AT&T Mobility, Sprint and an unnamed third wireless carrier will partner with Cox Business and InSite Wireless Group on a new distributed antenna system to beef up wireless connectivity at the Las Vegas Convention Center ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
The companies have been working on the upgrade for the past 18 months to increase the number of Wi-Fi access points in the 3.2 million-square-foot convention center from 166 to 2,100. The access points will be backed by a 10 gigabit-per-second fiber connection provided by Cox Business.
“We’ve been deploying advanced technologies at the Las Vegas Convention Center for more than two years,” said Derrick Hill, VP of Cox Business and Hospitality Network, in a statement. “Now, with the support of our partners at InSite, our neutral host DAS will help ensure wireless carriers can provide their customers faster service and improved coverage, enhancing the overall convention center experience for attendees and exhibitors.”
“We’re excited to join this project to make sure our customers have an exceptional wireless experience at one of the busiest convention centers in the world,” a Sprint representative told RCR Wireless News.
Sprint says it will build its own base stations, which will connect to the convention center’s DAS and “work with InSite to review the performance of the DAS throughout their build process and then on an ongoing basis once it’s live.”
The new DAS is expected to “markedly improve” capacity and reliability of service, giving attendees of CES and other major conventions held in Las Vegas better access to mobile services.
Cox Business was awarded a seven-year contract in 2013 from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority after they promised to invest $9.5 million to provide wired high-speed Internet networking services and equipment, wired voice services, private network options, Wi-Fi based wireless Internet services and TV services.
“The trade show floor becomes a mobile office for many of our attendees making reliable cellular service critical,” said Terry Jicinsky, SVP of operations at LVCVA. “By upgrading the DAS, the Las Vegas Convention Center continues to enhance the customer experience.”
InSite Wireless Group currently operates more than 20 DAS and small cell projects in convention centers, casinos, airports, sports stadiums and transit systems across the country. The full build out of the 2,100 access points is expected to be complete by the end of next year. Once completed, the LVCC DAS is expected to have the capacity of 14 macro sites.
