Corning MobileAccess, part of Corning's (NYSE: GLW) telecommunications segment, announced that its distributed antenna systems (DAS) have been installed at several prominent locations throughout New Orleans -- the host city of Super Bowl XLVII -- providing always-on wireless coverage and data services to enable mobile users at several major locations in the city to easily communicate, post status updates, check scores and statistics, and share photos.
According to a press release from the company, this is the sixth time that the Corning MobileAccess DAS has been deployed in the Super Bowl host city, and the second year in a row. Last year, the DAS was installed in Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium in advance of Super Bowl XLVI. Previous installations took place at Reliant Park, Houston, for Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004; ALLTEL Stadium, Jacksonville, Fla., for Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005; Ford Field, Detroit, for Super Bowl XL in 2006; and University of Phoenix Stadium, for Super Bowl XLII in 2008.
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In anticipation of Super Bowl XLVII, the DAS was deployed at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, where representatives expect more than 75,000 visitors during Super Bowl weekend. The convention center will host several Super Bowl-related events, including the NFL Experience Driven by GMC, an interactive theme park, which will offer opportunities for fans to upload pictures, download videos, send texts etc., making reliable, fast cellular communications a necessity. Gulf Coast Real Estate Consultants, which provides telecommunications services to many organizations, will manage the deployment at the convention center.
“The National Football League hired a third party to survey the cellular network in and around our location and determined the DAS can handle the massive amount of wireless traffic expected, eliminating the need for carriers to deploy temporary cellular solutions," said Paul O’Connell, director of technology services, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. "The flexibility of the system will also allow us to easily expand the DAS to support our preparations to add a new hall to our ever-growing facility.”
The DAS has also been installed at six major New Orleans hotels. The total area covered includes nearly 450,000 square feet of meeting space and more than 5,500 guest rooms across all of the locations, including hotels that will host players from the two competing teams. “We’re thrilled to be providing Super Bowl fans and New Orleans visitors with a great wireless experience,” said Bill Cune, vice president of strategy and business development, Corning Cable Systems. “Combined with our fiber connectivity solutions, the Corning MobileAccess DAS offers facilities the best possible infrastructure for high-traffic events.”
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