T-Mobile Giving 10M Children's Homes Free Wi-Fi

Students are struggling each day with online learning due to unreliable Wi-Fi. This morning, over 15,000 student households in five school districts have been gifted with free internet access, as many children struggle with online learning in the midst of the latest coronavirus pandemic due to poor Wi-Fi.

Good Morning America, "the surprise announced today to students attending five Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania, Jackson, Mississippi, Baltimore, Maryland, Santa Fe, New Mexico and South Bend, Indiana public school districts." Thanks to T-Mobile's Project 10Million, a campaign that aims to gradually get free Wi-Fi to 10 million student households in the US, they will now have five years of free internet access in their homes.

According to the Center for Democracy and Technology, of the 50 million children studying remotely, between 15 and 16 million lack sufficient internet access. As a result, to join online courses, many students have switched to fast food restaurants or school parking lots.

SURPRISE! @ReeveWill had a BIG gift for a South Bend, Indiana school district that will help students get connected to WiFi and bridge the digital divide crisis amid COVID-19. https://t.co/Q03jriTjDj pic.twitter.com/Edcv3tA5jD

— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 30, 2020

Even before the pandemic struck, the digital divide was real, with many households lacking internet access due to ethnic, economic, and regional disparities.

20,000 families were without internet service in Baltimore, which is equal to 40,000 students. And 40 percent of students do not have internet access in indigenous communities in New Mexico.

Through its program, Project 10Million, which offers affordable internet connectivity for free to students who do not have access to it, T-Mobile has provided hot spots with free data for five years in South Bend, where public schools have deployed Wi-Fi buses to communities that need it most.

 

How is Verizon's New 5G Home Gateway Any Better Than Fast Wifi?

Is it true that in many cases it is faster and cheaper than the internet or “WiFi” from your cable or telco company?  

Verizon 5G may be getting a lot bigger. Today Verizon exclusively revealed to PCMag that it's launching the first 5G home router powered by Qualcomm's long-awaited QTM527 antenna, which has the potential to greatly expand the range of the carrier's fast, but short-distance millimeter-wave 5G.

The new router, made by Wistron for Verizon, can be placed inside by a window, so there's no external install needed. A smartphone app guides you on where to put the unit. The device has Wi-Fi 6 and one Ethernet port. The Ethernet port is important because Verizon's millimeter-wave system is sometimes faster than the maximum speed of Wi-Fi routers; in tests in my neighborhood, I've gotten up to 1.7Gbps. Boulben said home users will get between 300Mbps and a gigabit.

For a while now, Verizon executives have been talking about this: the latest customer premises equipment (CPE) that is going to make its 5G Home fixed wireless access (FWA) offering so much more convincing. Well, it's finally coming to eight cities, including two new cities beginning on October 1 in Verizon's 5G Home Internet coverage area: Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The 5G Home Internet equipment, including a single-device 5G internet receiver and Wi-Fi router, was designed for the user to easily set up in their home. It comes in a single package and consumers can find the perfect location for mounting on a wall or window using a mobile app; the 5G gateway can confirm that a 5G signal is usable.

Wistron NeWeb Corporation (WNC), an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) based in Taiwan, is the maker of the CPE hardware. Verizon announced that the home router is operated by the long-awaited QTM527 antenna from Qualcomm, which PC Mag first mentioned.

Verizon notes that including step-by-step instructions, all the user requires to install the unit is in the box. The operator didn't say how long it would take to set it up; during an earnings call in July, CEO Hans Vestberg suggested that he expected the self-installation to be less than an hour. It beats the old paradigm of waiting weeks for an installer to come into the home to set it up, although that didn't happen. Verizon is promising to do it for them for those who don't want to set it up themselves.

The company says that clients can expect average speeds of about 300 Mbps and maximum speeds of up to 1 Gbps, depending on the venue.

For Verizon subscribers, the cost of the service is $50 per month and $70 per month for non-Verizon subscribers. Verizon is tossing in YouTube TV for one month and Disney+ for one year for potential 5 G Home Internet users to entice customers. It also throws in a free Amazon Smart Home Package for smart home fans, which includes an Echo Display 5, Ring Stick Up Cam, Echo Dot, and Amazon Smart Plug. 

In areas of Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Sacramento, Verizon provides its 5 G Home Internet service, in addition to Minneapolis and St. Paul. The new equipment is available in all those cities except Sacramento, where the 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) variant will be converted by customers in 2021.

Through this service, Verizon has said it plans to be in parts of 10 cities by the end of 2020. According to a spokesman, the 5G Home Internet product is designed to use millimeter wave (mmWave) signals at 28 GHz and 39 GHz.

"The new 5G Internet Gateway from Verizon is a game-changer for our customers," said Frank Boulben, Verizon's SVP of Consumer Marketing and Products, in a statement. "The extension of 5G Home Internet to new markets with new and enhanced hardware would provide consumers with the convenience and efficiency to enjoy more digital interactions and increased productivity from the comfort of their home, with people spending more time at home during these tough times."

Verizon suggested earlier this year that it would not wait for its 5G Home service to be completely baked, introducing an FWA service using its 4G LTE network. The LTE service helps the company to grow and develop beyond its Fios and 5G Home footprints into more rural areas.

Major AT&T Wireless Outage For Customers in South East

Yesterday, according to DownDetector.com, reports of problems are coming from Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Charlotte, N.C.  According to the site, reports started coming in shortly before 10 a.m. and exceeded 3,000 complaints.

South Carolina customers of AT&T experience phone outages throughout the state. 

While the official AT&T and DirecTV Service Outages website shows "all clear," Downdetector.com, which reports internet and utility company outages, shows that service outages are recorded in the state of South Carolina and parts of North Carolina and Georgia.

Shortly after 4 p.m. a spokesman for AT&T released this statement on the matter:

“We worked quickly to restore service for customers in South Carolina who experienced interruptions caused by an equipment failure. We apologize for the inconvenience.”  Here is an AT&T Map. 

Is there an @ATT outage in SC?

— Darci Strickland (@DarciWLTX) September 28, 2020

How To Fix Google Calendar Syncing Problems - Force Refresh

Frequently Asked Questions - Force Google Calendar Refresh

This trick will trip the Google system into thinking that you are requesting a totally new URL and will push it to make a new request rather than syncing to the cached version of your subscribed team schedule.

1. Unsubscribe from your team schedule
2. Re-subscribe to your team schedule following the steps in Subscribe to a Team Schedule, but stop at step 8
3. When pasting the full calendar URL into the 'Other Calendar – Add by URL' field, add the following to the end of the URL immediately following .ics before you hit Enter: ?query=1
   1. Your URL should look similar to this example: 
      https://ical-cdn.teamsnap.com/team_schedule/yourspecificteam.ics?query=1

How To Stream AT&T / DirecTV Red Zone?

Switch to DIRECTV with NFL SUNDAY TICKET and enjoy every live out-of-market game every Sunday.  SUBSCRIBE NOW. 

NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX for exclusive access to the RED ZONE CHANNEL® and DIRECTV FANTASY ZONE® channel.

You'll get all the games on CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, and NFL Network with AT&T TV NOW (formerly DIRECTV NOW). No way to subscribe to NFL RedZone is provided by AT&T TV NOW.

This means you’ll get your local Sunday afternoon games, Football Night in America, Monday Night Football, and Thursday Night Football.

You must either be a DirecTV subscriber to buy Sunday Ticket, or you might be able to get the streaming edition of the service if you live in "select areas in different metropolitan cities," if you can't get satellite TV, or if you're a college student if you don't subscribe to the satellite TV service.

Over the last few years, the company has quietly sold the Sunday Ticket online-only edition more commonly than previously thought. It seems clear that AT&T wouldn't want to advertise the idea that without paying for DirecTV, you can subscribe to the costly Sunday Ticket package since the company would still encourage customers to buy the pay-TV bundle.

Last year, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league planned to extend in addition to DirecTV, the delivery of Sunday Tickets to online outlets, which would have ended the exclusive rights of the satcaster on the out-of-market games kit. But it did not happen.

Nflsundayticket.tv is available only to non-DirecTV customers who live in select multi-dwelling unit buildings (apartments, condos, etc.) nationally in the U.S. where DirecTV service is not available, live in select areas within various metropolitan cities, live in a residence that has been checked as unable to access DirecTV satellite TV service due to obstruction

Trump's FCC Nominee Wants to Fight Social Media Censorship

In June, Trump issued an executive order designed to prevent online censorship. The order "requests that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) clarify that Section 230 does not permit social media companies that alter or editorialize users' speech to escape civil liability."

Trump nominates Nathan Simington to Federal CommunThe petition also requests the FCC to clarify when an online platform curates content in "good faith," and requests transparency requirements on their moderation practices.

Simington would take the place of FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly, who describes himself as "extremely dedicated to First Amendment" and—unlike some of his colleagues—has declined to be a total Trump bootlicker. Trump had nominated O'Rielly for a third term as an FCC commissioner until O'Rielly gave a speech critical of Trump administration tech and speech policy in July. The White House promptly announced that it was pulling O'Rielly's nomination.

But Thune wants Trump to renominate commissioner Michael O'Rielly, who has hinted he would go against the president's executive order. A bill currently before the FCC would give tech companies the right to censor its users with a small risk of facing legal consequences.

TikTok Uses Data on US Citizens to Censor Speech Deemed Sensitive by the Chinese government

The Trump administration expressed concerns that the hugely popular app could be used as a spying tool by Beijing. Authorities also fear that it could be leveraged to collect personal data on US citizens or to censor speech deemed sensitive by the Chinese government.

TikTok, the short-form video app that’s been downloaded 1.5 billion times, is one of the most exciting and goofiest places on the internet, and possibly the only truly fun social media network in 2019. It is also based in China — and that’s the part that has some users, and now, politicians, concerned.

The concern of US politicians about TikTok started with a Guardian investigation published on September 25, which revealed leaked documents that showed TikTok instructing its moderators to censor videos that listed subjects that were sensitive to the Communist Party of China: for example, Tiananmen Square, Tibetan independence, and the Falun Gong religious community. The Guardian's investigation came after the Washington Post reported that a search on TikTok for Hong Kong-related topics revealed virtually zero material about the ongoing and widely publicized pro-democracy demonstrations, which at the time had been a major subject on other social media sites.

“Security experts have voiced concerns that China’s vague patchwork of intelligence, national security, and cybersecurity laws compel Chinese companies to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party,” read the letter, addressed to acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire. “Without an independent judiciary to review requests made by the Chinese government for data or other actions, there is no legal mechanism for Chinese companies to appeal if they disagree with a request.”

Net Neutrality was a long-debated topic before the Coronavirus hit.   

Read more examples of how the Government and Big Tech are censoring free speech. 

What is a Blue Alert on your Cell Phone?

Blue Alert Cell Phone

What is a Blue Alert? ... The goal of a Blue Alert is to provide immediate information to the public about violent suspects via media broadcasts, and other notification resources to solicit help from the public in the safe and swift apprehension of the suspect.

What is a Blue Alert? Some in Phoenix baffled by the emergency alert

Here is a recent example in Arizona.

AZDPS detectives seek public assistance locating this vehicle, believed to be a silver 2008-2013 Infinity model G-37 with custom wheels. It has a temporary plate & appears to have chipped paint below the license plate area. If seen, please call 9-1-1 immediately. pic.twitter.com/17xfuEp72S

— Dept. of Public Safety (@Arizona_DPS) September 17, 2020

Apple Watch Will Soon Measure Blood Oxygen Levels

Apple has announced the Apple Watch Series 6, the latest in its line of popular smartwatches. The Series 6 model maintains the same overall design introduced with the Apple Watch Series 4 and continued with the Series 5, but it adds a variety of new sensors to allow for things like blood oxygen monitoring and better sleep tracking.

Apple says the Series 6 can measure blood oxygen levels in about 15 seconds, using both red and infrared light. The company says it’s partnering with health networks to start large-scale studies using the new blood oxygen measurement feature, including testing to see if it can detect if a person is infected with COVID-19.

The Series 6 also comes with the new S6 processor, which promises up to 20 percent faster performance. It’s based on Apple’s in-house A13 chip and brings the first major update to the Apple Watch’s performance since the Series 4, given that last year’s Series 5 model used the same S4 CPU (rebranded as the S5 with other additions like a compass and a new display controller). Apple says it provides this improved performance while maintaining the 18 hours of battery life of the prior model. The Series 6 can recharge faster, though, going from zero to full in about 1.5 hours.

Verizon Buys Tracfone for $6.25 billion

The mobile operator Tracfone isn’t exactly a household name, but it does have about 21 million customers in the US. Soon, those customers will fall under the Verizon umbrella, as Verizon just announced it is purchasing Tracfone from its owner America Movil. 

Tracfone has long worked in the US as a prepaid wireless MVNO, leasing wireless spectrum from some of the country's largest mobile carriers including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. It also operates under a variety of brands, including Straight Talk and Walmart Family Phones, and has a broad distribution presence of more than 90,000 locations at stores such as CVS, Target, and Best Buy.

That being said, it's not clear how Tracfone will work once the contract with Verizon is done. But there's plenty of time to find out, as Verizon claims it won't wait until the second half of 2021 for the deal to finalize.

This isn't the only MVNO to change hands this year — T-Mobile had to get rid of Sprint's Boost Mobile brand as a result of the T-Mobile / Sprint merger. In early July Dish picked it up for $1.4 billion. By contrast, for Tracfone, Verizon pays $3,125 billion in cash and the same sum in Verizon's stock.

Several mergers in recent years have led to an increasingly concentrated wireless industry in the U.S., with the bulk of control. 

Tracfone's top brands include: 

• Tracfone
• Net 10 Wireless
• Total Wireless
• Walmart Family Mobile
• Straight Talk
• Simple Mobile

Cell Tower Lease Rates

Cell Tower Average Lease Rates by State

Cell Tower Average Lease Rates by State

A cell tower lease is an arrangement between the mobile phone service providers ("provider" or "lessee") and a property owner that requires the provider to build and retain a cell service tower at a fixed lease rate for a defined number of years, usually with several renewal options. More than 300,000 such towers operate across the United States offering cellular service and data to customers across the world. The ever increasing demand for mobile phone and data coverage has led to almost 10,000 new cellular sites being built each year, with an average annual lease cost of $45,000.

Cell service lessees are responsible for the care, repair, improvement, and removal of the tower, giving the property owner responsible for lease care if any. The cell tower lease also adds value at the time of selling the house, in addition to producing rent for several years. The average cost of constructing a cell tower is around $175,000, but the cell tower lease will add to the property value of $600,000, or more.

In general, the fair market value of a lease is measured by the proximity of the location to the network of the cellular provider, or the value of the coverage given by the site. The availability of nearby alternative sites would also drive value. It is difficult for most landowners to assess the fair market value of a cellular lease because of a lack of available details. Lease rates for cell towers are not public knowledge, and those rates differ widely. However, in this highly specialized sector, there are companies which are specialized in providing information and assistance to property owners

There are two types of telecommunications leases in the telecommunications industry: a rooftop lease agreement, and a land lease agreement. Cellular sites are, in some cases, built on the roofs of industrial office buildings, and even residential living complexes.   These rooftop installations take advantage of the height of the buildings on which they are installed to provide better cellular coverage.  In comparison, land leases are usually arrangements between the cellular provider and the landowner of property for space at ground level where a cellular tower is built. 

For certain landowners, there are some risks from cell tower leases. The tower occupies property that could be used for other uses of land such as parking lots or retention ponds. Towers establish long-term easements on the property, limiting the use of the property's land site to that or other sections. These leases may also postpone or stop the selling of a property if a seller can not find prospective buyers for the leases to the cell tower.

Cell tower demand is currently strong but this could change with many pending mergers in the cellular communications industry. What's more, one day the advancement of wireless technology could eliminate the need for cell towers, making the structures redundant. Some companies are currently designing smaller towers that can be installed on buildings to save land space and increase the number of possible cell tower locations.

A new study by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) shows that landowners may be able to get more of that rent - money from the rental prices of cellular towers. Cell tower lease rates exposed. 

TowerLeases.com is offering landowners free advice on their current mobile tower rent. TowerLease. Com is in the process of offering the landowner "free advice" on its current Cell Tower lease, according to HUD.     

Lease negotiations for cell towers depend on location, the size of the object, the type of cell tower, and other factors. Specialist brokers and lawyers can advise property owners who wish to rent a mobile tower on a variety of examples, including, but not limited to, mobile tower rentals for residential, commercial, and industrial purposes. 

Cell Tower Leasing consultants use these factors to negotiate competitive lease rates for their clients. The size of the tower site is another property - based on a variable that determines the rental prices of the mobile towers. For example, leases are more expensive in the case of farmland than leases for residential and commercial properties. Also, tower sites are often located in densely populated areas, with a high concentration of mobile towers in urban areas.     

The truth is that not all mobile tower leases are the same, and the value of your cell tower can fluctuate over time, depending on the size and location of a cell site. This creates a situation in which not all cell sites are equally valuable and the rental price for a mobile tower lease varies.     

What would you do as a landowner to improve the chances of getting a contract for a cell tower?

1. Be Visible. Make sure you have a sign for a cell tower on your property gate or fence by the nearest major road indicating you have land available for lease. Attach your daytime phone number to the sign so wireless company agents have a perfect way to get in touch with you.

2. Pay Attention. Visit your local zoning hearings to see if there are any other towers being constructed in your town or county. Attend the hearings when a tower is on the agenda; you will be able to talk to the company's representative who deals with the sites all the time.

3. Be Patient. It may take years before the wireless companies are interested in your area. But they eventually will come– even in the more rural areas. Also, don’t be afraid to contact the carriers every six months or so to find out if things have changed.

4. Be Diligent. We are often contacted by people who wish to place a tower on their property. They expect that some companies will want to help them lease their land for a share of the action. Unfortunately, this person or company does not exist. The wireless companies don’t need to have you contact them. They know they can find land anywhere. As such, there is no reason for them to make their search rings or their phone numbers public.

5. Don’t Pay. Don’t entertain paying a “site listing service” or a site management company. They don’t work. If you are considering it, ask if they have local contacts in your city with the carriers.  

Here is an article from 2013 which shows older lease rates. 

Why Your Cell Phone Doesn’t Work During Disasters

Anyone who has experienced a natural disaster will recognize that cellular service is often one of the first things to do. When disaster strikes, don't expect your iPad or mobile phone to come to your aid with all the information you need to save you. There are a few things you can do in advance in case of an emergency, but you won't be able to rely on your mobile device. Your survival plan should include your smartphone as part of it, not just as a backup device. 

    

Even if you still have a landline at home or office, this will not work, and even if you do, you may find that your emergency use pre-empts this use. Even when the mobile is off, landlines still work well, so consider picking up one extra phone to complement an emergency kit. Fixed-line service is not always available, especially after a hurricane, but even without a fixed-line, it may be necessary to prevent emergency calls before using it. 

    

The problem is many people try to use their phones at the same time in an emergency, but the increased volume of calls can lead to network congestion, causing delays of up to an hour and a half or more between calls and in some cases even longer.  Cell phone towers can also be knocked out during storms as well and there are lots of reasons for this happening. 

    

If you cannot make a call with your phone, you may have to wait a few minutes before re-selecting the option to reduce network congestion. If you are unsuccessful after making a call with a mobile phone, you can wait until you have been reconnected, which helps reduce network traffic jams and delays between calls and other calls. Or if you were unable to end your call after using your mobile phone, just wait a few minutes and then choose the dials to ease the congestion or wait until the next call. 

    

If you have a landline, you may need to have call forwarding on your home phone when you are evacuated. If not, you will have no home in an emergency - landline. 

    

If you don't have a mobile phone, keep a prepaid calling card that you can use if you need it in the event of a disaster. If you do not have an active cell plan, you can reach 911 via your smartphone, even if it is not covered in the area where you are in an emergency or if the smartphone does not have a smartphone with you in an area where you are not in an emergency. And if you have lost your mobile phone, it can help that your family, friends, colleagues, family members, and even neighbors can still get in touch. Those of you who donate a mobile phone should keep your prepaid card, which you use for emergencies, and keep it for emergencies.

This also applies if the power is restored or if you have been evacuated to a place that has electricity but has no electricity. Have a plan to recharge your batteries by charging your wireless devices with a car charger or with everything you have at hand. Keep your battery in a safe place, such as at home or in the boot of your car or on a portable charger. 

       

It is important that the mobile phone is charged during a disaster and protected from the elements. They now know that mobile phones can be used in an emergency, as first responders use all available resources. To prepare your mobile device for emergencies like a smartphone, you should have a battery, charger, and a safe place to do so in your home or car.

Sometimes good mobile service is difficult enough so you might just try texting and not making a phone call.  Try not to send photos and video because this can clog the mobile networks.  

    

If you lose power during a storm at home, you can access local weather reports on your mobile device, and if a natural disaster strikes near you, stay indoors and listen to emergency broadcasts and radio stations. If you live in a rural area with limited access to cellphones, reliable radio and NOAA warning systems are incredibly valuable devices. Whether it is a man-made disaster or a man-made disaster, your family must be prepared for the worst so that you and they can act quickly and decisively. 

One handy mobile web application we have created is Disaster Relief Maps to help people see mobile-friendly emergency maps on their phones.  Most emergency management Government web sites are publishing information for desktops and are not user friendly on the phone.  

How To Check For Cell Phone Coverage By Address

When it comes to choosing the best mobile operator, most people think of the Big Three. The Big Four are known as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile / Sprint.  However, but they should also include a number of other smaller MVNO carriers that use these major networks.    

All four networks are available in the US, with AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint each having their own LTE networks. According to paid studies most carriers will claim they have coverage everywhere but we know this is not true.  Coverage only matters at your home address and the only way to check this is by asking someone else in your area, trying it out, or by looking at coverage complaints submitted by customers on the cell phone coverage reviews map above or on the check cell coverage by address mobile map.     

You can search this map to see which areas have the worst overage on each of the four major networks in the United States. Use the small search circle in the lower left-hand corner of the map. This map allows you to filter coverage reviews of all major mobile networks by simply clicking on the carrier on the right-hand side of the map.     

Enter your country, city, postal code, home or office address select your current location, filter by carrier type and region, and select the best and worst coverage in your area for each of the four major networks in the United States. In this example, you choose one of four different types of mobile towers for the USA and specify a country.     

Use can other tools like RootMetrics, OpenSignal, CellReception.com, or SignalMap to see what others are reporting about the range of the operator in your area based on positive signal strength.  However, these providers do not allow you to provide reviews on carriers in specific locations.  There is also a map to look at cellular towers and antenna locations nearby.      

RootMetrics does not have a map of the mobile towers in the viewfinder, but in some areas, it shows the cell signal quality. Although Root Metrics does not have a map of mobile towers, it is a strong indicator of signal quality in your area.     

Note that all carrier coverage maps show the general area of coverage, but not specific cellular towers or antenna locations near you. All carrier coverage maps somewhat inform users about the type of coverage and signal quality you can expect based on the address you enter in the search bar, as well as the display of cellphones and transmission towers.     

T-Mobile Tower Map lets you enter your zip code, locate a location on the map, and see if 4G LTE coverage is available. Search for T-Mobile 5G coverage from your current location, and it's available in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.     

Sprint gives you the ability to look up any address you want and allows you to see the coverage that's in your location. To access the website you are using, such as T-Mobile Tower Map, first, enter your address in the search engine of our website. Go to our mobile phone comparison engine and check the coverage at your exact location, and you will begin to gain a better understanding of coverage at the sites you are using.

How To Get Cell Phone Service In A Dead Zone

It is hard to imagine that there are areas without cell phone reception in the US (insert sarcasm).  

A dead zone is usually a place where no mobile phone is available because the signal from the mobile phone or the antenna on the mobile side is usually blocked or greatly reduced. We commonly refer to areas where phones cannot be transmitted as the "dead zones."           

To avoid such antenna problems, you should increase your mobile phone reception by holding your phone in an upright position with an antenna or find an area outdoors with a weak signal and walk towards it. Cell boosters can help if used in areas where building materials are too close to a cell tower or building or building materials block the signal.     

Your carrier may also not have enough mobile towers near you. It is even worse if you live in a residential complex with a large number of mobile phone towers right next door. 

For many people living in areas blocked by strong cell signals, the situation in a dead zone could become a security risk. Dead zones are frustrating and can be scary, especially if you can't use your phone in an emergency due to a lack of cell signal.     

Finding the cause of a dead zone can help mobile phone companies improve the reception and coverage of mobile phones for their customers.  Deadcellzones.com is a crowdsourced database of areas where cell phone signals do not work.      

The installation of a DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems) can help solve many problems in the dead zone of offices, and neighborhoods, but can also cause serious problems for mobile phone users.     

If switching network service providers is not an option or you cannot find a mobile operator that will provide good service in your new home, technical solutions are available to help you deal with poor reception. If you have conflicting signals or no signal at all, a microcell is better, but you need good reception somewhere close to it for this option to work. To have a stable signal in an accessible place, signal amplifiers for mobile phones are a better option. They are independent of the carriers and work with any mobile phone, and they work in almost any place where a strong signal is needed. 

If you are in an area with mobile phone reception, you may not be able to dial 911 in an emergency. So if you don't have access to a landline or Internet, or landline or Internet, and you're in a dead zone, a cell phone signal amplifier is a great device because it then sends the new signal to your home, office, or vehicle. Mobile phone boosters can also help improve the cell's signals so that users can receive a strong signal where it would not otherwise be available. 

Is 5G Safe?

There are lots of differing opinions, yet the mobile phone industry is actively trying to confuse and mislead consumers about the health risks of 5G.