thing, in terms of what it's gotta' be like to get a new one (zoned, planned, wiring to the box, etc), but it does seem like the app should have more current news/reports, than 7 months?

It used to update my reports, typically with some sort of response, but my last several have gone "silent", and the 11/6/16 thing is really making me scratch my head.

 

I've flushed the app data, although I haven't un-installed/re-installed it, yet anyway.  

Something is strange here, possibly, if you ask me, but I'm only one datapoint.

 

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

7 years ago

@pgrey - I don't use the app because I don't think it is wholly embraced by AT&T. And with FCC requirements for towers, tower sharing, etc  constantly changing it appears to becoming a sort of dinosaur in usefullness.

Master

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3.5K Messages

7 years ago

@OttoPylot Hmm, but this is their "endorsed app" for this, correct, or is there another that I'm not aware of?

It's weird to me that nothing seems to have been updated on it, for such a large span, but perhaps it's my device caching or similar (despite flushing the app cache).

Do you see any "network news" that's current?

What other app is there, if this appears to be being "retired"?

 

Other odd thing, in relation, my RootMetrics mapping went back to all good-great today, where it had been for a very long time.  However Tuesday it was almost all bad-moderate (for several miles around me).  No updates via the app t though, or responses to my multiple submittals, it seems like I would've gotten some sort of update (I used to get these, pretty much every time I used it, at least an acknowledgement, if not a fix-notice).

I'm still on the same tower, at least according to the app I use "Network Cell Info Lite", which seems to always show me either a tower that's about 2 miles north, or one that's about a mile south.  I'd say it's a 75/25 split, the B30 tower is north, and there's a B4 tower that's south.  Occasionally, I get a B12/17 tower that's west about 2.5mi, and has crazy-strong signal, but my device doesn't hang onto it very long, probably because I don't have VoLTE (non-branded devcie), my guess anyway, it's probably constantly dropping that one to get texts and the like.

 

I admit, I'm perplexed as to what's going on with the network.  I'm pulling 51/11 today (two checks about an hour apart), but Tuesday I was only able to get a max of 0.2, both ways, spanning several checks during the day.

 

Weird, eh?

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

7 years ago

@pgrey - I'm not aware of any other app but then again I haven't looked. To be honest, it's really not useful to me because I don't conduct any business on my cell phone and whenever I've been out and about, I've never had any call or phone issues. I'm not a FaceBook/Twitter/mobile streaming kind of guy so maybe that's why it's not important. However, from reports I've seen, the app does seem to be losing some of its "robustness" and subsequent usefulness. Maybe other ACEs find the situation different.

 

Weird fer sure.

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