Cellular firms vying for 'stealth' antennas.

Quality Inn transmitting signals

Cellular phone antennas are sprouting up in the oddest of places.

To eliminate the fuzz and buzz of cellular calls, and to meet a growing demand for portable phones, phone companies need to erect more antennas on wooded hillsides and building panels than passersby would ever suspect.

For example, cellular phone calls from motorists on a stretch of Interstate 25 near Hampden Avenue run through two black pillars on a Quality Inn hotel sign. AT&T, the wireless provider that uses the antenna, pays a leasing fee to Quality Inn for use of the sign.

"We don't want 100-foot towers any more than the public does," said Mary …