$70 million network investment has the Verizon Wireless network ready to serve fans at most connected Super Bowl ever

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon customers can capture and share each historic moment of Super Bowl 50, expected to be the most connected and shared championship game in history, thanks to the enhancements made to the nation's most reliable wireless network throughout the Bay Area.

Verizon has made a $70 million long-term investment to more than triple 4G LTE wireless data network capacity in key areas throughout the Bay Area for Super Bowl week. That's an investment that will benefit customers living in and traveling to northern California, in addition to public safety, well into the future too, adding capacity for web browsing, video streaming, social media posting, and more.

Hundreds of Verizon employees have worked for nearly two years to prep for Super Bowl 50, boosting network performance in more than 10 major areas from San Francisco to Santa Clara, along with the three major area airports and several player and NFL hotels. Here's just a bit of what they've accomplished so far: 

• Built 16 new area cell sites;
• Installed 75 small cells;
• Deployed for the first time a patented antenna system to reach the lower stadium seats;
• Increased peak downlink speeds;
• Boosted capacity by adding 37 XLTE systems to existing sites; and
• Completed preparations to deploy 14 mobile cell sites in high traffic locations.

Verizon will field its own team on Super Sunday, too. Before and during Super Bowl 50, a special team of 100 technicians and engineers will monitor and manage the network in real-time both in San Francisco and in and around Levi's Stadium.

"We do this because we anticipate that this will be the most 'shared' Super Bowl. A better wireless network matters when it comes to capturing and sharing life's greatest moments," said Brian Mecum, vice president, Network for Verizon Wireless.

At the 2015 Super Bowl, Verizon customers in Phoenix used 4.1 terabytes of data. A state-of-the-art facility, Levi's Stadium is designed to handle 1.5 times the wireless data traffic on the Verizon network as compared to University of Phoenix Stadium.

Long after Super Bowl 50 is in the history books, residents, visitors and public safety in northern California will continue to benefit from Verizon's network investment, including:

Santa Clara, home of the Super Bowl: 

• Installed a small cell network serving Levi's Stadium that increased capacity by 75 percent inside and outside Levi's Stadium. Increased coverage to the Stadium Parking lot and surrounding areas.
• Developed, patented and deployed first of its kind, proprietary technology to bring additional capacity to the lower stadium seats.
• Added six new cell sites in surrounding area.
• Added 29 small cells.
• Activated seven Cell on Wheels (COWs) mobile cell sites to serve the stadium and NFL and City events

Downtown San Francisco, Super Bowl City presented by Verizon, 50^th Mile and NFL Experience Driven by Hyundai: 

• Added 10 macro cell sites to add data capacity and coverage
• · Added 46 Small Cells enhancing the experience around the 50th Mile, the NFL Experience Driven by Hyundai, Super Bowl City presented by Verizon, Union Square, and many other key attractions.
• Deployed seven Cell on Wheels (COWs) throughout the city.

Transportation hubs

• Tripled capacity at Oakland International Airport.
• Added a DAS to serve San Francisco International Airport's terminals 2 and 3. Also enhanced capacity for terminals 1 and 4.
• Enhanced capacity at San Jose International Airport.
• Added capacity along the major commuter systems – VTA, Caltrain and BART.

Want real-time, in-game stats on wireless network performance at Levi's Stadium during SuperBowl 50? Follow @verizonnews on Twitter.

About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) employs a diverse workforce of 177,900 and generated more than $127 billion in 2014 revenues. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with 110.8 million retail connections nationwide. Headquartered in New York, Verizon also provides communications and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers worldwide. For more information, visit www.verizon.com/news/.

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Media contact:
Jenny Weaver
480-763-6321
[email protected]
Twitter: @jennycweaver

SOURCE Verizon Communications Inc.

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