AT&T using Catholic Church’s Steeples as “Stealth Cell Sites”

AT&T seems to never find favor with tech bloggers because of poor network quality or customer service, but today we have a great story with a “win win” for AT&T and a local Baltimore Catholic Church. In Federal Hill, Baltimore, local Catholic Church “Holy Cross” has not only a visually appealing asset for most people, but a wireless technology based asset as well in their 7 story high steeple. AT&T has long touted about their investment into their network and how they are investing 19 billion to improve it. One of the hurdles AT&T has long faced was placing their cell phone towers. Often fought by opposition because of their unsightly distraction, AT&T has now come up with another solution that also helps out a struggling Catholic Church Community in what they call “Stealth Cell Sites”

In a “very cooperative and collaborative effort”, AT&T is now paying the Holy Cross Catholic Church to use it’s 7 story high steeple to hide all the wires and radio equipment it needs to create a wireless tower, and thus helping a struggling parish and broadening their wireless coverage to provide better service to local residents.

“Parishes struggle financially and AT&T has been very cooperative and collaborative in helping us preserve our church, keep it open without disturbing any of the architectural structure or the sacredness of it,” said Father Patrick Carrion.  “Churches have always been evangelizing, communicating network, whether on the shores of Galilee or the shores of the Inner Harbor.”

AT&T local head knocker and Vice President Rob Forsyth had this to say:

“We are really excited about what this is going to deliver for Baltimore and the Federal Hill-area customers have been asking us for more and more coverage in this area,”

It’s good to see these kinds of stories and I am glad that part of the community can actually benefit that needs the money and has a 7 story high steeple to offer as well.

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Thanks radon222 in our forums for the tip!