In just a few weeks tens of thousands of highly motivated, overly caffeinated political junkies armed with smart devices will descend on Tampa Bay, Florida for the Republican National Convention. Just as they are winding down the Democrats will start up in Charlotte, North Carolina, equally energized and equally committed to mobilizing their agenda with smartphones and tablets.
Keeping everyone connected is a job that began more than a year ago for the carriers and equipment providers involved in preparing the various venues that will host the two conventions. AT&T says it has invested more than $625 million in its infrastructure in Charlotte during the last 3 years. The carrier rolled out its LTE service in Charlotte late last year. In preparation for the convention, AT&T installed 10 LTE-ready indoor distributed antenna systems and 12 outdoor DAS systems. The company is also bringing in up to 10 temporary cell sites on wheels, and making Charlotte’s South Brevard Street a Wi-Fi hot zone. Altogether, the carrier says it has made more than 400 million wireless network upgrades in Charlotte since last year.
In Tampa Bay, Verizon Wireless has been busy getting ready for the Republicans. The company says it has already invested $138 million in its LTE network in Florida this year. Verizon has installed cellular base stations and/or in-building distributed antenna systems at Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tropicana Field, and Tampa Bay Convention Center, all venues for the RNC. At The Forum, Verizon says its engineers hand-carried 1,200-pound wireless radio cabinets up to a catwalk, to reinforce wireless coverage on the event floor hundreds of feet below.
Verizon also says that all the wireless “farm animals” will be present at the RNC: COWS (cells on wheels), COLTS (cells on light trucks) and GOaTS (generators on trailers) will be deployed in areas that need extra coverage.
TE Connectivity is a supplier of DAS equipment for both conventions. The company says its FlexWave Prism and InterReach Fusion products will be part of the DAS solutions at Charlotte’s Bank of America stadium, where the President will accept his party’s nomination. The same products are deployed at Charlotte Motor Speedway, site of a family-friendly event just before the convention.
California’s Mobilitie LLC provided 524 antennas for the DAS installation at Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena, which is also home to the Charlotte Bobcats. The company says that its DAS system will support all carriers’ networks. “Mobilitie’s DAS networks are designed as neutral hosts capable of addressing the network challenges faced by every carrier in delivering the type of wireless experience desired by their customers,” says Mobilitie president Christos Karmis.
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