In an effort to increase the cell phone coverage for our students, faculty and staff, Chapman University embarked on a multi-year campaign to install “booster” antennas across campus several years ago. Chapman has several of these antennas located throughout campus which help boost the signal to the campus community.

In November of 2015 T-Mobile installed a new cell antenna in the Plaza (Orange Circle) just south of campus. A recent T-Mobile investigation revealed that interference to their new antenna may be coming from one of the Chapman booster antennas located near the dorms. T-Mobile representatives have expressed concern over this interference and the possibility of their customers experiencing dropped calls and poor reception.

In a collaborative effort, Chapman University along with T-Mobile will conduct tests on the system starting Friday, 2/12/16 at 10:00 am and continuing through Sunday, 2/14/16. Service should be restored in full by Monday, 2/15/16. The testing requires that the T-Mobile antennas be shut off for intermittent periods of time in order to gather data and pinpoint the cause of the disturbance. The data gathered by T-Mobile during the testing will be used to determine if any further action is necessary.

The network testing will only affect T-Mobile customers, including users of mobile virtual network operators using the T-Mobile band such as MetroPCS, NET10 Wireless, Straight Talk, and Walmart Family Mobile.

It is currently unknown exactly how the testing will affect T-Mobile customers on campus, as the larger antenna in the Plaza may still be able to provide sufficient coverage to the Chapman campus and dorms. However, T-Mobile customers may experience weaker than average cell signal during the testing period. Users may contact T-Mobile support with any issues related to this test.