Eight Towers Added in Oconto County and Additional Enhancements Completed
Oconto, WI (July 28, 2023) – Wireless usage continues to climb and the desire for cellular connections stretches beyond cities and towns to rural lakes, trails, and forests. Local wireless provider Cellcom has significantly invested in its network in Oconto County and Shawano County to deliver strong wireless service to area residents and visitors. Eight cell sites were activated in the last year to help fill in coverage gaps and further enhance the overall wireless experience.
“As demand for cell service continues to increase, particularly data, these new cell sites also move users off high-traffic sites, which helps improve everyone’s experience,” said Rick Brooks, CTO and VP of Engineering for Cellcom. “Over the past year, we also added capacity at every site in Shawano and Oconto Counties to deliver faster speeds, more connections at one time or additional coverage. The extra capacity is particularly beneficial during tourism season when we typically see traffic explode as visitors pour into the area. The improvements result in a better wireless experience even during these busy times in the community and on our network.”
The activated new sites are located throughout Oconto County in Oconto, Oconto Falls, Breed, Riverview, Little Suamico, Townsend, Bagley, and Lakewood. An additional site is under way in Oconto. Cellcom is planning to add small cells for further network enhancements. Small cells are miniature, low-powered cell sites placed in more densely populated areas to further improve the wireless experience. Cellcom has active small cells in Shawano today.
“Small cells blend into their surroundings and help in busy commerce areas, near schools or by venues where large events are held. We are planning small cells in Oconto Falls, Suring, and Peshtigo later this year,” said Brooks. “Despite their small size, they can take as long to plan and implement as a full-size cell site. Our teams are already planning for enhancements in future years.”
In addition to network enhancements, customers can take advantage of Wi-Fi Calling. This technology allows users to make calls and send texts and picture messages over a Wi-Fi connection. It’s helpful in fringe coverage areas and does not require a high-speed connection to utilize. Learn more about this service at www.cellcom.com/wificalling.
Cellcom is an innovative wireless company that operates its own regional network to provide service for its customer base throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. The company is respected for its long-standing reputation of delivering extraordinary customer care and being a strong community partner. As a subsidiary of Nsight, Cellcom is part of a family of companies offering complete telecommunications services. Learn more at www.cellcom.com.
