Verizon has been working to ensure that the Super Bowl isn t marred by bad connections — at least of the mobile phone kind.
The telecommunications giant has invested $70 million in upgrading its wireless network in the Bay Area in time for the big game, the company announced Tuesday. The company has ramped up its network capacity, added dozens of new cell sites and made plans to roll out mobile cell stations in busy areas during peak periods.
A better network doesn t happen by accident, the company said in its announcement. Hundreds of Verizon employees have worked for nearly two years to prep for Super Bowl 50.
The upgrades are mainly focused on the corridor along the Peninsula between Santa Clara, the site of Levi s Stadium, where the Super Bowl will be played, and San Francisco, the home of Super Bowl City, a kind of fairground for game-related activities and events that opens on Saturday. But Verizon is also upgrading its network at all three of the Bay Area s major airports and at some of the hotels at which players and representatives of the National Football League will be staying.
In preparation for the game, the company said it has built 16 large cell towers — 10 in San Francisco, 6 in Santa Clara — and 75 small cell sites in the area. It s also installed a new antenna system at Levi s Stadium that s supposed to make it easier for customers in the lower parts of the stadium to get a signal. Verizon also has 14 mobile cell antenna units — 7 each in San Francisco and Santa Clara — on call.
What s more, the company plans to have a team of 100 technicians and engineers on hand on Super Bowl Sunday to monitor its local network and address any problems.
Network access has been a growing focus among sports teams and venues. Last summer, the San Francisco Giants touted a network upgrade the team and AT&T installed at AT&T Park. When the 49ers opened Levi s Stadium in 2014, the team called it the first smart stadium and highlighted its extensive wireless and wired networks.
Verizon s focus on providing ample capacity for the Super Bowl is notable, because wireless operators haven t always been so pro-active. Indeed, attendees of big events that bring lots of people together in one place have often found it difficult to get online or make calls.
File photo: A manager of a Verizon store in Ohio, holds up an Apple iPhone. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)
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