AT&T Takes Action To Address Cellular Service Outages In Reston

RESTON, VA — AT&T announced on Friday that it was working to restore cell service in the Reston-Lake Anne area, where residents report they've been experiencing severe service outages in last few weeks. The lack of service had many people in the community concerned about not being able to contact 9-1-1 in case of an emergency.

In response, the following message was posted late Friday on the Fairfax County Emergency Information website:

"An issue with AT&T cellular service has been identified in the Reston-Lake Anne area that may result in service outages, including the ability to contact the county’s 9-1-1 service. The area is identified in blue on the map below. AT&T is working to temporarily place a cellular support truck in the area, which is expected to improve service until the coverage issue can be resolved."

Patch reported on Wednesday that the drop in service was likely due to Verizon Wireless decommissioning equipment on the roof of the old Fellowship House building, which is due to be demolished this summer.

Related: Poor Cell Signal Likely Due To Verizon Decommissioning Equipment

"We were notified that the Lake Anne Fellowship House, where we have a small cell site, is being torn down," Karen Schulz, a Verizon Wireless spokeswoman, told Patch on Tuesday. "This is requiring us to decommission that small cell site. Surrounding sites servicing the neighborhood will provide coverage, however some customers may experience congestion and slower speeds."

Without the new tower, wireless coverage would be disrupted within a 1.9-square-mile area in the vicinity of Lake Anne, according to Rick Novak of Site Link Wireless, who was representing Verizon at the Dec. 9 meeting of the Fairfax County Architectural Review Board.

To ensure there would be no disruption to service, Verizon planned to install six concealed antennas as well as accessory equipment and cabinets on the roof of the Heron House, which is in the Lake Anne Historic Overlay District. The new tower would also serve Sprint customers.

But, after receiving initial resistance from the ARB at its December meeting, Verizon chose to withdraw its plan and seek another location for its equipment. As of yet, no permanent solution has been reached, so service was disrupted once Verizon began decommissioning its equipment on the roof of Lake Anne Fellowship House.