The wireless carrier T-Mobile plans to become the third provider to boost its signal in Harpswell by installing equipment on a cell tower at the town-owned George J. Mitchell Field, a town official said.
T-Mobile plans to have its equipment up and running by late summer, according to a May 20 memo from Harpswell Town Administrator Kristi Eiane. “The Town will know when that is the case, since Blue Sky Towers will pay the Town of Harpswell a revenue share amount of $35,000 pursuant to our lease agreement,” Eiane wrote.
The nearly 200-foot-tall tower was built in 2021 by Blue Sky Towers LLC, of Massachusetts. Initially, AT&T was the only wireless carrier with a deal to place its equipment on the independently owned tower, which can accommodate up to four carriers.
Dennis Wilkins, of Bailey Island, and Paul Kittle, of Orr’s Island, launched a grassroots campaign in 2022 to pressure Verizon to upgrade its coverage in Harpswell. The wireless carrier finally relented in late 2024, adding its own equipment to the tower.
Verizon initially set an estimated target of spring 2024 to upgrade its network in Harpswell by adding a transceiver to the Mitchell Field tower. However, the company later pushed back its estimate to the end of 2024, citing a need to “follow safety protocols, logistics and approval processes.”
