“Can you hear me now?”
Yes.
Verizon customers are getting the call on the north end of Anna Maria Island.
People in Anna Maria began noticing a clearer signal on their cellphones starting Aug. 20. The equipment on the communications tower at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive, is operational.
The Verizon Communications antennas began broadcasting around 10 a.m. that Thursday, giving Verizon network users five- and four-bar signals.
It’s taken more than six months from start-to-finish to build the communications tower in the city hall parking lot.
Of course, it was many years in the making. And many have former Anna Maria Commissioner Gene Aubry to thank. He led the charge to get better reception for cellphone users, especially for emergencies.
Workers from UCI Construction Services of Tampa teamed with Florida Tower Partners of Bradenton to turn bad signals into good calls.
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said the work to finish the landscaping and clear out the leftover construction material now begins.
Once landscaping is completed, the area under the tower platform will open for parking.
Verizon uses a code division multiple access network, which allows Sprint, MetroPCS, StraightTalk and other customers to use the same antenna network.
AT&T, which isn’t expected to install its antennas in Anna Maria until 2018, uses a global systems for mobile network.
— Tal Reeve