Rancho Mirage launches interactive cell phone coverage map, part of new Wireless Master Plan
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ)-- If you’ve been to different parts of Rancho Mirage you may have noticed that your cell phone service doesn’t always work depending your location and your carrier. According to the city, you’re not alone. Residents, business owners, and tourists have all noticed a lack of cell service for years.
"Dropped calls, text messages not going through," said one Jaime, a tourist visiting the area for a few days. "It’s kind of scary because I have four kids at home, and a husband is watching them all, and if there is an emergency situation, I can't reach them.”
Former resident Brittney agreed.
“I had Verizon when I lived here, and it was it was okay, but since I've been back, it's actually gotten worse,” she said. "I can't even send text messages in some areas, and my calls just don't go through."
For years, the City of Rancho Mirage is taking steps to improve the city's wireless connectivity. In July of 2024 the city council authorized an agreement with ‘CelPlan technologies’ to develop the plan using strategic solutions and emerging technologies.According to City Council Member Steve Downs, its a work in progress.
"One of our issues is that the city of Rancho Mirage is about 25 square miles," said Downs. "Less than 18 square miles are buildable, and most of that land is low density residential, so there’s limited commercial land available to build."
The city is also working to bring in more cellular service to the area by attracting providers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile to invest in infrastructure in the area.
"We are encouraging the cell companies to build more infrastructure, and then what we’re doing is we’re making it easier," said Downs. "So we’re streamlining the application process, we’re making it less expensive for entitlements, and we’re reaching out to them."
In order to better the area's cellular coverage and connectivity, Rancho Mirage announced the launch of an interactive cell phone coverage map on its Facebook page.
This map was created in an effort by the Rancho Mirage City Council and their work during the March 6th, 2025 meeting. The goal with this initiative to enhance connectivity for all residents and businesses, and is just one of the many steps included in the Wireless Master Plan.
"They can go to the city website, they can pull up the map, they can enter their address, and they can figure out roughly what their cell coverage is like, whether it's good or whether it's poor," said Downs. "Now, unfortunately, in the city of Rancho Mirage, there are lots of areas that could be better, and that's what the Wireless Plan is designed to do, is to make cell coverage better throughout the city."
You can check out the new map here.
How to use the map:
Click the “Continue” box in the bottom left of the screen.
Click “OK” in the bottom right of the screen.
Enter your address in the GIS map to view and compare cell coverage for AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
You can also dive deeper into the City Council's discussion on the Wireless Master Plan and watch the full video of the March 6th meeting for more insights into how the city of Rancho Mirage is improving cellular services and attracting providers to invest in our infrastructure.
Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEjtgOaOhpU
