Although there are signs of improvement for DeKalb cell phone users, customers still complain about poor reception.

Based on a 75-person Northern Star poll, there is no clear evidence that one provider is better than others. About one-third of the people polled were not satisfied with reception.

The primary complaint was spotty reception. Others, like Verizon-user Melina Bar, felt that customer service was lacking.

Poor reception can be caused by what the industry calls “valleys,” Brian Taylor, a Sprint representative, said. A valley occurs when a person travels into a dip in the terrain that falls below the signal of the tower and is a common occurrence with all providers.

Sprint representatives cited First Street and Hillcrest Drive as valleys.

People can change their travel patterns, but they can more easily change their batteries, Taylor said.

“There is a definite correlation between the battery and good signal strength,” he said.

If a battery is poorly charged, the phone will not function well. It is important, Taylor said, to run a battery completely down once in awhile to preserve its function.

Purchasing a digital phone is another option. Older cell phones using analog technology are not as “reliable” as digital phones, said Joanna Tinker, a U.S. Cellular representative.

Eric Peterson, a junior time arts major, said he is “very happy” with his digital phone, and said that his father was never pleased with his analog phone.

Most retailers no longer sell analog phones. Digital phones “handle the more advanced functions that consumers are now demanding,” Taylor said.

U.S. Cellular, Verizon and Sprint representatives have all reported increasing sales each month. Of the 75 people polled, five did not own a cell phone.

Both Tinker and Taylor said U.S. Cellular and Sprint are planning to build more towers to better serve the DeKalb area. Sprint said each tower is meant to cover a 100-mile-wide area.

Although Taylor said Sprint plans to build more towers, they recently made a deal to sell 92 towers to a fledgling cell-phone company based in Boston.

Satisfaction with cell phones in DeKalb

Verizon: 75 percent happy (of 15 users)

U.S. Cellular: 71 percent happy (of 7 users)

T-Mobile: 81 percent happy (of 13 users)