“Some of the carriers on campus wanted to actually put up something over by the stadium,” he said. “There’s a problem with that, though, because we already have contracts with Nextel and Verizon and the problem is they’re already on campus.”

The contracts prohibit other wireless service towers from being built on campus.

The proposal, which is coming forth through Horvath Communications in South Bend, Ind., would provide a 150-foot flagpole within 1500 feet of Spartan Stadium. The company would choose a service provider after it secures a spot on campus.

“At the end of the day, we would own the infrastructure and lease it back to the carriers,” said Sean Boylan, director of operations for Horvath Communications. “Our ground zero is the stadium itself.”

Anne Phillips, manager of the Telecommunication Systems Department, said queries like this come from providers in “spurts.”

“When they get a new marketing person, we get a lot of calls because they don’t realize we’ve spoken to them already,” she said.

Phillips said the university handles wireless coverage on a proactive basis, rather than waiting for providers to come calling. In the search for coverage, MSU lays out needs and offers contracts to the highest bidder.

“Every vendor out there would like to have specific service in specific places, but they need to bid that service out,” she said. “People are proposing things all the time that does not fit with our long-term plan, which is to serve people in an organizational way.”

Boylan said Horvath’s goal is to gauge the interest of the university and hopefully meet with officials to discuss plans.

“We’re trying to get as close as possible while maintaining an understanding for the community and surrounding areas,” he said. “We want to find out, are (they) interested in improving the coverage and, if so, find a place that will work for the carriers and the university.”

Boylan added that his group has reached the point where it is prepared to talk to the university.

“The ball is in the university’s court,” he said. “They know we’re interested and we’re waiting to hear from them.”