DAS Stays Nimble to Handle Game Day Traffic

Every football team comes into a game with a plan that it adjusts throughout the contest based on its success on the field. In addition, there are changes in strategy between the games. Similarly, NextG Networks is monitoring and optimizing the DAS networks it deployed at several college stadiums this fall to ensure their performance, as fans use their smart phones while tailgating or rooting for their team.

"The engineering is complicated and it is not until after the first game that we are able to optimize the network to its full capabilities," said Bo Piekarski, vice president, product development and marketing, NextG Networks. "At some of the stadiums, [NextG personnel] are on site and making changes during the game." At halftime, while the coaches are giving their pep talk, one can imagine NextG engineers huddling and talking about where additional system capacity is needed.

Among the college stadiums that NextG has deployed DAS are the University of Wisconsin, Notre Dame, University of Texas, Texas A&M, Ole' Miss and Northern Illinois University -- institutions that take their football pretty seriously.

The installation in these iconic stadiums can be a bit tricky because along with providing accurate coverage, the system must fit in with the architecture of the stadium. To achieve the right amount of invisibility, NextG has worked with Stealth Concealment Solutions, which has concealed antennas in many of the Big 12 and Southeast Conference stadiums.

"There are challenges in providing accurate coverage, and at the same time, making sure that aesthetically, the architecture is not impacted, particularly in venues like Notre Dame's," Piekarski said. "We have done a lot of custom installation."

The systems had to be up and operational before the first game. In order to handle the surge in traffic as tens of thousands of fans fill the parking lot and then the stadium, the DAS system has to be engineered similar to an indoor network, with multiple antennas creating small cells for frequency reuse throughout the stadium and the parking lot.

"In order to provide the required capacity for these events, we are applying what are in-building principles," said Piekarski. "Instead of covering different floors, we have to create multiple zones within the stadium."