RedSpark

Is B26 live in that area?

On the DAS it was.

The article said they used Galaxy S3 devices.  I wonder if they used a triband Sprint GS3?

The Stadium DAS didn't have Band 41 so it wouldn't have mattered as far as that.

Sprint got shortchanged on the DAS which lacked Band 41. This also wasn't an officially launched Spark market.... Hopefully the showing in Santa Clara, CA for the next Super Bowl is even better.

Sprint Super Bowl infographic:

 

http://newsroom.sprint.com/photo_display.cfm?photo_id=15109

Interesting. Thanks for sharing. How did you find this? Not a lot of specifics though on usage amounts.

See: https://www.sprint.com/landings/iphone-ipad-bundle/

 

Sprint just announced a new offer that bundles together the iPhone and iPad and waives the monthly cost of a 16GB iPad mini 3 when both are leased through the iPhone/iPad for Life program and a 2GB data plan is purchased for the tablet.

 

So: A 16GB iPhone 6 on Sprint’s $50 Simply Unlimited plan and a 16GB iPad mini 3 with a $30 2GB data plan will run $100 per month after the iPad’s monthly lease rate is erased in the form of a $17 monthly service credit.

 

The bundle deal is fully customizable with the iPhone 6 Plus and iPad Air 2, as well as 64GB and 128GB models of all four Apple devices, available at an incrementally higher cost.

Was Kim Kardashian there? She was at least in a Super Bowl TV commercial. Does that count?

 

Oh, snap!

 

 

AJ

Hey-o!

Here are the numbers from AT&T: http://www.mobilesportsreport.com/2015/02/att-sets-new-das-traffic-records-for-super-bowl-with-1-7-terabyte-mark/

 

"In a blog post from AT&T senior executive vice president John Donovan AT&T said it saw 696 gigabytes of wireless data used on its in-stadium DAS Sunday night, with an additional 1 TB used in and around the stadium in the surrounding parking lots and the Westgate entertainment district, a mall/restaurant complex that is connected to the UoP stadium area. The 1.7 TB mark surpasses the 1.4 TB DAS mark AT&T saw at the recent College Football Playoff championship game in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 12."

 

AT&T Blog Post: http://about.att.com/innovationblog/2215biggamesetssingl

 

"Since 2011 – inclusive of the last five Big Games – the total data usage on AT&T’s in-stadium network has increased from 177GB to 696GB and peak hour data usage has increased from 30GB to 125GB"

 

Hope Sprint shares its numbers soon...

So.... How did the network do? Anybody find Sprint's numbers?

 

Saw these for Verizon: http://www.mobilesportsreport.com/2015/02/verizon-sees-4-1-terabytes-of-cellular-data-use-in-and-around-super-bowl/

 

"Verizon sees 4.1 Terabytes of cellular data use in and around Super Bowl"

Original source: http://www.verizonwireless.com/news/article/2015/01/verizon-customers-at-super-bowl-xlix-rack-up-more-than-25-million-wireless-data-connections.html

 

AT&T deployed 10 COWS: http://about.att.com/story/att_enhances_phoenix_area_mobile_internet_coverage_for_pro_footballs_big_game.html

Verizon deployed 13 COWS: http://www.verizonwireless.com/news/article/2015/01/the-network-game-plan-to-prepare-for-footballs-biggest-week.html

Sprint deployed 4 COWS: per https://www.reddit.com/r/Sprint/comments/2u7cms/digging_into_das_at_super_bowl_xlix_no_2500_mhz/co66dqt

 

Did T-Mobile have any COWS there?

You need to photoshop Marcelo's face over this... What a grin. Put a T-Mobile logo and Legere's face over that other guy.

True. You'd be surprised at the number of people still don't know how WiFi works and what everything means.

If you want to push something, you need to educate. Simple as that.

Yup. Exactly right.

No, Wi-Fi is not a "cop out." That is a foolish assertion to make. Wi-Fi is a necessity.

 

For background, the University of Phoenix Stadium is the first DAS that I have ever heard of employ so many sectors. Most DAS designs that I have encountered in the past have used just a traditional one, two, or three sector approach. That is true of many arenas/stadiums around the country. The 48 sectors are a step in the right direction, but they are still too few.

 

NFL mandated, enterprise grade Wi-Fi, on the other hand, uses hundreds of sectors, each of which typically has deployed two or more 20 MHz channels: one 2.4 GHz and at least one 5 GHz. Cellular cannot and should not compete with that sector density and bandwidth. Wi-Fi will do the heavy lifting.

 

AJ

WiFi works, but only if people bother to log onto it. Again, consumer education is key here. Giant "use our WiFi" signs with simple instructions at the stadium entrances would help.

 

According to Mobile Sports Report, the peak number for simultaneous Wi-Fi connections at the outdoor Levi's Stadium for the first 49ers preseason game there in August 2014 was 24,775 (roughly 38% of attendance) concurrent connections and the average was 16,862 (roughly 25% of attendance) concurrent connections. (Source: http://www.mobilesportsreport.com/2014/08/holy-terabyte-first-football-crowd-at-levis-stadium-uses-2-13-tb-of-wi-fi-traffic-with-nearly-25k-fans-on-wi-fi-at-once/)

 

This is in Santa Clara, CA in the heart of Silicon Valley with a tech savvy demographic, and the adoption rate on WiFi could be higher. A robust DAS needs to carry the balance for people who can't, won't or don't know how to get on WiFi.

 

A strong macro network build from Sprint needs to supplement this, especially if Band 41 isn't supported on the DAS. Band 41 is perfect for these types of environments and Sprint's overhauled towers broadcasting 2.5GHz (in addition to 800MHz/1900MHz) to a saturated area are what's needed.

Tmo may have overbuilt. We can't tell yet until it is saturated. And the reason it doesn't support B41 might be because it couldn't, yet. We haven't seen any B41 DAS yet anywhere.

The DAS was supposedly a "neutral" build. Not sure what Sprint kicked in, but it's clear that Verizon (On all 48 sectors) spent big and/or had influence...

 

Perhaps. We'll see what happens here.

 

Also, as far as the DAS and Band 41 support for next year's Super Bowl at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. That's an outdoor Stadium and from what I can tell, Sprint has been making progess on the towers in the South Bay/Silicon Valley area. Of course, that stadium has a very robust WiFi setup as well.

No one knows right now if the DAS as deployed for Sprint at the Glendale Stadium is insufficient. It's just less CAPACITY. There are plenty of nodes for complete coverage. And Sprint has less customers than Verizon and AT&T. Also, the demographic of people who can afford to go to Super Bowls skews toward the Duopoly.

I don't know if the Sprint deployment is enough. But I do know that ATT and VZW needs to be way more than Sprint. In a normal market set up, ATT and VZW have double the customers of Sprint. In this demographic, they may have triple. Given that, maybe Sprint's network may even outperform.

Nothing to freak out about really.

True. On paper though, it's disappointing that Sprint won't be able to leverage Band 41 on the DAS in such a saturated environment, which would have been perfect for demonstating its potential. T-Mobile has a similar sized user base, but has twice the number of sectors on the DAS.

 

As far as the Macro network goes, I wish Sprint had been able to make more progress in the network rebuild around the stadium and in Glendale.

 

It's true that COWS are being brought in, but I don't think those COWS support 2.5GHz... do they? We'll see what happens, but considering Sprint is putting forward $4.5 million for an ad spot in the third quarter, the network has got to perform and back that up.

This equipment was probably FCC Certified around a year ago when there was barely anything for Sprint LTE compatible DAS systems. I expect that Sprint Band 41 LTE will be deployed on DAS systems later this year. DAS equipment has been on a slower cycle than macro-cell and small-cell equipment. Sprint should have some band 41 around the stadium as long as the towers by there are upgraded with the proper equipment and integrated.

Sent from Josh's iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk 3.1.1

Good point. There's always next year! I hope Sprint uses some leverage and capital to make this happen.

University of Phoenix Stadium has a massive enterprise grade Wi-Fi network.  This is now an NFL mandate for all teams -- and no stadium is going to host a Super Bowl without exceeding that mandate.

 

So, anybody with a smartphone who has a bad cellular network experience at the Super Bowl only has his/her own ignorance to blame.  Cellular DAS is nice, but in many ways, it is a solution late to the game.  Stadium Wi-Fi is taking over the heavy lifting at NFL venues.

 

AJ

True. But how did Sprint get so screwed over on this DAS?: Fewest number of sectors and no Band 41 to boot.

 

People don't always use WiFI. Besides, Sprint hasn't yet launched WiFi calling for iOS so having a DAS with sufficient capacity and sector coverage is important.

Here is an article from last year http://www.fiercewireless.com/special-reports/super-bowl-xlviii-how-did-tier-1-wireless-carriers-networks-hold

 

Looks like sprint had 5 COWs at last years superbowl. I would be worried about the volume of backhaul if the COWs supported 8t8r maxed out with carriers. Each one would need it's own fiber/microwave link directly to fiber.

Great article. It'll be interesting to see FW's write up for this year's.

Awesome deal.

You beat me to posting that article.

Too bad the DAS doesn't seem to support B41.

Agreed. Too bad it doesn't, because unless I'm mistaken, this would have been a perfect opportunity for a huge and effective 2.5GHz deployment. Sprint would have left the other carriers in the dust and learned a lot in the process. Perhaps the next DAS build will support Band 41 at the next Super Bowl....

Any S4GRU members going to the Super Bowl or planning to be near the stadium? Could you let us know how Sprint's coverage is?

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About the DAS: http://www.rcrwireless.com/20150129/network-infrastructure/digging-das-superbowl-tag4
 

TE Connectivity has upgraded the stadium DAS to a 2 layer standard power system. Layer 1 includes the 850/1900 MHz, 700/700 MHz, and 2100/2100 MHz spectrum bands. Layer 2 includes the 1900/2100 MHz, 800/1900 MHz, and 2100/2100 MHz bands.
...
Verizon has three LTE bands connected inside the stadium via host-to-host and two connected outside the stadium, also host-to-host. The carrier has technologies for all 48 sectors. AT&T has three LTE bands connected via host-to-host and has technologies for 44 of the 48 available sectors. It has tripled its network’s LTE capacity in the stadium area in preparation for the Super Bowl. T-Mobile has two LTE bands and 30 sectors, and Sprint has two LTE bands and 15 sectors.

{{Doesn't appear that 2500 MHz was part of this deployment...}}

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More about the DAS: http://www.aglmediagroup.com/super-bowl-brings-the-best-teams-together-and-thats-just-the-das-deployments/

At the University of Phoenix stadium, home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, TE deployed FlexWave Spectrum DAS to mobile coverage and capacity.
The Cardinals’ stadium is sort of a home field for TE. It deployed 33-sector DAS at the venue two years ago. The new system ups that number to 48 sectors and includes 96 main hubs, 49 expansion hubs and 225 remote antenna units to cover the stadium bowl, luxury boxes and service areas. The system supports various 700, 800, 850, 1900 and 2100 MHz LTE, CDMA, EVDO and UMTS services.
....
The original design of the DAS at the Cardinal’s stadium featured 850 MHz and 1900 MHz SISO and 700 MHz MIMO and AWS MIMO, and it served three operators. Along with additional sectors, the system will make room for an additional carrier, Sprint and its 800 MHz frequencies. It will also increase the use of MIMO and will use a double-starred design with a host goes out to multiple expansion groups, which then go out multiple remotes.
“We added roughly a third more sectors and went from SISO to MIMO at 1900 MHz, which is all about driving more capacity into the stadium,” Spindler said.
For the stadium alone there are three different headends. Two carriers are sharing one headend and the two other carriers each have their own headend.
....
A base station hotel, two kilometers away from University of Phoenix stadium, feeds the stadium, Gila River Arena and the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel, using a TE digital fiber link. In downtown Phoenix, TE’s FlexWave Prism DAS has been deployed at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, the headquarters for NFL executives, and at CityScape, an outdoor visitor center.

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More about the DAS antennas: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-university-of-phoenix-stadium-cardinal-is-ready-for-super-bowl-xlix-with-full-featured-das-system-enabled-by-galtronics-antennas-300026184.html

LTE coverage in DC itself needs improvement in the following areas: Downtown, West End, Logan Circle, Penn Quarter, Judiciary Square, The National Mall by the Capitol, Capitol Hill, and Southwest Waterfront.

 

DC is still not an officially launched market according to Sprint. It's not on the LTE markets list: http://newsroom.sprint.com/news-releases/4glte-launchedmarkets.htm

 

If you look at Sprint's own coverage assessment on its map (http://coverage.sprint.com/IMPACT.jsp?) using Zip Codes 20037 (West End) and 20005 (Downtown), it's pretty apparent that not a sufficient number of towers have been lit up with LTE for the market to be considered "launched". LTE coverage only shows as "fair" for substantial portions of the city. Hopefully, Marcelo still considers this a priority market for Spark too...

Is it possible it get Sprint Zone on a custom rom like CM11?

 

Unlike the iOS version which can be downloaded from the App Store, Sprint Zone is not available as a downloadable app for Android. It's preinstalled on Sprint's Android devices and not available on Nexus devices for that reason.

http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/11/24/the-stark-contrast-nexus-6-on-sprint-and-t-mobile-vs-att/

 

"This may have something to do with the fact that Sprint Zone (the company's equivalent to a "my account" app) requires system-level integration and thus is not available for download on Google Play. It comes pre-installed on the system partition of just about every Android device Sprint sells that isn't called Nexus, and it updates itself automatically."

I have been on band 41 forever at my house.  This morning I am parked on band 25 (yuck).  Anything going on?  TDD-LTE has such better battery life as compared to LTE on bands 25 an 2

 

Perhaps maintenance/optimization or maybe they had to shut down Band 41 temporarily to bring other towers online. If you're experiencing significant speed/coverage issues, you can use the Sprint Zone "Report an Issue" tool to report them.

Wow, this new plan is still hidden on the website! It's not on the main landing page anymore, though it was earlier this morning. The only way to get to it is to shop for phones, and then click through to the "add plan" page. You then have two options: "Family Share Pack" or "Unlimited Family". I sure hope Sprint does a better job of promoting this plan than this because you wouldn't even know it was there.

WiFi calling for Sprint's iPhone 6 will likely be activated with a "carrier update" from Sprint rather than an iOS update right? The device already has native support for WiFi calling out of the box (as it does for T-Mobile). Sprint just has to activate it on their end. Opinions?

This is common in other areas too.   I do think it takes a special crew to get above high voltage lines.  Might be the power company itself that has to do it for Sprint.  I see many that still are only 3G accepted and still have the legacy antennas with RRU's on the ground. In many cases, they can push 1900 LTE out through the legacy antennas and are doing that.

 

They ultimately replace these legacy antennas as part of Network Vision, right?