AT&T customers on the north side of Cisco may notice that their Internet and cell phone service have suddenly improved lately with the activation of a new service tower.
Seen here the newly constructed cell tower in north Cisco with its 5G antenna array.
Amid the recent challenges brought on with the pandemic came an increased need for telecommunications as people relied more heavily on calls, text messages and video conferencing applications to conduct business, school and shop.
The tower's location provides reach well into the area of Cisco Municipal Airport and portions of Lake Cisco.
Those especially on the north side of Cisco have noticed the poor, if not the complete lack of, coverage in this area. The 160-foot tower is located right next to the city’s Convenience Station, just north of Cisco on land owned by the Cisco Development Corporation.
While not as tall as the typical cellular tower, the signal easily reaches into areas that had weak signals such as downtown Cisco, Cisco College and Lake Cisco.
Prior to the tower's construction, AT&T customers often saw one to two bars of service in this area of the city; customers can now easily see three to five with vastly improved speeds.
“We not only have improved service, we have 21st-Century 5G service,” said Justin Jaworski, Executive Director of the Cisco Development Corporation. The CDC was able to utilize the land to facilitate a lease agreement with AT&T for the new tower.
“As folks know, our efforts are focused on promoting new investment and job creation for the City of Cisco,” Jaworski said. “Most recently you can see the results of these efforts with the construction of the new Road Ranger Travel Center on I-20 and Muddy Mikes restaurant in downtown Cisco,” he continued.
“It’s not often that we can do something like this that benefits the general public,” Jaworski added. According to Jaworski, the tower started construction in May of this year and was finished in October. “AT&T energized service the week of Thanksgiving, just in time for the holidays,” he said.