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Light Reading met with Verizon on-site at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans to get a closer look at the network infrastructure the operator has installed to ensure fans can post selfies to social media and send updates to friends and family.
As Super Bowl LIX looms near, Verizon is ramping up preparations to get the network ready for fans coming to Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9.
Light Reading met with the service provider on-site at the Superdome in New Orleans to get a closer look at the network infrastructure Verizon has installed to ensure fans can post selfies to social media and send updates to friends and family.
For the Super Bowl, Verizon is deploying 509 5G UltraWideband and 155 C-band radios to connect the stadium's seating areas, back of the house, suites, lounges, press box, concourse areas and entryways. This will be twice as many radios as deployed for Super Bowl LVIII last year at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Verizon is using Samsung antennas – Kadie Gavan, senior director of Network Engineering for Verizon, said this marks the first Super Bowl where Samsung is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). At Allegiant Stadium, Verizon worked with Ericsson for its antenna deployments as the vendor is their local OEM for that region.
Turn off Wi-Fi
As part of the antenna deployment at Caesars Superdome, 42 MatSing antennas have been installed in the stadium with two rings of antennas covering the field and bowl. Verizon recommends that its customers with 5G Ultra Wideband that are attending the Super Bowl in-person turn off their Wi-Fi connections to get the best network experience.
Among the reasons Verizon chose MatSing antennas for the Superdome is that "MatSing is a really great antenna for an environment like this where you're going to have a dense amount of people," said Gavin. "A big part of serving someone is having a very dominant signal and to do that you can't really interfere with other antennas and the signals coming from those antennas. You want the signal-to-noise ratio as clean as possible," she added.
Verizon has installed more than 560 miles of fiber in the Greater New Orleans area to support Super Bowl LIX, and the permanent infrastructure it has added to the city will continue to support over 18 million tourists that come to New Orleans annually.
The service provider's first responder and emergency response arm, Verizon Frontline, has been working with local agencies in New Orleans for over two years to prepare for the Super Bowl. Verizon Frontline team members will staff Emergency Operations Centers alongside federal, state and local agencies during the Super Bowl to address public safety and first responder needs during the game. Verizon Frontline works with more than 40,000 public safety agencies nationwide.
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*Editor's note:Verizon provided travel and accommodations to New Orleans.
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