The 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby, set for May 7 at the hallowed Churchill Downs in Louisville, is expected to bring more than 300,000 fans together for what’s widely called the most exciting two minutes in sports.
And as smartphone penetration and attendant mobile data demands, particularly associated with social media use and mobile video, continue to grow, AT&T an dMobilitie are beefing up connectivity.
The on-site distributed antenna system (DAS) has gone through recent upgrades to increase LTE capacity by more than 50%, according to the companies. This is the fourth straight year of DAS upgrades associated with the Kentucky Derby.
Churchill Downs Racetrack General Manager Ryan Jordan said this upgrade is important given the social nature of the event, which he called “unlike any other major sporting event and our partnership with Mobilite has allowed guests with smartphone service from participating carriers to maintain connectivity and share their onsite experiences in near-real time. Mobile usage increases every year and it’s important for us to maximize our network coverage as we seek to advance the guest experience at Churchill Downs.”
AT&T Kentucky President Hood Harris said: “We’re committed to robust investments in our networks all across the Commonwealth, and our network enhancements at Churchill Downs is just one way that we’re investing in the Louisville area. When our customers attend Churchill Downs to take in the sights and sounds of the races, and socialize, we want them to enjoy our robust network that delivers high-speed connectivity – whether they are making calls, checking email, downloading apps or surfing the Internet.”
Last year the local AT&T network supported around 4.3 Terabytes of mobile data.
