AT&T Cell Tower On Mt. Hood Improves Coverage For Meadows Guests

MT. HOOD, OR — AT&T's recent cell tower installation on Mt. Hood will bring even more cell service coverage to Mt. Hood Meadows customers, completing the trifecta of big-name cell providers offering service on the mountain.

Joining Verizon and Sprint, AT&T — the second largest wireless service provider in the U.S. — planted its cell tower at the communications array near the top of the Blue chair lift, above the lodge at just more than 6,400 square feet.

The tower installation builds on work AT&T began three seasons ago when it partnered with Mt. Hood Meadows officials to bring improved wireless service to the lodge, according to Meadows spokesman Dave Tragethon.

"Hopefully this will allow (AT&T subscribers) to better stay in touch," Tragethon told Patch. "Though coverage will still depend on where you are on the mountain."

For example, it's probably not wise for an AT&T customer to assume they'd be 100 percent safe should they find themselves lost on the mountain, Tragethon said, noting also a coverage gap that still exists along the highway between Mt. Hood Meadows and Government Camp on the westside, and Mt. Hood Meadows and Parkdale on the east — a wireless dead zone of roughly 20 miles.

"I would hate for someone to get into trouble and just think they can call someone," he said. "The buddy system still prevails."

With rocky, mountainous terrain comes challenges for any wireless reception, Tragethon explained. However, with a large percentage of Meadows' guests using iPhones, and a large number of iPhone users also AT&T customers, Tragethon said the new coverage will likely be a big benefit for many Meadows visitors.

“We want our customers to have a great experience, especially in key destination areas like Mt. Hood,” said Mike Maxwell, vice president and general manager, AT&T Pacific Northwest. “Customers in the Mt. Hood Meadows area will now be able to download, upload, stream and play games faster than ever before on our 4G LTE network — which is the nation’s largest and most reliable network.”

Image via AT&T