Verizon Wireless Preparing For Heavy Super Bowl Call Volume

Press Release

MIAMI – The COLTs putting up the biggest numbers at Sunday’s big game will never take the field – they will be two Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs) from Verizon Wireless that are deployed outside Dolphin Stadium to help handle the anticipated spike in call volume that will be generated by the company’s customers.

The brand new COLTs – the most powerful and technologically advanced mobile cell sites ever deployed by Verizon Wireless in Florida – have been rolled into position near Dolphin Stadium to boost wireless coverage for the anticipated surge in wireless usage by tens of thousands of visiting football fans, game sponsors and news media, as well as for South Florida customers and businesses. During last year’s big game in Detroit, traffic on the Verizon Wireless network in and around Ford Field increased 500 percent, compared to average wireless network traffic during a regular season game.

Florida’s COLTs are already helping Verizon Wireless’ robust Miami-area network with the super spike in wireless calls, text messages, picture and video messages, Internet connections and other wireless traffic that travels around the world during this week’s many high-profile game-related activities. This is the first time Verizon Wireless has deployed COLT vehicles for the annual big game. Verizon Wireless has dispatched them frequently in the past to support emergency workers in natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes – when their quick deployment, self-sufficiency and ability to maneuver in close quarters makes them indispensable.
Each COLT features a 75-foot telescoping antenna, nine dedicated voice channels and two high-speed data channels that can handle hundreds of phone calls and data transmissions simultaneously. At the height of the football championship game, Verizon Wireless expects millions of successful connections per hour on its Florida digital network.

“These COLTs and other advanced wireless technologies are part of our ongoing effort to maintain the strongest and most reliable wireless coverage throughout the year for customers here in Florida and nationwide,” said Pamela Tope, Florida region president of Verizon Wireless. “We know from our experience in Detroit last year and at big events like this in other big cities that there are smart ways for us to get ready to handle the increased call volumes of our customers who rely on our service at home and on the road – whether at work or play.”

In addition to the COLTs, Verizon Wireless has fine-tuned its permanent network sites and added capacity to ensure the highest performance throughout South Florida for the football game. Verizon Wireless invested $205 million in 2006 alone in Florida to enhance services and coverage to customers throughout the state. The company’s network investment now totals about $1.5 billion in Florida and more than $35 billion nationally over the past seven years.

Efforts in Florida in 2006 featured the addition of more than 90 new wireless transmission sites, as well as the launch of the high-speed wireless data network in numerous new markets in the state. With these launches, nearly 90 percent of Florida’s population has access to Verizon Wireless’ advanced wireless broadband services such as BroadbandAccess and V CAST.

BroadbandAccess allows customers to connect wirelessly to the Internet, download e-mail and applications, and log into their corporate servers via their laptop at broadband speeds. The technology provides mobile workers full access, productivity and security, just as if they were at their desks and attached via a high-speed wired connection, but with the freedom of true mobility.
V CAST gives customers access to short video content, downloadable music, and cutting-edge 3D games on their mobile phones. With V CAST, customers can get short video content on demand, including current news, weather, sports and entertainment programming. And music lovers with a V CAST Music-enabled phone are able to download and play their favorite songs – all while on-the-go.

Source: Verizon Wireless