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Published on 21 August 2018
Tackling Tech: Inside Verizon's Super Bowl Wireless Plan
What could be better for a hardcore football fan than to help plan wireless coverage for the NFL's Super Bowls, which has come with the opportunity to attend the events?
Thanks to the intersection of technology and sports, Verizon's Brian Mecum, is living and working a dream that others can only hope for at bedtime. But if you think planning for new and upgraded distributed antenna systems (DAS) for NFL venues both new and older is a light-lifting, walk in the park, think again.
Soaring fan video demands have called for Mecum to build brainier and brawnier wireless systems.
"We have learned from usage and from habits," said Mecum, who serves as Verizon's Vice-President for Network-West. He's responsible for helping drive network planning for the service provider and has worked on the last several Super Bowl wireless projects.
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The recent Super Bowl fan data use numbers establish the trend.
- Super Bowl 49: 4.1 terabytes of data used
- Super Bowl 50: 7.2 terabytes of data used
- Super Bowl 51: 11 terabytes of data used
- Super Bowl 52: ???
Ok, so plan for a substantial rise in sharing video, photos, streaming and texting right?
Not so simple…Plan for the unpredictable too. For instance:
The Stefon Diggs catch and TD run one play known as the Minneapolis Miracle helped propel that NFC Divisional Round game past Super Bowl 49 in terms of total data used.
A Tall Task
And remember, a Super Bowl wireless project extends far beyond the actual stadium to key locations throughout the host city making the effort far more complex, resource-intensive and time-consuming. That's the type of project Verizon took on roughly two years ago.
These undertakings are also typically a live showcase of the latest wireless technologies and products as fans' user demands continue skyward. Systems upgraded and implemented for the first time are expected to shoulder the load for years to come.
What's a DAS?
For those not versed in wireless tech talk, a DAS What's a DAS? Part of the answer is with a robust distributed antenna system, (DAS), which is a network of spatially separated antenna nodes connected to a common source that provides wireless service within a geographic area or structure. It's common for venues to have DAS from multiple wireless providers.
So what goes into installing a DAS? For starters at US Bank Stadium, it entailed creating a network of devices that would essentially be invisible. That meant placing antennas under seats, as part of hand rails (see picture) - and under drink rails.
But these systems require larger and far more powerful antennas, which Verizon addressed with what's called Matsing Balls. These devices are ultra-high-power units that hang from structures above and also go unnoticed by the average football fan.
