Service is provided by Verizon Wireless. This new tower really only provides good coverage to the Keene hamlet and up Cascade Rd / Rt 73 - at the top of the hill you pick up the Lake Placid. Only portions of Hurricane Road, Jackson, Schaffer and Hickey Roads get any service. There should be service at higher elevations, the high peaks for example, that have a line-of-site to the Keene hamlet near the bank office.
There is an ever-changing set of plans offered so you should look at their website for current details. For a small household, some people drop their landline phone and just have 1 or 2 cellphones. You can transfer your number to a cellphone. Cell phones work when the power is out but only until your battery runs down.
They offer a mobile data plan that is a alternative to KVVI for net access for some parts of Town. Read the fine print regarding the plan pricing works. For some seasonal residents that already subscribe to this Verizon service, this is a great solution. But KVVI's service is faster and available for a 6 month period for seasonal residents making it much cheaper than Verizon Wireless.
A second tower (also Verizon) is planned for Keene Valley located at the Neighborhood House is expected to be operational in 2011. This is intended to provide coverage in Keene Valley and south along Rt 73 (Chapel Pond Road) to where you will be able to pick up a signal from the towers along I-87.
If you cannot get a tower signal or you want coverage for another carrier like AT&T you can create a mini-cell in your home using your internet connection. Click on this link to see the Verizon version of this technology. Click on this link to see the AT&T version of this technology. I know of two people using the Verizon technology and one using the ATT technology and they all report this works well.
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