Though putting dedicated Wi-Fi networks inside stadiums and other large gathering areas is all the rage this year, Verizon Wireless seems to be taking a different path and is instead adding more cell towers with its 4G LTE cellular service to handle the bandwidth crush brought on by phone-wielding fans.
According to two recent press releases Verizon Wireless is beefing up its 4G coverage by adding four cell towers around the football stadiums at both Notre Dame and the University of Wisconsin, to better handle cell traffic at each place on game days.
Though the self-serving press releases sound wonderful — who doesn’t want better cell coverage? — the caveat in this case is that you may only benefit from the improvements if you have one of Verizon’s newer, expensive 4G phones. Other carriers, most notably Verizon’s chief competitor AT&T, seem to be leaning in favor of adding Wi-Fi coverage to stadium sites, perhaps because A) it’s typically easier and cheaper to put in Wi-Fi and B) it can accomodate all types of smartphones since most advanced handsets these days also come with Wi-Fi connectivity built in.
The caveat for the AT&T Wi-Fi announcements is that to benefit you must already be an AT&T customer, meaning that many fans might not see any improvements. There is some talk about AT&T possibly allowing non-customers to use their public Wi-Fi hotspots for a daily fee — such as the one AT&T just turned on in downtown Palo Alto. More on this tomorrow, when we are scheduled to speak with some Ma Bell types at an event in that very university town.
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