Last year, if Arpa Mukherjee wanted to make a cell phone call in Norris University Center, she had to go outside to get service on her AT&T phone.
Now, even underground, she has full service, the Weinberg sophomore said.
The cellular coverage improvement initiative took place over the summer thanks to a joint recommendation by the Associated Student Government and the Undergraduate Budget Priorities Committee to the administration last year.
“Now when you’re getting a crepe and standing in line on the ground floor, you will be able to read a text or receive a call from a friend, which is really awesome,” ASG President Claire Lew said.
Cell phone users with service plans from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon and Extel should notice improved coverage at Norris, said Wendy Woodward, director of Technology Support Services at Northwestern University Information Technology.
Cell phone reception in Norris has been a concern for students for the past several years.
The UBPC has suggested improving Norris cellular coverage to administrators for three years, but because of the cost and other priorities, like installing wireless internet in residential halls, it hasn’t happened until now, said UBPC president Anil Wadhwani. The Weinberg senior could not disclose the cost of the project.
Wireless connectivity in Norris was also updated to better handle video and other data-intensive applications, and a permanent technology service point was set up across from the bookstore to replace the Laptop ER near the Starbucks, Woodward said.
Lew said ASG is continuing to evaluate cellular coverage in the library and Tech to best serve students’ needs.
The response from students, Wadhwani said, has been that they are better able to receive text messages and call their friends while at Norris.
“AT&T in particular had very bad service before [at Norris],” he said. “Now students should have normal reception as they would on any other part of campus.”
