AT&T Enhances Gameday Mobile Internet Coverage in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium

Upgraded 4G LTE Distributed Antenna System, Which is Part of AT&T’s Project VIP Investment Plan, Provides Additional Wireless Capacity for Customers on Gamedays

Fayetteville, Arkansas, October 03, 2013

When a big play happens this season at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, football fans can now expect to enjoy an enhanced mobile experience as they pull out their wireless device to share the most exciting moments with friends and family.

As part of its continuing network investment to support growing demand for advanced wireless devices and services, AT&T* has expanded its mobile Internet coverage at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium by completing the installation of an upgraded 4G LTE Distributed Antenna System (DAS) to enhance the customer experience throughout the facility.

A DAS installation consists of multiple strategically-placed antennas that distribute AT&T’s wireless network coverage throughout Razorback Stadium, providing for more efficient management of wireless capacity in heavily-trafficked areas, such as football stadiums. DAS has the ability to provide enhanced, consistent wireless coverage to customers in indoor or outdoor spaces where geographical limitations – terrain, building construction, etc. – or crowd density might otherwise prevent an optimal wireless experience.

The new DAS installation is part of AT&T’s Project Velocity IP (VIP), a three-year investment plan announced last fall to expand and enhance its IP broadband networks. Through this investment, AT&T is supporting its customers’ growing desire for high-speed Internet access and new mobile, app and cloud-based services. As part of Project VIP, AT&T plans to add more than 1,000 DAS nationwide by year-end 2015, as well as more than 10,000 macro cell sites, and deploy more than 40,000 small cells, to increase the density of its wireless network.

“When our customers head out to the stadium to cheer on the home team, we want them to have a great network experience throughout the game no matter what they’re doing – whether that’s making a call, checking email, downloading apps or surfing the Internet,” said Ed Drilling, president of AT&T Arkansas. “With initiatives like Project VIP, we’re continuing to invest in the wireless network, and providing enhanced wireless coverage at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium is just one way that we’re investing in Arkansas.”

DAS technology helps improve the mobile Internet experience by shortening the distance a request must travel. The additional capacity also is expected to help improve call reliability, boost data traffic capacity and enable more consistent network access to help customers make the most of their AT&T devices.

“Fans want to be able to immediately share those special moments during Razorback games with friends and family – whether that’s by sending a photo, a video, a text message, or making a call,” said University of Arkansas Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long. “As part of our efforts to enhance the overall Razorback game day experience, it is important we engage our fans through their wireless device. We appreciate AT&T’s significant investment and commitment to providing Razorback fans with the best possible wireless experience.”

These investments help to ensure that Arkansas residents continue to enjoy the best possible experience over the AT&T network, whether at home, at work or on the go. The great performance of AT&T’s 4G LTE network continues to be validated:

• AT&T has the fastest and now most reliable 4G LTE network.**  According to independent third-party data, AT&T has the highest success rate for delivering mobile content across nationwide 4G LTE networks.
• Meanwhile, our 4G LTE service was recognized as having faster average download and upload speeds than any of our competitors in PCWorld/TechHive’s most recent 20-market speed tests – the second consecutive year that AT&T has ranked 1st overall.  PCWorld/TechHive also ranked AT&T’s as the fastest combination of 3G and 4G services in the 20 cities it tested.***
• And AT&T was named America’s fastest 4G LTE network in PC Magazine’s 2013 Fastest Mobile Networks 30-market study – sweeping the top rankings in all six U.S. regions from coast to coast: Northeast, Southeast, North-Central, South-Central, Northwest and Southwest.****

In addition, RootMetrics® has awarded AT&T for strongest overall call, text, and data performance in 66 of 125 national markets from January through June of this year *****

Across Fayetteville and Arkansas, AT&T’s 2013 investments have resulted in expansion and enhancement of our 4G LTE network, which provides ultra-fast speeds. AT&T 4G LTE is available in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers market as well as Arkadelphia, Batesville, Blytheville, Camden, El Dorado-Magnolia, Forrest City, Fort Smith, Harrison, Hot Springs, Jonesboro-Paragould, Little Rock, Mountain Home, Pine Bluff, Russellville and Searcy.  Nationwide, more than 240 million Americans have access to AT&T 4G LTE service. By year-end 2013, AT&T expects to cover nearly 270 million people with its 4G LTE network.

AT&T’s focus to deliver the best possible mobile Internet experience goes beyond 4G to embrace additional connection technologies. AT&T operates the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network****** including more than 32,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots at popular restaurants, hotels, bookstores and retailers, and provides access to more than 402,000 hotspots globally through roaming agreements. Most AT&T smartphone customers get access to our entire national Wi-Fi network at no additional cost, and Wi-Fi usage doesn’t count against customers’ monthly wireless data plans.

Over the past five years, AT&T invested nearly $98 billion into its wireless and wireline networks across the country. Since 2008, AT&T has invested more capital into the U.S. economy than any other public company. In a July 2012 report, the Progressive Policy Institute ranked AT&T No. 1 on its list of U.S. “Investment Heroes.”

For more information about AT&T’s coverage in Fayetteville or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit the AT&T Coverage Viewer.  For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit the AT&T network news page.