Cellular Service on Campus 

Cellular devices at UW – personal and university owned – are used heavily in many university engagements: research, teaching and learning, administration, health care, student life, life safety, etc.  Reliable cell service for the community at large requires strong and ubiquitous cell signal from each of the major carriers. 

The Mobile Communications team works with the UW community to identify areas with little or no signal. Once identified, the team engages with the cellular carriers to assess options on how to address the signal deficits. Usually, this entails the installation of a carrier-operated distributed antenna system (DAS) in an appropriate campus location. Mobile Communications works with the cellular carriers, UW departments, Facilities, and UW Real Estate to identify these locations. Once confirmed, they facilitate the on-site carrier work needed to install and connect their equipment. 

For more information about cellular distributed antenna systems, select the “Requirements Guide for Cellular Distributed Antenna Systems” option located on the UW-IT Design Guide page. 

To report areas with poor signal, please email the Mobile Communications team via help@uw.edu. 

APN Cellular Service Options for Connecting to the UW Network 

Mobile Communications is available to consult with your group should you have devices for which you will need secure connectivity to the UW network and for which using a wired or Wi-Fi solution is not feasible. Mobile Communications can help assess whether use of a specialized cellular connection may be an option. For more information, see "APN - UW Network Connection via Third Party Cellular Service". To request a consultation, please email help@uw.edu.