Cell Phone Coverage on Campus

Students, staff and visitors experience variations in cell phone service on Campus.  Each cell phone provider makes decisions about the service level they provide in each city and rural area across the country.  You (not the University), as a cell phone customer, have a voice in getting your cell phone provider to provide the service you need. Learn about WiFi calling, as it will improve your call quality on campus.

Contact numbers for some of the common cell service providers:

• AT&T: 1-800-331-0500 or 611 from your wireless phone -- Here is an article about AT&T's wifi calling
• Sprint:  888-211-4727 or *2 from your Sprint phone -- Here is an article about Sprint's WiFi calling features.
• T-Mobile:  1-800-T-MOBILE  1-800-866-2453 -- Here is an article about T-Mobile's WiFi calling service.
• US Cellular:  1-888-944-9400
• Verizon: 1-800-922-0204  - Here is an article about Verizon's WiFi calling. Verizon Wireless plans include call forwarding. Check out the Verizon Call Forwarding FAQs.

If you are considering getting a cell phone from a different provider you might want to look at the signal strength maps for that company.  Almost every carrier has a map on their website that shows where they claim to have good coverage and reduced coverage.  Some maps even show tower locations.

Turning on Wireless Cellular Service:

Over the last year, cellular service has expanded on Smartphones. More providers now offer calls over WiFi. What does this mean and how does this relate to campus? By enabling WiFi calling on your Smartphone, you allow phone calls to work over WiFi (as opposed to a cellular signal). Cellphone signals are often blocked by thick walls in the bigger buildings. This means that you won’t be able to get phone calls from deep within the library. If you enable WiFi calling, those same calls that were dropped before, now go through because they have a solid WiFi connection. By enabling WiFi calling on your Smartphone, you extend the range of your cellphone on campus. Check with your cellphone provider to see if WiFi calling is available to you, and learn how to enable to ensure all of your calls go through.

Tips for better service:

1. Higher is normally better, get away from the ground.
2. Outside is normally better than inside.
3. Inside near the outside or by a window is better than deep inside a building.
4. Mirrors reflect radio waves much like they reflect light.
5. Rainy and humid weather will make coverage worse.
6. Have a smart phone?  Consider using VOIP and WIFI.
7. Keep your battery charged.
8. There are claims that an internal antenna improves service.  (You can perform an internet search for “internal antenna booster cell phone” for more information.)

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette cannot guarantee:

• The tips listed above will improve service
• The cell service capabilities on campus
• The ability of one provider to perform better than another

If you are having problems with your cell phone service, your provider can’t fix it unless you report it.