Today, we will be looking at a cell tower that hosts Verizon eNB 445865, operating on LTE bands 2 and 66. The tower is located at 310 S Haid Terrace, Lecanto, FL.

Verizon signal reception is noticeably weak around the Walmart in Inverness. In that area, the phone connected to this particular tower, as confirmed via CellMapper. This was observed outside the Walmart:

Speeds at this distance are suboptimal and fluctuate depending on movement:

Inside Walmart, cellular service was nearly unusable, necessitating the use of the store’s Wi-Fi network and enabling Wi-Fi calling.

Interestingly, a new Verizon store is set to open in Citrus Center, the shopping plaza adjacent to Walmart. A nearby store may already host a small cell dedicated to that location. According to CellMapper data, the cell corresponds to eNB 145883 and provides limited coverage to surrounding stores within the plaza. It remains unlocated and was last seen on June 28, 2022, per CellMapper.

Given Verizon’s move to a new store, they could consider installing Pico cells on the roof, similar to deployments at other locations, to enhance signal coverage in the area. This would be a much-needed improvement.