Cell Phone Reception for Indy Super Bowl

Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis

AT&T, Verizon and Sprint are getting ready for the huge influx of Patriots and Giants fans for Super Bowl weekend in Indianapolis.  The whole area will experience and huge increase in extra cell phone traffic.  Lucas Oil Stadium holds 63,000 people and it is highly likely there could be 25,000+ iPhones simultaneously trying to share pictures all at once.  The big question is can the carriers 3G and 4G LTE networks handle the capacity?  We will be at the Super Bowl in person to find out and share with you our experiences.

Last years Super Bowl in Dallas it was reported that numerous fans complained about the cell coverage inside Cowboy Stadium for the Super Bowl.  Most networks just don't have the capacity to handle the traffic all at once.  It still surprises me that stadiums have not installed their own Free WiFi networks inside the stadium for fans.  Carriers often partner with the stadium to install WiFi / DAS networks in venues like this in order to enhance wireless connectivity.  We would love to see more PR on this issue from all the sports leagues including the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB.

AT&T has made concerted efforts to enhance the network in Indianapolis.  Not only are they upgrading the network but they are actually showing customers on a pretty map they call AT&T MicroSites.

One of the other things Patriots and Giants fans will see are these "cells on wheels," which are also called COWS.  They are trucks with portable cell towers on top of them. You'll may also see devices hidden in parking garages and other places that will also boost cell power.

Months of planning have gone into the upgrades. "Over the last year, we've made more than 500 improvements in our wireless network alone here in the Indianapolis-metropolitan area," said George Fleetwood.

AT&T isn't the only wireless provider upgrading its network ahead of the big game. Verizon has spent $159 million on upgrades in 30 locations around Indy. Sprint has also beefed up its coverage with several cells on wheels along with major added capacity inside Lucas Oil Stadium.