Dangers of WNY’s Many Cellular Dead Zones

BUFFALO, NY — Cell phone dead zones are everywhere in our area, and after hundreds of comments from you, 7 News asked experts why these low coverage areas can be so dangerous.

Viewers tell us about their own struggles, from Akron to Cheektowaga, via local highways.

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The important thing here is not only to avoid the inconvenience of a phone call being interrupted in the middle of a conversation, but to understand that this could easily become a security issue without access instructions or the ability to call for help.

“It’s more than just a phone call, our phones are our lifelines,” said cybersecurity expert Arun Vishwanath.

“It’s 2024, how come there are still dead zones in our cities?” asked 7 News reporter Derek Heid.

“Some of these infrastructures (which have not yet been modernized) are still quite old and are simply not adapted to the density (of population) that comes and goes.”

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Why is our service declining in such a densely populated area?

“If there are a lot of environmental obstacles between the cell tower antennas and you, the signal will have a hard time reaching you,” said Nick Mastronarde, an associate professor in the department of electrical engineering at the University at Buffalo.

“It seems almost impossible to cover every square inch of the city?” asked 7 News reporter Derek Heid.

“I would say yes, it is very difficult to guarantee that,” Mastronarde said.

According to Mastronarde, this seemingly simple solution of adding towers may not be so simple.

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“More antennas need to be added in more places (to increase coverage), but that could cost a lot of money (to service providers).”

Whatever the cost, Vishwanath believes these improvements are essential.

“This becomes a major problem from a coordination and urgency perspective,” Vishwanath said.

Those sentiments are shared by Jeff Rinaldo, now vice president of Vista Security Group and a retired 25-year veteran of the Buffalo Police Department.

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“Someone who owns a cell phone, especially in an urban environment, expects it to work wherever they are,” Rinaldo said.

To ensure your safety, he advises you to take certain measures at home, such as reporting the incident to your healthcare provider.

“Mobile carriers can put up towers and repeaters that should help boost signals, but if they don’t hear about it, then they don’t know about it.”

AT&T did not respond to a request for comment.

Verizon said in a statement: