Can Cellular Networks Handle Madonna's Super Bowl Half Time Show?

Madonna Super Bowl Half Time Show

As more than 150,000 people converge on Indianapolis for football’s biggest game of the year, AT&T has made a significant investment in permanent and temporary wireless network enhancements to support increased network traffic. However, will any carriers be able to handle 65,000 fans uploading photos of Madonna during the halftime show?  My bet is no and I will certainly be testing it during the halftime show.  

This is the classic case of everyone making a cell phone call during an emergency and no one can get through due to the congestion.  The has happened numerous times during Earthquakes and natural disasters and is a huge safety hazard.  But this time the congestion will be highly predictable and it remains to be seen if all of the networks still will crash during the mass upload, picture taking, phone call and text messaging half time show.  Here are some things that AT&T has specifically done in the Indianapolis to prepare for the massive Blackberry, Android, iPad and iPhone traffic: 

AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Zone, the company’s seventh major-market hotzone, serving parts of downtown Indianapolis. The new hotzone will provide fast and Wi-Fi near many popular locations along Capitol Avenue, Meridian and Pennsylvania Streets as well as East and West Georgia streets near the center of town, which consistently see high customer traffic and mobile data use. AT&T customers with high speed Internet, smartphone or LaptopConnect plans get unlimited access to AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Zones at no additional cost. From most AT&T smartphones and devices, customers will be able to automatically connect and switch seamlessly between AT&T’s Wi-Fi and wireless networks. Wi-Fi use doesn’t count toward customers’ smartphone data plans.

AT&T has also launched an expanded Distributed Antenna System (DAS) at Lucas Oil Stadium, which is among the largest of its kind in the U.S., enabling 4G LTE coverage within the stadium and carrying more traffic than 10 cell sites. In addition, AT&T has expanded its 4G LTE network to its DAS for media accommodations and has plans to enhance or install DAS systems in a number of other venues before the big game. 

“Events like the big game generate memorable experiences that our customers will want to share with friends and family through text messages, photos, status updates on social networks and calls from their mobile devices,” said Brian Ducharme, Vice President and General Manager, AT&T Indiana and Michigan. “We’re excited to provide significant network improvements – like our AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Zone and expanded or new DAS throughout the city – that will enhance the network experience for our customers in Indianapolis before, during and after the game.”

Further preparations for the big game include deploying nine Cells on Wheels (COWs) to support Lucas Oil Stadium, the downtown area, practice facilities and other places where large crowds are expected to accommodate increased wireless network demands from high concentrations of smartphone users. The company has also added capacity to nearly 200 cell sites throughout the Indianapolis market. The augmentations will help improve reliability and offer faster data speeds.