How bad is AT&T Wireless in downtown Fort Lauderdale? The AT&T Wireless coverage map shows the city well within its supposed home calling area. However, on my recent visit there, my phone had to roam onto Cingular to get a signal. This was not in a remote location--it was on Las Olas and N.E. 15th Avenue, right in the middle of the city. There are no tall buildings nearby, so this lack of reception can only be about poor execution. In Victoria Park, the nice residential section just to the northeast of downtown, approximately 2/3 of call attempts failed. Part of this could be NIMBY with respect to cell sites, but that wouldn't explain why other people on competing providers could place calls without a problem.

I suppose that AT&T Wireless, while pouring money into upgrading its network in New York City, has not done the same in Fort Lauderdale. This could be because Cingular has its own sites in Fort Lauderdale also. In New York City, Cingular uses T-Mobile, so when the deal closes they will push everyone onto the improved AT&T Wireless network. In Fort Lauderdale, AT&T Wireless probably figures they will just lame-duck it out until everyone is migrated over to the superior Cingular network next year.