Will you get cell phone reception at Michigan Stadium this year? We'll see.
Add a new activity to the list of fall traditions during the first home game for the University of Michigan football team:
Checking to see whether your cell phone will work this year.
Wish local cell phone towers good luck during Michigan football games. They'll need it.
File photo | AnnArbor.com
With more than 110,000 fans packed into a few blocks, typical network capacity would not be enough to handle demand. So the cell phone network service providers have to roll out vans or trucks with satellite technology to temporarily boost capacity in the area.
This year, Verizon Wireless is activating three temporary cell sites in Ann Arbor for the entire season. The company is also making equipment upgrades at its current cell towers. Collectively, these moves increase Verizon’s ability to handle calls by 11 percent and its ability to handle data traffic by 87 percent.
Will it be enough? It’s too early to say. Over the last year, data demand on Verizon’s Michigan network has nearly doubled.
“Our customers are relying on their phones much more, particularly at major sporting events like college football games,” said David MacBeth, executive director of Verizon’s Michigan/Indiana/Kentucky region, in a statement. “These improvements help ensure our customers enjoying a football Saturday can make their calls and stay connected, send their e-mails and upload their photos and videos to their favorite social networking sites.”
AT&T said it is setting up a mobile cell site to boost its network for the games. AT&T, whose network has been stretched by Apple’s iPhone, endured criticism during the 2009 season when fans complained that their phones weren’t performing well.
“In addition to the mobile cell site (COW) that’s been deployed for this weekend’s game, we’ve added new layers of frequency, also known as ‘carriers,’ to more efficiently manage available spectrum and increase 3G capacity at local cell sites,” AT&T spokeswoman Amy Grundman told AnnArbor.com in an e-mail. “The result is an increased allocation of network resources for AT&T’s 3G network to support ever-growing demand for mobile broadband services.”
Jennifer Schuler, a spokeswoman for Sprint, said in an e-mail that the carrier has "equipped the capacity of our network to accommodate the increased network traffic that is anticipated due to the football game."
According to an April report by Morgan Stanley, the number of people with smart phones that can access 3G networks rose from 83.4 million in 2008 to 166.6 million in 2009 and 145.7 million in 2010. It's expected to climb to 204.8 million by 2012.
Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's newsletters.
Comments
Dexter_Man
Sat, Sep 4, 2010 : 8:55 a.m.
Talking on the phone during the game is lame, but the ability to use a cell phone to find out where your friends are tailgating is important. Last year, unless data was turned off on my BB, AT&T would never connect. No incoming or outgoing. Friend with Verizon next to me had no problems. Step it up AT&T!! Droid X on Verizon will be in my future if AT&T sucks today.
BroncoJoe
Sat, Sep 4, 2010 : 8:36 a.m.
"Wish I had more iphones to soak up more bandwidth. Fans deserve more grief for all they visit upon residents." Here's a tip - you live in ANN ARBOR!!! I'm pretty sure the games were happening before you moved, went to school, or were even born there. If you hate it so much, MOVE! That'll be one more cell phone slot for the rest of us.
C6
Sat, Sep 4, 2010 : 6:13 a.m.
I have another response for the poll... Q: How do I use my cell phone during Michigan football games? A: From a different part of the state, as I've gotten the heck out of town and away from all the silly temporary madness.
jameslucas
Fri, Sep 3, 2010 : 5:17 p.m.
Nathan Bomey, do you think this is the story annarbor.com readers want the day before the first football game of the year?
Yelmonian
Fri, Sep 3, 2010 : 3:48 p.m.
I'm getting the sense that people are not eager about the upcoming football year for UM. Seems to be a lot of articles about non issues such as water and cell phone reception.
Lokalisierung
Fri, Sep 3, 2010 : 2:12 p.m.
"and watch the event you paid to attend. It's not imperative that you maintain contact with your friends and family at all times." Yeah I PAID for it so I'll do what I want. It's also not imperative to watch every single second of the football game. Oh yeah the dance team is tellin gme to cheer during a TV time out...real important eh?
Lokalisierung
Fri, Sep 3, 2010 : 2:03 p.m.
I think it's totally fine to text at football games...calling is lame though.
Nathan Bomey
Fri, Sep 3, 2010 : 1:21 p.m.
I've updated the story with information about Sprint's plans.
a2cents
Fri, Sep 3, 2010 : 1:06 p.m.
Wish I had more iphones to soak up more bandwidth. Fans deserve more grief for all they visit upon residents.
dading dont delete me bro
Fri, Sep 3, 2010 : 12:04 p.m.
why does the article show a tower at domino farms? isn't the big house and domino farms at complete opposites of the ann arbor area? i can't believe there are no towers closer to the big house which would make this story more revelant.
Tom Teague
Fri, Sep 3, 2010 : 9:38 a.m.
The incongruous acronym COW stands for "Cell on Wheels."