Business news

New cell tower

BANGOR – As part of an ongoing program to expand its network in Maine, U.S. Cellular recently completed construction of an additional cell site in Brewer. The new site complements the statewide network of more than 250 U.S. Cellular towers.

Officials said that with the new site, U.S. Cellular customers will experience increased coverage and capacity along Routes 2 and 9 in Brewer.

Eric Conlon, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in New England, said, “This part of northern Maine needed additional call capacity due to more customers on the network. As a result we began building the Brewer site to provide better service to our customers.”

U.S. Cellular, serving Maine since 1988, is the only wireless carrier providing service throughout the entire state on its own network.

Conlon said U.S. Cellular engineers continually test areas across the state for network quality, listen to customer feedback, review network data and get input from company sales and marketing representatives to determine locations for new cell sites.

Each site provides coverage and calling capacity for an area called a “cell.” When a resident makes a call, the U.S. Cellular phone transmits the caller’s voice to the nearest cell site. The site sends the call through the telephone network where it is delivered to the receiver.

U.S. Cellular’s retail presence includes a U.S. Cellular company store, 33 Bangor Mall Blvd., Bangor; 403 Wilson St., Brewer; Go Wireless, 663 Stillwater Ave., Bangor Mall; Central Maine Wireless, 627 Broadway, Bangor; Atlantic Communications, 40 Freedom Parkway, Hermon; and Community Cellular, 6 Stillwater Ave., Orono.

U.S. Cellular is the nation’s sixth-largest wireless service carrier, providing wireless service to 6 million customers in 26 states.