Hey T-Mobile

Fcc Tower Reg.No. 1288842 located at 941 E. Hwy 98 Ocotillo Ca 92259

This T-Mobile tower has not worked for the last 3 weeks. I have T-Mobile phones and for years have had excellent service. I have the property next door to the tower. Having cell service is vital when you have residence in the desert community as a way to call for help in a emergency. Any help would be Greatly appreciated in repairing the signal the tower has provided.

Hey T-Mobile

Fcc Tower Reg.No. 1288842 located at 941 E. Hwy 98 Ocotillo Ca 92259

This T-Mobile tower has not worked for the last 3 weeks. I have T-Mobile phones and for years have had excellent service. I have the property next door to the tower. Having cell service is vital when you have residence in the desert community as a way to call for help in a emergency. Any help would be Greatly appreciated in repairing the signal the tower has provided.

According to both T-Mobile responses to 611 trouble tickets and to T-Mobile employees at T-Mobile sales places on May 5th, the tower at this site was decommissioned by tower owner as of May 5, 2023.  The tower is effectively \"dead\" and this decommissioning impacts all  cell phone providers who previously leased sites at this tower.  That means that ATT, T-Mobile and Verizon no longer can provide cell phone or internet service off this tower.  The closest tower for cell service is at Coyote Wells to east of Ocotillo.  That Coyote Wells tower is not line of sight for those who live to the south of CalTrans hill (with its large pile of rocks), probably less than 1 mile to the north as the crow flies from the tower that is at the nearby place in question. Changing cell phone providers will not get you service off this now decommissioned tower.  Visit any T-Mobile sales site or any other cell phone provider and ask that they show you a map for the former tower site just west of Hwy 98 and north of Coyote 1.  The symbol for the 5G tower that I saw on my first visit to T-Mobile store in April has now disappeared from all cell tower maps for this area.   I was told that is it most unlikely that the decommissioned tower will be recommissioned or useable in the future.  ATT used thhis tower before T-Mobile and Verizon and my ATT air card for internet no longer works.  Both were off this tower which showed as a 5G tower on the map in mid April, but a cell tower symbol is now gone from all maps every time someone at T-Mobile shows me a map for this area.

TelCel is the Mexican cell phone company that sometimes  alternates with \"No Service\" where I live. No longer any T-Mobile here.   There will be no easy or inexpensive solutions to the decommissioning of this tower.  Be sure to ask a lot of questions before you make any changes.  At least using a cell phone at CalTrans hill is closer than the pay phone at the gas station in Ocoillo used to be.  I doubt that there are still any pay phones in Ocotillo now.

Tower still down. I'm switching service to AT&T.  Someone earlier said that T-Mobile and AT&T both use this tower. Well not according to AT&T.

They told me I should have at least 3g service there. I'll find out this weekend if it true.

welded

Its going to be busy at the border this coming week, so I wouldn’t be surprised if signal deteriorates, or towers are being heavily used.

Thanks for the info. I’ll give it a try next time.👍

because its still using 3G for calls where your current phone is trying to use the 4G/5G side for VoLTE calls. try turning your data off then making a call.

so if V is also having issues in that area its almost safe to say the other carriers are as well..so tough area to cover and remote enough that repairs will take a while.

Your probably right. I don't know why my father in-laws 1990's consumer cellular flip phone works while my apple 11 t-useless phone does not.  Verizon does not work either. Any suggestions??? Other than a satellite phone😳

welded wrote:

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 I'm switching to another service. Most likely consumer cellular. T-mobile can kiss my a_ _.

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forgive me but Consumer Cellular uses both ATT and TMO towers lol. so unless the ATT towers in your area are top dog you’ll be right back to square one..

This is such bs. My property is a stones throw away from this tower. Not only do I not get service I have to put up with the only tower in the area that is a becon for undocumented folks. If they get lost in the desert they know to head to the tower. My father in law has a old consumer cellular Flip phone that gets good service and can call out anytime he wants too. I'm standing right next to him can't even send a text most of the time. Cal trans hill is six miles west of us and not exactly convenient a spot just to make a call. T-mobile is lying and endangering the brave border agents who patrol the area. Good thing they have radios and don't depended on T- useless. I'm switching to another service. Most likely consumer cellular. 

I have been calling in complaints about lack of T-Mobile service at this tower since April 6th, dozens of calls to T-Mobile 611 technical reps.  I have been given 4 different trouble tickest and there has been no resolution.  I spoke with a T-Mobile service rep on May 3rd assuring me that there would be a service truck to visit the tower and the tower was still there and could be seen on T-Mobile maps.  However, when I visited the T-Mobile store in La Mesa CA on Friday May 5th, the tower no longer showed on the T-Moble tower location map.  I was toild that T-Mobile had decommissioned this tower and that the decommissioning would affect ALL American Cell Phone providers.  I was further told that there are no plans  for T-Mobile to fix the tower or to relocate it.  I have notified the County Board of Supervisors and also Border Patrol on May 5th as soon as -Mobile employees told me what had happened regarding theis very tower. I think we are neighbors and I will try to contact you folks.  My phone goes from TelCel one bar to No Service and mostly there is no service at all.  I no longer have any T-Mobile service showing on the phone either in the house or outside.  However, there is excellent T-Mobile service when I park and sit by the pile of rocks at CalTrans Hill on the west side of Hwy 98, the same hill that has Border Patrol surveillance cameras on top and where calls go off the tower at Coyote Wells north of I-8. Cal Trans hill is to the north of this cell tower and it is possible to make T-Mobile calls when looking to the south to what looks likie a cell tower, but which T-Mobile has confirmed to me once in the store and three times by phone calls has been decommissioned. The red lights still flash after dark.  I have been given a variety of reasons for the decision to decommission the tower, most of which make no sense.  I have been certain that I was not the only user who has lost use of this formerly reliable cell phone service with T-Mobile.  Friends who visit with other cell providers get a message welcoming them to Mexico as soon as they get out of their cars. This has been happening for several weeks. I saw a BP phone last week that notified him that he was in Mexico.  We both knew that was wrong. Scores of calls to T-Mobile 611 got no resolution.  But now I have been told that the tower is decommissioned and I need to be patient and learn to live withou't cell service at home. Your phone should work great in Ocotillo where it is off the tower at Coyote Wells, and anywhere further from the border where it will work off other towers further from the border.  Do not change your cell phone provider as T-Mobile said the tower will not work for another provider here. I will be going to park at CalTrans hill soon to make calls.  Perhaps I will see you there someday soon..

I have been told that we need to contact the FCC, CPUC and Congressman Raul Ruiz at his DC office.  I will let the County know that there are others complaining also, and I am still waiting to hear back from Supervisor Plancarte.  However, I think it means that I will have to make a call from CalTrans hill to try to reach him.

It will be interesting top learn if others are gettinhg different answers from T-Mobile than I did on May 5th.

Good luck to us all!

DesertEyes79

Gracias

a rep from T-Mobile told me that a ticket was already in. He looked up the tower info I had and determined the main problem was coming from two other towers in my general area. He was very knowledgeable and said he would let me know of any progress. Considering I'm a stones through from the tower, I'll know it's fixed when I have 4 bar service.

Thank you for your help

welded