AT&T recently gave Sports Authority Field at Mile High a $10M network upgrade that will be fully launched at this Sunday's game versus the Chiefs, as the carrier "added the equivalent of 11 cell towers, all dedicated to serving subscribers at Broncos stadium and its surrounding parking lots," according to Andy Vuong of the DENVER POST. The Broncos estimate that 40% of the nearly 80,000 fans that "attend each home game are AT&T subscribers." The club added that this is the "first season where fans are uploading more than they are downloading while at the stadium, by a 60 to 40 margin." AT&T "outfitted the stands, concessions and major entrances with a distributed antenna system," and the carrier "installed 325 directional antennas." Verizon performed a similar upgrade in late '11. The Broncos' Wi-Fi system is "currently only available for Verizon subscribers, though the team hopes to open it up to AT&T and Sprint by next year." AT&T also "assisted the Broncos with a video upgrade featuring the installation of more than 1,100 IPTV screens throughout the stadium" (DENVER POST, 11/15).
ALL IN AT ALLSTATE ARENA: In Chicago, Danny Ecker reported the city of Rosemont, Ill., on Wednesday was expected to approve a new contract with L.A.-based wireless network provider Boingo Wireless to "install a free Wi-Fi network and distributed antenna system" at Allstate Arena. The deal will "mark the debut of public Wi-Fi at the 33-year-old facility and greatly expand its capacity for smartphone usage, such as posting photos on social media." Wi-Fi service at the arena, which hosts DePaul's men's basketball team, the AHL Wolves and the WNBA Sky, "will be supported by advertising revenue" (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 11/13).
