Nation's Largest Carrier Triples Capacity in Dolphin Stadium
BOCA RATON, Fla., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The Indianapolis Colts and
Chicago Bears aren't the only ones preparing for Super Bowl XLI. Cingular
Wireless, now a part of the new AT&T, has spent the past six months
planning for the big event.
"A huge event like the Super Bowl, where nearly 100,000 people converge
onto an area the size of a few city blocks, requires monumental efforts,"
said Rich Guidotti, vice president and general manager for AT&T's South
Florida wireless operations. "Our network team has gone above and beyond to
ensure our customers have the best wireless experience possible under the
circumstances."
Typically, most carriers only use a portion of their spectrum in
geographical areas. But AT&T's wireless unit is using its entire South
Florida 70 megahertz spectrum in Dolphin Stadium and the surrounding areas,
where the company anticipates a spike in network traffic. The company's
network team has set up two cell sites on wheels, or "COWs", in the stadium
parking lot; added dozens of voice channels to its two cell sites located
inside the stadium; and maximized its high-speed 3G (third generation)
capacity in the area, making it possible to process thousands of calls and
data sessions with peak data speeds above three megabits per second.
Capacity also has been added at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel and
along Ocean Drive in South Beach where some of the Super Bowl week
activities will be held.
Additionally, AT&T's wireless unit will have network personnel on site
for game day to monitor the network and manually balance traffic on the
cell sites at the stadium in order to maximize the ability for customers to
make calls.
"We saw a 30 percent increase in usage on our Jacksonville network last
year during the week of Super Bowl XL, which resulted in about six million
additional minutes of usage on the network," said Mark Austin, executive
director of AT&T's South Florida wireless network. "We anticipate a similar
experience here in Miami."
AT&T invested $165 million in its South Florida wireless network last
year -- $400 million statewide -- upgrading and expanding service, which
included the rollout of its high-speed 3G (third generation) network. The
company's 3G network allows customers to download at average data speeds
between 400-700 Kbps (kilobits per second) on the downlink, with bursts to
more than a megabit per second.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. is a premier communications holding company in the United
States and around the world, with operating subsidiaries providing services
under the AT&T brand. AT&T is the recognized world leader in providing
IP-based communications services to business and the U.S. leader in
providing wireless, high speed Internet access, local and long distance
voice, and directory publishing and advertising services. As part of its
"three screen" integration strategy, AT&T is expanding video entertainment
offerings to include such next-generation television services as AT&T
U-verse(SM) TV. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and
services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at
http://www.att.com.
AT&T is a registered trademark of AT&T Knowledge Ventures. Subsidiaries
and affiliates of AT&T Inc. provide products and services under the AT&T
brand. For more information, please review this announcement in the AT&T
newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.
SOURCE Cingular Wireless, now the new AT&T
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Related links:
http://www.att.com
http://www.att.com/newsroom
CONTACT:
Kelly Starling of Cingular Wireless, now the
new AT&T, office, +1-561-775-4259, or wireless, +1-561-301-1414,
or Kelly.starling@att.com
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