WILMINGTON -- A new UNICEL cellular-phone site is online and operational in Wilmington.
The antenna site on an existing structure was approved by the Adirondack Park Agency last November for installation at Ledge Rock Motel, across from Whiteface Ski Area on Route 86, connecting Wilmington to Lake Placid.
Lands encompassing developed areas around Whiteface Mountain are classified hamlet and moderate-intensity use in the Adirondack State Land Master Plan.
Miriam Svobodny, spokeswoman for UNICEL, based in Minnesota, said the company received a general permit from APA for the installation, which uses Groupe Special Mobile, or GSM technology.
"Customers in Wilmington and the surrounding area will notice a big improvement in the clarity and strength of our signal," she said.
The expansion is part of a $31 million investment under way by UNICEL in the Northeast.
"The company has been providing cellular service across the Northeast since 1996 and plans to add new cell sites based on customer needs and geography. These new developments bring the total number of GSM-capable cellular sites in New York to 30, giving residents, travelers and business people the benefits of an advanced network."
The technological expansion may come under new ownership.
Verizon Wireless is poised to acquire portions of UNICEL's Northeast network for a reported $2.67 billion.
The deal is still under federal review by the Federal Communication Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice, Svobodny said Wednesday.
No timeline has been set for acquisition.
"We don't have a date, we are just waiting."
The sale would also reportedly include some type of "asset swap" of wireless technology since Verizon Wireless operates off CDMA systems, which are not compatible with GMA.
The initial swap announced last winter by AT&T would involve trading some of Verizon's acquired UNICEL properties, including network assets and subscribers, with some AT&T markets out west.
The details of the transaction remain sketchy.
"We don't know exactly which areas," Svobodny said, "and we don't know to whom."
Unicel is a service of Rural Cellular Corp. (RCC) focused on primarily rural markets in 15 states.
AT&T Mobility LLC is the biggest wireless network in the country, with more than 70 million subscribers, and Verizon Wireless is the second-largest mobile phone carrier with 67 million subscribers.
Verizon is undertaking a major investment in cellular-phone infrastructure in the Adirondack Park, planning an 18-tower system including 11 new towers to cover the entire wilderness stretch of I-87 where cell-phone service is near non-existent.
Local News
Wilmington cell tower online
- Local News
-
-
Tornado watch in effect until 9 p.m.
The National Weather Service says severe thunderstorms with large hail are forecast, too.
-
Lake Placid man dies in motorcycle crash
Edward L. Brown, 60, was riding his 2003 Harley on State Route 9N in the Town of Black Brook when he lost control, police say.
-
New display honors Podres
Signs welcoming visitors to The Town of Moriah will soon feature Dodgers hurler Johnny Podres of Witherbee.
-
Teen on bike struck by car during downpour
Tuesday's storms also knocked out power and felled trees in Plattsburgh.
-
Clinton County legislators cut bus runs
Vote unanimous despite some beg to keep service as is.
-
Child Support Unit brings in millions
Parents who don't pay child support as ordered may find their retirements stripped.
-
Crown Point remembers on Memorial Day
After a solemn cemetery tour, 144th Memorial Day parade drew hundreds to honor those who have served and those in harm's way.
-
Keeseville residents give input on dissolution
A committee to study the proposed village dissolution offered two options.
-
CCRS wins Grammy Foundation grant
A $5,500 grant from the Grammy Foundation's Signature Schools program will provide students with greater access to multicultural music.
-
Moriah youth to compete in National Spelling Bee
Nicholas Manfred will take on 277 other spellers starting today in Washington, D.C.
-
Health Department predicts heavy tick season
People can take precautions to prevent Lyme disease infection, including wearing proper clothing, using insect repellent with DEET and checking for ticks on the body whenever in an area where ticks may inhabit.
-
Storm knocks out power in city
Power lines taken down by high winds and rain.
-
Subcommittee recommends top bidder for Horace Nye Nursing Home
After touring facilities run by the three bidders for the Essex County Facility, the subcommittee chose Centers for Specialty Care of New York City.
- May 28, 2012
-
Moriah youth to compete in National Spelling Bee
Nicholas Manfred will take on 277 other spellers starting Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
-
Clinton County legislators cut bus runs
Vote unanimous despite some beg to keep service as is.
-
Rochester teen drowns in Upper Saranac Lake
Keenen J. Green was volunteering with the Young Life group when he vanished beneath the water in Harrietstown Friday.
-
Clinton County pays off landfill debt
That means about $195,000 less in expenditures yearly.
-
Plattsburgh war widow learns husband's fate
An envelope from the U.S. Army arrived out of the blue, at last answering some of Ethel Dick's questions.
-
Tornado watch in effect until 9 p.m.
- Recent Article Comments


