DAS – Page 33

Mobilitie brings DAS, Wi-Fi to Tacoma Dome

May 25, 2016 by Paul Kapustka

Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Wash. Credit: Tacoma Dome Instagram page.

One of the more iconic venues in the Pacific Northwest, the Tacoma Dome, now has high-speed wireless connectivity inside thanks to a new DAS and Wi-Fi network install from Mobilitie.

According to the Tacoma Dome, Mobilitie installed more than 130 DAS antennas and 190 Wi-Fi APs in both the 23,000-seat Dome as well as in the adjacent Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, which are located just south of Seattle. With its all-wood white domed ceiling, the Tacoma Dome is well known by fans who have been to events inside as well as to area drivers who can see the structure from the I-5 highway nearby.

Though the Dome doesn’t currently have a pro sports team tenant, it does seem to be able to capture its share of big-ticket events, including motocross as well as big stadium concert acts. The I Love the 90s tour is hitting Tacoma on Aug. 26 and Drake on Sept. 16, followed by Def Leppard (with REO Speedwagon and Tesla opening!) on Oct. 1.

According to Mobilitie, it owns the network at the Dome and the convention center, a business model like the one Mobilitie uses in Columbus. Right now Verizon Wireless is on the DAS at the Dome, with AT&T and T-Mobile to follow soon, according to Mobilitie. And if anyone goes there soon, send us a speed test! Interested to see how the big wood dome treats Wi-Fi.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, DAS, Wi-Fi Tagged With: DAS, Def Leppard, Drake, Mobile Sports Report, Mobilitie, Paul Kapustka, REO Speedwagon, Tacoma Dome, Wi-Fi

AT&T: Data use growth continues during second rounds of NBA, NHL playoffs

May 23, 2016 by Paul Kapustka

Photo: NBA.com

As the NHL and NBA playoffs march toward the championship rounds, fans at second-round playoff games continued to use more wireless data than during the regular season, according to figures from AT&T’s cellular networks inside the postseason-hosting venues.

For both leagues the average and overall usage was almost dead even — according to figures sent to us by AT&T, fans on its networks at NHL sites used a total of 5 terabytes of wireless traffic, an average of 210 GB per game. For the NBA, AT&T said it saw a total of 4.1 TB of data used during second-round games, for an average of 211 GB per game.

In the NBA, the leading data use on AT&T networks was at games hosted by the Oklahoma City Thunder, with an average of 422 GB per game at Chesapeake Energy Arena. For hockey the most data was used by fans at games hosted by the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center, where AT&T said it saw and average of 390 GB used per second-round game.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, AT&T, Atlanta Hawks, DAS, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NHL Tagged With: 4G LTE, AT&T, DAS, Mobile Sports Report, NBA, NHL, Paul Kapustka

ExteNet acquires Dallas-based TPI, which provides DAS infrastructure to AT&T Stadium

May 11, 2016 by Paul Kapustka

More consolidation in the in-building wireless marketplace happened today with the announcement that Lisle, Ill.-based ExteNet Systems acquired Dallas-based Telecommunications Properties, Inc., (TPI) in a deal whose terms were not disclosed.

ExteNet, which runs DAS systems in many venues like Miami’s Marlins Park, was acquired itself last year by telecom investment group Digital Bridge Holdings and Stonepeak Partners in a deal that wound up being worth $1.4 billion. Since we haven’t heard from ExteNet yet it’s unclear if some of those funds went to acquire TPI, which among other clients runs the DAS at AT&T Stadium, as we found out when TPI’s president Jimmy Chiles posted a comment to one of our reports about AT&T Stadium.

From the sounds of the press release, not much will change on the TPI end except the company control and maybe the logo. From the release:

ExteNet will undertake maintenance operations responsibilities for all existing TPI networks. Properties and venues in TPI’s portfolio currently include Madison Square Garden, the LA Forum, AT&T Stadium (home of the Dallas Cowboys), the KFC YUM Arena and the Kentucky Exposition Center, among others.

More as we hear more…

Filed Under: 4G LTE, DAS Tagged With: AT&T Stadium, DAS, ExteNet Systems, Mobile Sports Report, Paul Kapustka, TPI

Cellular use tops 12 TB for Kentucky Derby day — 20 TB+ for Derby weekend

May 9, 2016 by Paul Kapustka

Race winner Nyquist. Photo: KentuckDerby.com

Wireless data use at Saturday’s Kentucky Derby broke records all around, as major wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon Wireless both reported new event-usage top totals, with AT&T seeing 6.7 terabytes of data use while Verizon recorded 5.5 TB, for a total of 12.2 TB used during the Run for the Roses day. Last year, AT&T saw 5.1 TB of traffic on the Churchill Downs DAS and some extra infrastructure, while Verizon saw its total increase from 3.8 TB in 2015. Both AT&T and Verizon are on the main Churchill Downs DAS, which is run by neutral-host provider Mobilitie. This number will likely get even bigger if and when we get DAS stats from T-Mobile, which is also on the Churchill Downs DAS.

For the entire “Derby weekend” — a two-day stretch that also includes the Kentucky Oaks race on Friday — the carriers saw a combined 20.15 TB of data, with AT&T hitting 11.4 TB for the weekend and Verizon 8.75. Those totals are pretty stunning, when you realize that just two years ago AT&T only saw 2 TB of traffic on its DAS and associated infrastructure (which includes temporary cell towers on trucks and nearby macro towers), and Verizon customers used just 1.37 TB of data.

More evidence of wireless traffic growth can be found in the AT&T claim that it saw 815 GB of traffic on its network in a single hour last Saturday, easily the high number ever for AT&T at any kind of event. AT&T said that peak hour was from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time, when the big race was held and favorite Nyquist won. In 2014, that peak hour for AT&T saw 180 GB of traffic, a number that we thought was big then. Verizon, which like AT&T added capacity to its infrastructure at Churchill Downs prior to this year’s race, also said it saw a traffic spike around the time of the big event. By comparison, AT&T said that at this year’s Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium it saw 201 GB of traffic on its DAS network just after kickoff.

When it comes to DAS the Derby now falls just behind the Super Bowl for DAS totals with 12.2 TB to 15.9 TB, though the Derby number could get closer if and when we get numbers from T-Mobile and Sprint. And yes, granted it’s a much bigger crowd (the Derby had its second-highest attendance ever with 167,227 — just a few thousand less than the record of 170,513 set last year. We also don’t have any stats yet for usage of the new Churchill Downs app, but it does appear betting was up this year, maybe due to app integration?

Filed Under: 4G LTE, AT&T, DAS, VenueNext, Verizon Wireless Tagged With: 4G LTE, AT&T, Churchill Downs, DAS, Kentucky Derby, Levi's Stadium, Mobile Sports Report, Mobilitie, Paul Kapustka, Verizon Wireless

First round of NHL playoffs saw 8.6 TB of data used on AT&T networks

May 3, 2016 by Paul Kapustka

They’re smaller than football stadiums so hockey arenas aren’t going to generate wireless-data numbers as big as we’ve seen at events like the Super Bowl. But according to AT&T, wireless data use by NHL fans at playoff time took a big leap forward in the first round of the Stanley Cup action, with an average 41 percent increase in data use versus regular-season games at the same venues.

In total, AT&T said it saw more than 8.6 terabytes of wireless data used on its cellular networks at venues hosting first-round NHL playoff games, with an average of 191 GB used at each game. Winning the highest-average data contest was the Dallas Stars, whose fans used more than 379 GB per game during the first round games in American Airlines Center. In a statement that clearly needed a copy editor with sense and facts, AT&T said that the second-place Philadelphia Flyers, who play in a city that is “home of the country’s most passionate sports fans,” averaged 267 GB per game. In Chicago, where the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks took their series to a Game 7, THE most passionate sports fans used an average of 270 GB per game.

Remember, these are only AT&T stats for users on AT&T networks. And anytime the Philly-loving AT&T folks want to talk about passionate sports fans, they know where to find me. We can watch tapes of the Blackhawks-Flyers Stanley Cup finals together while we converse.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, AT&T, DAS, NHL, Stanley Cup Tagged With: AT&T, Chicago Blackhawks, DAS, NHL, Stanley Cup

Churchill Downs picks VenueNext for new Kentucky Derby app

April 29, 2016 by Paul Kapustka

Screenshot of new Kentucky Derby app built by VenueNext for Churchill Downs.

Fans at this year’s Kentucky Derby will be able to find their way around historic Churchill Downs and place bets on races via a new venue mobile app, designed by VenueNext, the app developer for Levi’s Stadium and other football, baseball and basketball teams.

Most of the standard features of the VenueNext app platform, including interactive wayfinding and digital ticketing support, will be available to all fans for the May 7 Derby Day, according to Churchill Downs Racetrack general manager Ryan Jordan. Additionally, a small number of premium-seat ticketholders will be able to order food and drink for delivery to their seats via the app, a sort of “beta test” of one of the other VenueNext app services that Jordan said Churchill Downs plans to expand for future races.

“We’re very excited to roll this app out” on Derby Day, said Jordan in a phone interview. Though the racetrack has previously had some mobile apps, Jordan said they were mainly focused on the social element of the event, with links back to the Derby website. The VenueNext-powered app infrastructure, he said, “really translates well to our venue and we think will significantly improve the fan experience at the Kentucky Derby.”

Ryan Jordan, general manager, Churchill Downs

For VenueNext, the big-name deal is its first outside of stadium sports, and the sixth app deal overall, following deals for apps for the San Francisco 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Yankees, the Orlando Magic and the Minnesota Vikings. VenueNext also designed a special Levi’s Stadium app for the recent Super Bowl 50.

Wayfinding, betting, and more

One of the top features from the VenueNext app package that “excites” Jordan is the app’s ability to use a beacon infrastructure to support a live interactive wayfinding map, where app users can track themselves in “blue dot” fashion similar to Google maps for driving. Since Churchill Downs is an old, sprawling facility, Jordan said that helping fans find their way was always a challenge.

“There’s been 142 years of building this place out, and it’s not like a bowl stadium where you can just keep walking in a circle to find things,” Jordan said. “To be able to use a mobile app to find your seats, find your car after the race, and find amenities like betting windows is very exciting. We have lots of signage, but there are lots of different buildings and signs, and it can be hard to find your way around.”

For several years now, the Derby has been building its own mobile betting app, which allows fans to place bets from anywhere at the track. That app, called Twinspires, is now also integrated within the new VenueNext app, which means that fans don’t have to exit and find another app to place wagers.

Wayfinding map screenshot

To make sure fans can stay connected anywhere on the grounds, Churchill Downs and partners Mobilitie and AT&T upgraded the venue’s DAS again this offseason, adding more capacity for AT&T 4G LTE services. Though Churchill Downs does have a small amount of Wi-Fi for the main buildings like the clubhouse and the towers, Jordan said that service is mainly for race days other than the big event.

“For regular race days [when fans are mostly in the main buildings] we may have 10,000 to 20,000 people here,” Jordan said. “For the Derby, we will have 170,000.”

Starting slow with food delivery

Also included in the app is the ability for fans to order food and drink to be delivered to their seats, or to be picked up at an express window at a nearby concession stand. Jordan said that during the offseason Churchill Downs retrofitted several kitchen areas to support the delivery and express pickup options, but that the track will start small with the service and expand from there. In addition to the Turf Club and its 500 seats where delivery will be an option, another 15 sections of seats will be able to use the app for express pickup orders, Jordan said.

“There’s a lot of employee training and infrastructure [for deliveries] that’s new to us,” said Jordan, explaining the start-slow approach. “The good news is, there’s lots of opportunity to keep expanding as we go.”

(more app screenshots below)

Filed Under: 4G LTE, Apps, AT&T, DAS, Levi's Stadium, Sports Betting, Wi-Fi Tagged With: 4G LTE, AT&T, Churchill Downs, DAS, Horse Racing, Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Levi's Stadium, Mobile Sports Report, Paul Kapustka, Sports betting on mobile devices, VenueNext, Wi-Fi