Yet another coverage question

[sslc]

Coverage questions in various forms have been asked here many times, however, I think mine has a twist to it.

I live in SW New Mexico and judging from Verizon's coverage map, my ranch is in one of those small white "holes", as most everything around is solidly red.

I have a Tracfone that uses Verizon Network and the phone will get good signal when I am about 6 mile from home.

All that is fine and good, until a couple years ago when there was a large wild fire and USDF set up a base camp 1/2 mile from where we live. All of a sudden, everybody that has Verizon was getting excellent cell coverage at home. We later found out that while the fire base camp was running there was a mobile cell tower/amplifier in camp hence the previously "dead zone" just came alive (while the camp was in operation).

As it does not seem to take any giant effort to fill in the no coverage "hole" (in this case, just a truck with proper equipment), I wonder if there is anything our neighborhood can do to "nudge" Verizon to fill the area with "red".

[Snn5]

I'm sure that was a one-time thing to help out a gov agency.  Placing a booster is normally reserved for a large base of customers.  Verizon hasn't correctly updated their map in a very long time.  I guess it's easier to just paint the map red in more places when you have their broad coverage and it is almost assumed that 99% of America will get good signal.  Watch Sprint and T-Mobile...they update fairly frequently now that they take note of network data from Sensorly and Root Metrics.  I have screen shots from a month ago where x-number speed and voice upgrades were done near me and coverage maps have grown.

[sslc]

Thanks for the quick input.

Let me clarify:

A few years ago, when our rural phone company finally get around to deploy DSL, our neighborhood was in a very similar situation. We are about 5-6 miles "too far" from the phone company's DSL reach. Finally, one of our neighbors called and ask what would it take and what was the problem. The answer was the phone company does not have any location to install their equipment to serve our neighborhood. When asked how big a space they need, the answer was about 100 square feet. It did not take hardly any time for the phone company and my neighbor to work out an arrangement such that the phone company can put equipment on his land (he has a couple hundred acres and the land he granted permission was literally next to a rural freeway and less than 10 feet from power and telephone poles). Once the equipment was in, we all have excellent DSL because of the close proximity. I am thinking along the line of if Verizon does not need a large foot print for equipment deployment, something can possibly be worked out

[Snn5]

I guess someone or a group of people would have to approach Verizon with that idea.

[vzw_customer_support · Accepted solution]

sslc,

It would be accurate that during times of crisis or need we are able to deploy mobile cellular equipment to help strengthen the signal for a specific area and these are often referred as a Cell on Wheels. More than likely this could have been what was used when the reception had improved in the area.

While these would not be readily available for all areas with coverage challenges, we do have other options available similar to what you are describing with the DSL provider. We do have a similar real estate inquiry form that you can submit to us if your property or location meets the necessary requirements. To read more on this and to download and view the form you can click here https://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/realestate/.

AdamG_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

[sslc]

Good to know that a mechanism is already in place to handle the inquiry, we will follow up thru the proper channels. Thanks.