The Big Game brings big demand for wireless coverage. T-Mobile on Tuesday broke down how it’s preparing for the Super Bowl next month.
The nation’s second-largest wireless carrier said it had added new equipment to Allegiant Stadium, which will host the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs on February 11. It also unveiled improvements to nearby T-Mobile Arena, and added permanent and temporary network enhancements in other key spots around the city.
The upgrades come as more than 440,000 people are expected to descend upon Las Vegas for the Super Bowl. Having service available during the Big Game is critical for carriers, since poor service leaves a poor taste in their subscribers’ mouths and damage the reputation of their network. With T-Mobile winning accolades for the speed of its network, wresting away the quality reputation from longtime leader Verizon, the company is looking to maintain its lead.
T-Mobile had already upgraded the main Strip in November to prepare for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which saw about 400,000 visitors itself. In addition, to those permanent improvements, the company has set up temporary enhancements at the Fountains of Bellagio, which is near the Super Bowl broadcast stage, the Mandalay Bay parking garage, the Wynn parking garage around the Sphere, and Brooklyn Bowl, which will host the NFL House hospitality zone.
The company also made permanent upgrades at the Cosmopolitan and Fountainebleau hotels, as well as at Harry Reid International Airport. The company said it also added 17 more small cell sites around the city.
For those lucky enough to head into Allegiant Stadium, T-Mobile said it added 62 distributed antenna system sectors, with three covering the field. It also ensured that the entire stadium has access to Ultra Capacity 5G, which users higher frequency spectrum for more capacity and speed. It added seven more distributed antenna systems outside the stadium to account for celebrations. It’s also rolling out more millimeter wave spectrum, a super-high frequency band of spectrum known for really high speeds, but short coverage range.
Image credit: T-Mobile