AT&T announced Wednesday that its latest La Mesa cell-phone tower behind a liquor store at Lake Murray Boulevard and Dugan Avenue is now operating.

Designed to look like a palm tree, the La Mesa tower and one in Campo are touted as enhancing network coverage for area residents and businesses.

The activation of new cell sites is one part of AT&T’s ongoing effort to drive innovation and extend its mobile network, said a press release from AT&T.

The same Lake Murray tower is the target of aprotest movement led by local parent Heidi Bentz, who objected to its placement west of Murray Manor Elementary School.

Tammi Terrell, AT&T vice president and general manager in San Diego, said.

Our goal is for our customers to have an extraordinary experience and AT&T has invested nearly $375 million in its San Diego wireless and wireline networks from 2008 through 2010.

It is also part of its investment to build the networks that will fuel economic growth and create jobs, and enable AT&T customers to quickly access the content, applications and services that matter most to them.

As an active part of this community, we’re always looking for new opportunities to provide enhanced coverage, and our investment in the local wireless network is just one way we’re accomplishing that.

In addition, our recently announced agreement to acquire T-Mobile USA will strengthen and expand our network in San Diego County.

AT&T said its mobile network is based on the Global System for Mobile (GSM) standard, “the most open and widely used wireless network platforms in the world.

AT&T offers data roaming in 200 countries, as well as voice calling in more than 220 countries.

If approved, this deal means that we’ll be able to expand the next generation of mobile broadband 4G LTE from our current plan of 80 percent of the U.S. population to 97 percent.