BU students complain of choppy cell phone reception

Although a cellular phone site was recently installed to increase reception across the Boston University area, students say they still have choppy reception on some parts of campus.

BU students mentioned trouble spots on campus, including the George Sherman Union, Myles Standish Hall, South Campus, the Student Residences at 10 Buick St. and Warren Towers, but agreed that reception has improved significantly this semester.

“Last year I found it really hard to get reception in a lot of places near West Campus,” said Tarryn Prosper, a College of Communication sophomore. “Sometimes you would have to stand by the window and lean a little bit, kind of stand on one foot, do a couple cartwheels and somersaults and maybe you’d get good reception.”

Prosper, who now lives in Kenmore Square, said she has since changed wireless services from Nextel to Verizon, and she thinks general campus reception has improved.

Verizon’s new cell site was announced in early October and is expected to increase coverage and capacity at BU and the surrounding area, including Coolidge Corner and south Cambridge, according to a recent Verizon press release.

According to Verizon spokeswoman Wendy Bulawa, a cell site is a combination of antenna and hardware installation, and the new cell site that serves the BU community was built on an existing structure located on Harvard Avenue.

“The site was activated officially last week, so we don’t yet have estimation of what customer experiences have been since the site was turned on,” Bulawa said. “Typically, there is an immediate improvement of coverage and capacity with the addition of a new site.”

But Bulawa said there are challenges to improving service outside Boston.

“We’re trying to fill in a few areas of coverage in Brookline,” she said. “The town doesn’t approve of the aesthetics or the location and would prefer we come back to them with a different proposal.”

Bulawa said the “stealth” antennae must be placed on tall buildings or flagpoles and that these tall structures are hard to find in Brookline. She also noted Verizon has been working with Brookline town administrators to come up with a solution to incorporate residents’ concerns about the aesthetics of the antennas.

Boston City Councilor Jerry McDermott (Allston, Brighton) said in an email that residents in his district have not alerted him about reception problems, but he has personally experienced problems with reception.

“Although I have experienced dropped calls and dead zones myself, I rarely hear about it from constituents,” McDermott said, adding that he thinks people contact cell phone companies about these problems instead.

“I guess we give up some beauty of our skyline for safety,” McDermott said. “I know that if I had an emergency, I would want the call to go through.

“Local city officials and neighbors may cry foul and worry about health concerns and the unsightly look of the antennae, but the safety card trumps all,” he said.

Although Verizon has taken steps to improve reception on campus, some students cited continuous cell problems in numerous buildings on campus.

“Every day, when I walk by the clock right across from [the College of Arts and Sciences], I always lose connection,” said Amy Schneiderman, a COM freshman. “I can hear them, but they can’t hear me, and they fade in and out.”

Schneiderman said that her service is unpredictable at many points on campus where she spends most of her time, including in the GSU and in her residence hall, Warren Towers.

“The fourth floor in Warren is just a waste of time to try to talk,” she said. “I actually lose service by the windows, which is pretty bad.”

Although some students had consistent gripes about cell phone reception, others were generally pleased with their signals.

“The BU cell reception has been pretty good,” said Eric Jedrychowski, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. He said he has noticed good reception throughout campus.

“Sometimes in the GSU, I have to move around, but for the most part, the signal is pretty strong,” Jedrychowski said. “I can’t complain.”