AT&T has "spent more than five months upgrading its cellphone and Wi-Fi networks" at Sun Life Stadium, "sometimes deploying 200 people around the clock to work on the multimillion-dollar job," according to a front-page piece by Doreen Hemlock of the South Florida SUN-SENTINEL. Dolphins Dir of Infrastructure Services Joe Curbelo said, "This technology gives fans a chance to see the replays, keep up with fantasy football stats and track what is going on with other games." Curbelo said that before the upgrade, he would "often keep his cellphone in his pocket during a game, 'because it was useless.'" AT&T for the cellular upgrade "installed the equivalent of 16 individual cell sites -- enough to service a small city the size of Miami Beach." The "brains" of the system "fill a 432-square-foot room floor to ceiling with rows of equipment, plus stacks of air conditioners to keep the work space cool." For the Wi-Fi system that "officially goes live" for Sunday's Bills-Dolphins game, AT&T "installed more than 1,100 access points, including more than 600 throughout the seating areas." The system is the first AT&T has "designed and built at a stadium in Florida," and "serves only AT&T customers" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 10/18).
EAGLES FOCUSED ON FAN EXPERIENCE: Eagles President Don Smolenski noted the club has "embarked on a two-year renovation project" for Lincoln Financial Field that is costing $125M investment. Smolenski: "It's all on fan amenities geared towards the fan experience based on feedback directly from the fans." The renovations include widening the gates to "get fans in quicker" and installing a new Wi-Fi network so fans "can stream stats and stream video." He noted the Eagles next year are "going to incorporate new HD videoboards." Smolenski: "It's all about just enhancing that experience and making the stadium environment that much more dynamic and energetic on gameday" ("Squawk on the Street," CNBC, 10/18).
