Ahead of next month's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia and the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) is detailing some of the network upgrades being put in place in order to handle the increased demands on the network.
In Cleveland, Verizon said it is doubling the network capacity to its neutral host Distributed Antenna System (DAS) at the Quicken Loans Arena, which will serve at the main facility for the RNC, as well as to its small cells covering the surrounding areas. During the convention, Verizon will add new on-the-floor antenna sectors will be added to provide coverage for delegates.
Verizon newly installed an indoor wireless DAS systems at the Cleveland Convention Center, the downtown Hilton Hotel), the Ritz Carlton, Tower City Center and JACK Casino facilities. The operator is also using network optimization and new small cell sites to boost network peak speeds and capacity in areas like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
For the DNC in Philadelphia, Verizon will be able to rely on some of the network upgrades -- including quadrupled capacity, 11 new miles of fiber, new cell sites and a small cell system installed downtown -- made for Pope Francis's visit in 2015. Those updates also include capacity increases at the airport, downtown hotels and SEPTA stations.
At the Wells Fargo Center, Verizon said it installed a system to improve capacity by more than 550 percent. Outside, the carrier is using COWs and small cells to add network capacity.
As part of the wireless upgrades, Verizon has installed new fiber at locations including including Independence Mall, the National Constitution Center and the Wells Fargo Center. The extended fiber backbone will also be used by broadcast media.
Verizon has been working for years to improve coverage and capacity at the Cleveland Convention Center, including a full permanent DAS installation in 2014. AT&T (NYSE: T), which has been named the official communications, video and technology provider for the RNC, along with Sprint (NYSE: S) and T-Mobile (NYSE:TMUS) have also been busy putting network upgrades in place before the RNC.
For more:
- see this press release
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