TE Connectivity (NYSE: TEL) announced that InSite Wireless Group has upgraded TE’s FlexWave Prism and FlexWave Spectrum distributed antenna systems (DAS) to provide enhanced mobile service coverage and capacity at Minnesota’s Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball team, and site of this year’s MLB All-Star Game. The upgraded systems add enhanced LTE services for subscribers to the nation’s four largest mobile operators throughout the 39,000-seat stadium, and will ensure seamless mobile services during the big game.
According to a press release, InSite initially selected and deployed TE DAS systems for 2G and 3G services when Target Field opened in 2010, delivering 850 and 1900 MHz frequencies to support GSM, UMTS, CDMA, and EV-DO for back-of-house wireless service. The wireless system expanded to service the concourse and seating areas and added 700 LTE 4G service.
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The most recent upgrades add 1900 MHz MIMO and 2100 MHz AWS 4G LTE services and four additional sectors within the stadium's seating areas, as well as four external sectors to cover the ingress/egress areas of the venue. Finally, TE’s active integration panel (AIP) has also been installed to allow each mobile operator to monitor the performance of their wireless service inside of the venue.
To provide complete service coverage at Target Field, InSite used a combination of TE’s digital solutions, FlexWave Prism DAS and FlexWave Spectrum DAS. TE says its FlexWave Prism DAS provides coverage and capacity over large, open areas such as the stadium's bowl, while the FlexWave Spectrum DAS delivers services in enclosed areas such as locker rooms and luxury boxes. The systems work together and are driven by a common set of host units, which further simplifies deployment and reduces costs, adds the company.
“At major events like the All-Star Game, everyone expects flawless mobile service so they can share texts, e-mails, photos and videos with friends,” commented Robb Alarcon, sr. director of DAS engineering at InSite. “We selected TE’s DAS systems for Target Field because they offer performance, deployment simplicity, and cost-effectiveness, and TE’s outstanding service organization ensured a smooth deployment.”
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