Upgraded DAS, Wi-Fi Hot Zone, Luneburg Lens included in Final Four deployment
College basketball diehards will descend on Indianapolis for the NCAA Men’s Final Four championship April 4-6, and AT&T has deployed numerous hetnet upgrades to keep those fans connected.
Similar to its recent deployments for the South by Southwest interactive, film and music festival in Austin, Texas, AT&T reps said the carrier will roll-out its super cell on wheels, which uses a 12-beam Luneburg Lens.
AT&T has also set up a Wi-Fi Hot Zone in downtown Indianapolis as well as completed upgrades to the distributed antenna systems at the stadium and the Indiana Convention Center.
“When our customers head out in Indianapolis to celebrate and cheer on their favorite team, we want to ensure they have a great network experience no matter what they’re doing – whether that’s making a call, checking e-mail or sharing their favorite moments on social media,” said Brian Ducharme, AT&T’s VP and GM of the Great Lakes Region.
“Most of the network enhancements deployed in Indianapolis for the NCAA Men’s Final Four are permanent and will continue to benefit customers afterward,” he continued. “It’s just one way we’re continuing to invest in our Indianapolis-area wireless network.”
The first Final Four matchups go down on April 4, pitting the University of Kentucky Wildcats against the University of Wisconsin Badgers and the Duke University Blue Devils against the Michigan State University Spartans.
The winners of those two matchups will go on to the championship game set for April 6.
“Fans sharing memorable NCAA Men’s Final Four moments with family and friends as they’re occurring is an increasing part of the excitement surrounding the championship games,” Keith Martin, NCAA managing director of marketing and broadcast alliance, said.
“Being headquartered in Indianapolis, we especially appreciate the many AT&T network upgrades since they will not only enhance the experience now but in future as well,” he said.
RCR Wireless News had a chance to discuss AT&T’s deployment for SXSW in detail with local representative Clark Bird. Check out that video here.
