SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Border Report) — It’s been a little more than six months since a cellphone company in Northern Baja launched service in cities like Tijuana, and the minute it did, calls in many areas in South San Diego County started dropping, WiFi became slow and texts stopped going through.
The problem persists for Verizon customers who continue to complain. Verizon says a company called Altan Redes is creating the problems because it is using the same spectrum band or frequencies.
When concerned customers call in for answers, they are greeted with a recording stating that Verizon is aware of the issue and that is is working to resolve it.
Border Report has learned that customers are now getting rebates for the last six months and WiFi signal boosters for home use.
As for Altan Redes, it issued the following statement insisting it is not to blame:
“We wish to point out that the situation experienced in the border is caused by the activity of the United States mobile carriers in the 700 MHz band spectrum interfering ON the Mexican side (them radiating service into Mexico), as Altán is not radiating its service signal into the U.S. territory. Altán is deploying and operating its network in strict compliance with the radiation protocols currently in force between both countries.“
Verizon customers in the Texas border city of El Paso, Texas, have also complained about dropped calls and slower data service.
When customers in Texas and California call Verizon customer service they first receive an automated message:
“We apologize that there is an interference in your area that is caused by a wireless carrier in Mexico that may be impacting your service, our teams are working hard to resolve this issue.”
In El Paso, Verizon told KTSM 9 News there is no timeline for a resolution, but say they are working on it.
“In the meantime, we recommend Wi-Fi calling to improve in-home service,” Verizon Customer Service said.
