The new AT&T cell phone tower near the intersection of Hwy. 26 and Salmon
River Road in Welches is under full construction and will likely be operational
in late August or early September, according to Marianne Bichsel,
spokesperson for AT&T.

“Today the Welches community is served by a mountain top site 6 miles
away, the new site will provide a much better customer experience,” wrote
Bichsel in an email.

While the signal strength for cell phone users will depend on their location in
relation to the new tower, the signal is expected to be capable of 3G HSPA+,
an enhanced version of 3G and offering download speeds up to eight megabits
per second.

The site is on property owned by the Hoodland Fire District and according to
Fire Chief Mic Eby, the district will receive $500 per month as part of a lease
agreement.

The district will also be able to install antennas on the tower, including for the
district’s paging system and a VHF antenna for emergency communications.

Eby added that the district plans on using the money from the lease to pay for
installing any antennas and he estimated it would take at least six months
before anything is installed for their purposes.