BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Cellular telephone service at the University of Alabama football stadium would improve under a new licensing agreement between the university and two cell companies.

The Physical Properties Committee of the University of

gave preliminary approval Thursday for UA to sign the agreement with AT&T and Verizon Wireless. The companies will each pay $36,000/year, plus 3 percent annual inflation, for 10 years. Other providers may buy into the license.

The companies will also install and maintain 715 antennae in 12 zones around the stadium. Most of the antennae look a bit like oversized smoke detectors, one about the size of a platter, the other a large book. A third type of antennae is about two and a half feet long but enclosed in a plastic casing, much like an overhead fluorescent light.

Mike Beeler of the UA land management office said that would fix the problem of bad cell service inside the stadium -- a problem he said partly of the university's making.

"When we enclosed both ends of the stadium, the sites outside could not provide enough coverage inside the stadium and therefore signal quality was degraded," Beeler told the board. "This will address that and will also increase capacity."

He said it would also help provide better cellular service to the city in emergencies, and could keep the service disruption that occurred after the April 27 tornadoes from happening again.