AT&T Mobility (T) is the anchor tenant on new Distributed Antenna System (DAS) networks at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University deployed by NextG Networks.
The universities hold some of the highest profile events in the state, said Brent Benson, manager of RF engineering – Oklahoma, with AT&T Mobility. As such, three stadiums got DAS upgrades to handle the heavy wireless traffic that takes place during sporting events at venues. A DAS network was deployed at the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord Stadium, which seats more than 82,000. AT OSU, DAS networks were installed at the Gallagher-Iba Arena and the Boone Pickens Stadium. Along with providing enough capacity to the seats, service needs to be extended to hospitality suites and club seats, as well as to food and beverage venues at the facility.
While AT&T had adequate coverage at the stadiums, the increased data consumption was putting pressure on the macrocellular network, Benson noted. “You can’t band-aid it with repeaters.”
Once the agreements were signed with the universities and AT&T, the DAS network at OU was deployed in six weeks and in seven weeks at OSU, which meant people attending college football games were able to take advantage of the increased available capacity.
The deployments are part of a growing trend of getting more capacity to venues that house large crowds. Vertical market deployments also are opening up new opportunities for DAS system providers as building owners begin to realize that consistent wireless service is as attractive to potential tenants as other amenities. Stadium venues are probably one of the top vertical markets for DAS solutions as people like to be able to check sports scores, send photos from events to friends, and access the web from smart phones. Hotels, hospitals and campus-type locations are also popular locations for DAS deployments.
Despite the reality that universities are realizing DAS networks are needed to increase capacity at these high-density locations, DAS deployments are not rote, said Bo Piekarski, VP of Product Management and Marketing for NextG Networks. “Each DAS deployment is unique.”
At the University of Oklahoma, staff was concerned about aesthetics so antennas had to be disguised as bricks, Piekarski said. Another challenge was getting cellular coverage to an underground parking garage. The companies are in the process of building an outdoor DAS network at OSU, Benson said.