AT says it’s working with Woman’s to improve cell service

An AT&T spokesperson says the company is working with administrators at Woman’s Hospital to come up with a solution to problems doctors and patients are having with spotty service for cell phones and other mobile devices at the new $327 million facility on Airline Highway. “We are working with the hospital on designing and building an internal network so all areas in the hospital can access the AT&T mobile network,” says Sue Sperry, AT&T’s public relations manager for Louisiana, adding the hospital has yet to agree to an infrastructure upgrade plan AT&T has submitted. “While this infrastructure project takes several months to build once an agreement is reached, AT&T’s wireless connectivity team can place interim radio services to boost cell service in the hospital’s interiors.” Sperry says outdoor cell towers often cannot penetrate large structures with the same ease they do residences, especially those built to withstand hurricane-force winds, such as the new 500,000-square-foot hospital. “That is why we offer custom wireless solutions for hospitals, manufacturers and other facilities with large interior spaces,” she says. While a long-term solution is being hammered out, Woman’s has also purchased a $500,000 antenna system to be installed by mid-October, which will provide increased coverage for AT&T, Sprint and Verizon throughout the entire campus. The hospital has also distributed pagers to physicians. Read a previous Daily Report story about the wireless troubles at the new hospital here. —Steve Sanoski