Why Super Bowl 46 will have super connectivity

Averaging more than 100 million viewers worldwide, the annual Super Bowl game is among the most watched sports events every year. Many of us watch in the cozy confines of our homes where we can easily connect to the web to see who’s tweeting about the game or the commercials. But what if you’re actually at the Super Bowl; how good or bad is mobile broadband there?

This year, it ought to be quite good based on a behind the scenes look at the preparations Verizon is taking to beef up wireless connectivity at Lucas Oil Stadium. The GottaBeMobile site has the details, which are shared in this brief video.

Some interesting facts about the event’s special wireless infrastructure, according to GottaBeMobile:

  • 9 Antennas that are part of a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) outside the stadium to handle increased downtown traffic.
  • 400 Antenna Internal DAS to handle 3G and 4G LTE voice and data inside the stadium.
  • 600 Antenna WiFi system capable of handling 28,000 simultaneous connected users. Free for Super Bowl 46.
  • 3 Cell on Wheels (COWs). Standalone generator-powered cell towers to handle the extremely high demand areas.

Of course, if you’re spending a few thousand dollars to be a live spectator at the big game, you’ll probably want to pay close attention the live action. But it’s nice to know you can tweet about how good that $ 12 hot dog was at halftime, no?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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  • U.S. Wireless Data Market: Q4 and Year-End 2008



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