Cell phone coverage in parts of the Adirondacks should improve as the Adirondack Park Agency punches the speed dial when applicants ask to use existing towers.

Even with an increasing number of requests for installation of cellular equipment, dark spots will remain given the challenging nature of the landscape and a lack of customers in some parts of the park.

"It's beautiful there, but the topography does not make for the easy flow of radio waves," said Craig C. Ballard, interim director of St. Lawrence County Emergency Services.

On July 28, the APA approved a permit for AT&T Mobile to install up to four antennas for various cell carriers on a 145-foot tower on Vrooman Ridge Road in the town of Fine.

"This one took about 10 days," APA spokesman Keith P. McKeever said.

The lack of a reliable communication system was highlighted by several fatal accidents in the last few years which fueled a call for more cell phone towers.

"I think you'll be able to use cell phones in a lot of different spots, but you can't expect 100 percent coverage with the topography the way it is," Mr. McKeever said.

Cell service depends on line-of-sight signals which can reach about a 10-mile radius over flat ground. Continuous coverage depends on a relay of signals to the next tower but existing tall structures aren't the only option.

The Cranberry Lake Fire Department is working with Verizon on a 130-foot tower that would sit on department property and coordinate emergency response with Tupper Lake, South Colton and Fine, in addition to providing cell service.

"It's a work in progress," said Chief Colin R. Fraser. "If we can get up in the air, everyone benefits. The problem is the roads here are so desolate. If you have a problem, there's no way to report it."