In the weeks leading up to the Democratic National Convention in early September, service providers in Charlotte, NC prepared for the arrival of the estimated 35,000 attendees by enabling Wi-Fi hotspots for free access and adding additional cell sites, portable COWs (cells on wheels) and extra antennas throughout the area.
Time Warner Cable enabled 120 Wi-Fi access points throughout the Time Warner Cable Arena for free Internet access for convention attendees while Verizon Wireless added permanent and temporary infrastructure as well as DAS (distributed antenna system) deployments in the area. Sprint Nextel set up three COWs and a DAS per convention site, added two macro cell sites and upgraded 18 pre-existing sites. AT&T, the official wireline and mobility provider of the convention, added 10 LTE DAS (distributed antenna system) deployments and 12 oDAS (outdoor distributed antenna solutions) as well as 12 permanent and 10 temporary cell sites.
Though the steps to boost mobile data capacity in the area were a direct result of the large attendance rate for the convention, the preparations likely foreshadow what service providers will have to do in order to keep up with rapidly growing mobile use around the country.
